In-vehicle sensor-based calibration algorithm for yaw rate sensor calibration

• US 8,195,357 B2
• Filed: 04/16/2008
• Issued: 06/05/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/16/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Original Assignee: GM Global Technology Operations LLC (General Motors Company)
• Inventors: Basnayake, Chaminda
• Primary Examiner(s): Jayne, Darnell
• Assistant Examiner(s): RODDEN, JOSHUA E
• Application Number:
  US12/104,022
• Publication Number:
  US 20090265054A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,511 Days
• Field of Search: 701/1, 701/29, 701/214, 701/216, 701/217, 702/104
• US Class Current: 701/33.1
• 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: G01C 21/28 with correlation of data from several navigational instruments
• CPC Class Codes: G01C 25/00 Manufacturing, calibrating, cleaning, or repairing instruments or devices referred to in the other groups of this subclass testing, calibrating or compensating compasses G01C17/38

Abstract

A system and method for calibrating a vehicle heading sensor, such as a yaw-rate sensor, when GPS signals are not available using a bias update model that employs a bias gain factor. In order for the bias update model to be accurate, the vehicle should be traveling relatively straight. One embodiment of the present invention uses three thresholds to determine if the vehicle is traveling straight. These thresholds include a yaw-rate threshold, a steering wheel angle threshold and a wheel speed threshold. If all three of the thresholds indicate that the vehicle is traveling straight, then the update bias model can be used to calibrate the yaw-rate sensor.

Claims

1. A yaw-rate sensor calibration system in a vehicle, said vehicle including four wheels, said system comprising:

a yaw-rate sensor providing a yaw-rate signal indicating a yaw of the vehicle;

a hand-wheel angle sensor providing a rotation signal of the rotation of a steering wheel of the vehicle;

a plurality of wheel speed sensors for providing wheel speed signals of the speed of the wheels of the vehicle; and

a yaw-rate sensor calibration controller for calibrating the yaw-rate sensor using a bias update model, said controller being responsive to the yaw-rate signal, the rotation signal and the wheel speed signals, said calibration controller determining whether the vehicle is traveling relatively straight using separate calculations for each of the yaw-rate signal, the hand-wheel angle signal and the wheel speed signals, and wherein said calibration controller determines that the vehicle is traveling relatively straight when all of said separate calculations each provide an indication that the vehicle is traveling relatively straight, and said controller calibrating the yaw-rate sensor if the vehicle is traveling relatively straight.

2. The system according to claim 1 further comprising a GPS receiver providing GPS signals to the calibration controller indicating the position of the vehicle, said calibration controller using the GPS signals to calibrate the yaw-rate sensor when the GPS signals are available and using the bias update model to calibrate the yaw-rate sensor when the GPS signals are not available.

3. The system according to claim 1 wherein the calibration controller calibrates the yaw-rate sensor using the bias update model by calculating a yaw bias using the following equation:

YawBias_i=(1−

β

_CHUPT)YawBias_i-1+β

_CHUPTYawRate_i,CHUPT

where YawBias_i is the yaw bias at time i, YawBias_i-1 is the yaw bias at time i−

1, YawRate_i,CHUPT is the yaw rate at time i and β

_CHUPT is a bias gain factor.

4. The system according to claim 1 wherein the calibration controller determines whether the vehicle is traveling relatively straight using a standard deviation of the yaw-rate signal and the equation:

std(YawRate<sub>i-N;

i</sub>)<

∇

_YawSTD

where N is a yaw-rate window length, YawRate is the yaw-rate signal and ∇

_YawSTD is a yaw-rate standard deviation threshold.

5. The system according to claim 1 wherein the calibration controller determines whether the vehicle is traveling straight using the rotation signal and the equation:

std(SteeringWheelAng<sub>i-P;

i</sub>)<

∇

_SteerAngSTD

where P is a steering wheel angle window length, SteeringWheelAngle is the rotation signal, and ∇

_SteerAngSTD is a steering wheel angle standard deviation threshold.

6. The system according to claim 1 wherein the calibration controller determines whether the vehicle is traveling straight using the wheel speed signals and the equation:

|WheelSpeed_L−

WheelSpeed_R|<

∇

_dWheelSpeed

where ∇

_dWheelSpeed is a differential wheel speed threshold, WheelSpeed_L is the speed of a non-driven left wheel speed and WheelSpeed_R is the speed of a non-driven right wheel speed.

7. A heading sensor calibration system in a vehicle, said vehicle including four wheels, said system comprising:

a heading sensor providing a heading signal indicating a heading of the vehicle;

a plurality of vehicle sensors providing sensor signals identifying parameters of the vehicle; and

a heading sensor calibration controller for calibrating the heading sensor using a bias update model, said controller being responsive to the heading signal and the sensor signals, said controller using the heading signal and the sensor signals to determine whether the vehicle is traveling relatively straight, wherein the plurality of vehicle sensors include a hand-wheel angle sensor providing a rotation signal of the rotation of a steering wheel of the vehicle and a plurality of wheel speed sensors for providing wheel speed signals of the speed of the wheels of the vehicle, said controller using the rotation signal, the heading signal and the wheel speed signals to determine whether the vehicle is traveling relatively straight, and wherein said controller determines that the vehicle is traveling relatively straight when separate calculations for each of the heading signal, the rotation signal and the wheel speed signals each provide an indication that the vehicle is traveling relatively straight, and said controller calibrating the heading sensor if the vehicle is traveling relatively straight.

8. The system according to claim 7 wherein the heading sensor is a yaw-rate sensor providing a yaw-rate signal indicating a yaw of the vehicle.

9. The system according to claim 8 wherein the calibration controller calibrates the yaw-rate sensor using the bias update model by calculating a yaw bias using the following equation:

YawBias_i=(1−

β

_CHUPT)YawBias_i-1+β

_CHUPTYawRate_i,CHUPT

where YawBias_i at time i, YawBias_i-1 is the yaw bias at time i−

1, YawRate_i,CHUPT is yaw rate at time i is the yaw bias and β

_CHUPT is a bias gain factor.

10. The system according to claim 7 wherein the calibration controller determines whether the vehicle is traveling relatively straight using the heading signal and the equation:

std(YawRate<sub>i-N;

i</sub>)<

∇

_YawSTD

where N is a window length, YawRate is a yaw-rate signal and ∇

_YawSTD is a yaw-rate standard deviation threshold.

11. The system according to claim 7 wherein the calibration controller determines whether the vehicle is traveling straight using the rotation signal and the equation:

std(SteeringWheelAng<sub>i-P;

i</sub>)<

∇

_SteerAngSTD

where P is a steering wheel angle window length, SteeringWheelAngle is the rotation signal, and ∇

_SteerAngSTD is a steering wheel angle standard deviation threshold.

12. The system according to claim 7 wherein the calibration controller determines whether the vehicle is traveling straight using the wheel speed signals and the equation:

|WheelSpeed_L−

WheelSpeed_R|<

∇

_dWheelSpeed

where ∇

_dWheelSpeed is a differential wheel speed threshold, WheelSpeed_L is the speed of a non-driven left wheel speed and WheelSpeed_R is the speed of a non-driven right wheel speed.

13. The system according to claim 7 further comprising a GPS receiver providing GPS signals to the calibration controller indicating the position of the vehicle, said calibration controller using the GPS signals to calibrate the heading sensor when the GPS signals are available and using the bias update model to calibrate the heading sensor when the GPS signals are not available.

14. A yaw-rate sensor calibration system in a vehicle, said vehicle including four wheels, said system comprising:

a yaw-rate sensor providing a yaw-rate single indicating a yaw of the vehicle;

a hand-wheel angle sensor providing a rotation signal of the rotation of a steering of the vehicle;

a plurality of wheel speed sensors for providing wheel speed signals of the speed of the wheels of the vehicle;

a GPS receiver providing GPS signals indicating the position of the vehicle; and

a yaw-rate sensor calibration controller for calibrating the yaw-rate sensor using a bias update model, said controller being responsive to the yaw-rate signal, the hand-wheel rotation signal, the wheel speed signals and the GPS signals, said calibration controller using the GPS signals to calibrate the yaw-rate sensor when the GPS signals are available and using the bias update model to calibrate the yaw-rate sensor when the GPS signals are not available and the vehicle is traveling relatively straight, said calibration controller determining whether the vehicle is traveling relatively straight using separate calculations for each of the yaw-rate signal, the hand-wheel angle signal and the wheel speed signals, and wherein said calibration controller determines that the vehicle is traveling relatively straight when all of said separate calculations each provide an indication that the vehicle is traveling relatively straight.

15. The system according to claim 14 wherein the calibration controller calibrates the yaw-rate sensor using the bias update model by calculating a yaw bias using the following equation:

YawBias_i=(1−

β

_CHUPT)YawBias_i-1+β

_CHUPTYawRate_i,CHUPT

where YawBias_i at time i, YawBias_i-1 is the yaw bias at time i−

1, YawRate_i,CHUPT is the yaw rate at time i is the yaw bias and β

_CHUPT is a bias gain factor.

16. The system according to claim 14 wherein the calibration controller determines whether the vehicle is traveling relatively straight using the yaw-rate signal and the equation:

std(YawRate<sub>i-N;

i</sub>)<

∇

_YawSTD

where N is a yaw-rate window length, YawRate is the yaw-rate signal and ∇

_YawSTD is a yaw-rate standard deviation threshold.

17. The system according to claim 14 wherein the calibration controller determines whether the vehicle is traveling straight using the rotation signal and the equation:

std(SteeringWheelAng<sub>i-P;

i</sub>)<

∇

_SteerAngSTD

where P is a steering wheel angle window length, SteeringWheelAngle is the rotation signal, and ∇

_SteerAngSTD is a steering wheel angle standard deviation threshold.

18. The system according to claim 14 wherein the calibration controller determines whether the vehicle is traveling straight using the wheel speed signals and the equation:

|WheelSpeed_L−

WheelSpeed_R|∇

_dWheelSpeed

where ∇

_dWheelSpeed is a differential wheel speed threshold, WheelSpeed_L is the speed of a non-driven left wheel speed and WheelSpeed_R is the speed of a non-driven right wheel speed.