Method and device for evaluating a condition of a chassis of a vehicle

• US 8,626,414 B2
• Filed: 07/26/2011
• Issued: 01/07/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/05/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Original Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
• Inventors: Hannemann, Dirk
• Primary Examiner(s): Shaawat, Mussa A
• Application Number:
  US13/136,239
• Publication Number:
  US 20120035821A1
• Time in Patent Office: 896 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 701/70
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/18 Braking system
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/00 Input parameters relating to infrastructure
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/50 of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/65 Data transmitted between vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/12 related to parameters of the vehicle itself , e.g. tyre models

Abstract

In a method for evaluating the condition of a chassis of a vehicle equipped with a brake control system and a device for detecting trip data, at least one control signal of the brake control system is combined with at least one output signal of the device for detecting trip data to obtain a combined signal, and the condition of the chassis is evaluated on the basis of the combined signal.

Claims

1. An automated method for assisting a driver based on an evaluation of a condition of a chassis of a vehicle having a brake control system and a device for detecting trip data, comprising:

combining, by an evaluation unit of the vehicle, at least one control signal of the brake control system with at least one output signal of the device for detecting trip data to obtain a combined signal, wherein the combined signal indicates whether a current speed of the vehicle is lower than a predetermined recommended maximum speed;

evaluating, by the evaluation unit of the vehicle, the condition of the chassis on the basis of the combined signal, wherein the evaluation includes determining whether the brake control system intervenes with an automated control operation in the case the combined signal indicates the current speed of the vehicle is lower than the predetermined recommended maximum speed; and

outputting, by a warning system of the vehicle, at least one of an audio and visual warning signal indicating a poor chassis condition, if the brake control system intervenes with an automated control operation in the case the combined signal indicates the current speed of the vehicle is lower than the predetermined recommended maximum speed.

2. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the output signal of the device for detecting trip data is data representing at least one of position information, speed information and acceleration information from a navigation system, and wherein the control signal of the brake control system is data generated by at least one of an antilock braking system, a traction control system and an electronic stability program.

3. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein at least one of vehicle-specific information of the vehicle, chassis-specific information of the vehicle, and information about the surroundings transmitted from at least one other vehicle is also used in at least one of the combining step and the evaluating step.

4. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein the combining step and the evaluating step are i) performed for a first wheel of the vehicle, and ii) separately performed for a second wheel of the vehicle.

5. The method as recited in claim 2, wherein the combining step and the evaluating step are repeated multiple times, the method further comprising:

collecting evaluated conditions of the chassis in a statistics module; and

performing a statistical analysis of the collected evaluated conditions.

6. The method as recited in claim 1, further comprising:

storing one of the evaluated condition of the chassis or information derived from the evaluated condition in a memory for a vehicle inspection.

7. The method as recited in claim 1, wherein the method is used for a curve-speed warning.

8. A device for evaluating a condition of a chassis of a vehicle equipped with a brake control system and a device for detecting trip data of the vehicle, comprising:

a combining unit configured to combine at least one control signal of the brake control system with at least one output signal of the device for detecting trip data to obtain a combined signal, wherein the combined signal indicates whether a current speed of the vehicle is lower than a predetermined recommended maximum speed;

an evaluation unit configured to evaluate the condition of the chassis on the basis of the combined signal, wherein the evaluation includes determining whether the brake control system intervenes with an automated control operation in the case the combined signal indicates the current speed of the vehicle is lower than the predetermined recommended maximum speed; and

a warning system configured to output at least one of an audio and visual warning signal indicating a poor chassis condition, if the brake control system intervenes with an automated control operation in the case the combined signal indicates the current speed of the vehicle is lower than the predetermined recommended maximum speed.

9. A non-transitory, computer-readable data storage medium storing a computer program having program codes which, when executed on a computer, performs a method for evaluating a condition of a chassis of a vehicle having a brake control system and a device for detecting trip data, the method comprising:

combining at least one control signal of the brake control system with at least one output signal of the device for detecting trip data to obtain a combined signal, wherein the combined signal indicates whether a current speed of the vehicle is lower than a predetermined recommended maximum speed;

evaluating the condition of the chassis on the basis of the combined signal, wherein the evaluation includes determining whether the brake control system intervenes with an automated control operation in the case the combined signal indicates the current speed of the vehicle is lower than the predetermined recommended maximum speed; and

outputting at least one of an audio and visual warning signal indicating a poor chassis condition, if the brake control system intervenes with an automated control operation in the case the combined signal indicates the current speed of the vehicle is lower than the predetermined recommended maximum speed.