Method and system for vehicle ESC system using map data

• US 8,630,779 B2
• Filed: 04/09/2010
• Issued: 01/14/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/09/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HERE Global B.V. (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Navteq B.V.
• Inventors: Moran, Kevin, Denaro, Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Khoi
• Assistant Examiner(s): OH, HARRY Y
• Application Number:
  US12/798,758
• Publication Number:
  US 20110251748A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,376 Days
• Field of Search: 701/70
• US Class Current: 701/70
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2210/22 Banked curves
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2210/36 Global Positioning System [GPS]
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 8/1755 Brake regulation specially adapted to control the stability of the vehicle, e.g. taking into account yaw rate or transverse acceleration in a curve road vehicle drive control systems for control of driving stability otherwise than by controlling a particular sub-unit B60W30/02
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/04 including control of propulsion units
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/10 including control of change-speed gearings
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/184 with wheel brakes
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/20 including control of steering systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/22 including control of suspension systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/22 Psychological state; Stress level or workload
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/00 Input parameters relating to infrastructure
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/05 Type of road, e.g. motorways, local streets, paved or unpaved roads
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/10 Number of lanes
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/15 Road slope, i.e. the inclination of a road segment in the longitudinal direction
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/30 Road curve radius
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/40 Coefficient of friction
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2554/00 Input parameters relating to objects
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2556/50 of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/02 Control of vehicle driving stability
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/18118 Hill holding
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/18172 Preventing, or responsive to skidding of wheels
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/0097 : Predicting future conditions
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/0098 : Details of control systems ensuring comfort, safety or stability not otherwise provided for

Abstract

An Electronic Stability Control (ESC) system for a vehicle is disclosed. An electronic control unit (ECU) is programmed to reduce vehicle lateral skidding by reducing differences between an intended vehicle direction and/or yaw rate and an actual vehicle direction and/or yaw rate by applying modifications to operation of the vehicle brakes and/or throttle. The ESC system receives inputs from wheel speed sensors, a steering wheel position sensor, a yaw rate sensor and a lateral acceleration sensor. The ESC system also receives input that indicates at least a property of the road upon which the vehicle is located, wherein the road upon which the vehicle is located is determined from a positioning system that uses a map database and the property is determined from the map database. The ESC system incorporates the road property information in determining when and/or how to modify operation of the vehicle to reduce vehicle skidding.

Claims

1. An improved Electronic Stability Control system for a vehicle comprising:

a map database that includes data that indicates properties of roads in a road network upon which the vehicle travels;

a positioning system operably coupled to the map database to determine a position of the vehicle on a road in the road network;

an electronic control unit comprising a processor operable to execute programming functions, wherein said electronic control unit is operably coupled to sensors that indicate a vehicle direction and a steering wheel position, and further wherein said electronic control unit is operably coupled to the positioning system to receive information indicating the position of the vehicle on the road, and wherein said electronic control unit includes outputs to brake actuators associated with brakes associated with individual wheels of said vehicle; and

an ESC program run on the electronic control unit that uses inputs from the sensors and information from the map database that indicates a property of a portion of the road upon which the vehicle is located that is ahead of the position of the vehicle so as to determine a derived vehicle direction which would result from intended operation of the vehicle by a driver of the vehicle and to determine whether to provide an output to the brake actuators to reduce a difference between the derived vehicle direction and an actual vehicle direction based upon the extent to which the property of the portion of the road ahead will itself cause a reduction of the difference between the derived vehicle direction and the actual vehicle direction.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the ESC program also determines the output to the brake actuators to reduce the difference between the derived vehicle direction and the actual vehicle direction.

4. The system of claim 1 or 3 wherein the ESC program uses the information from the map database that indicates the property of the portion of the road ahead of where the vehicle is located to determine whether to provide an output to a throttle actuator associated with a vehicle throttle to reduce vehicle speed.

5. The system of claim 1 or 3 wherein the property of the road from the map database used by the ESC program comprises road shape.

6. The system of claim 1 or 3 wherein the property of the road from the map database used by the ESC program comprises road width.

7. The system of claim 1 or 3 wherein the property of the road from the map database used by the ESC program comprises road slope.

8. The system of claim 1 or 3 wherein the property of the road from the map database used by the ESC program comprises road friction.

9. The system of claim 1 or 3 wherein the property of the road from the map database used by the ESC program comprises road surface.

10. The system of claim 1 or 3 wherein the property of the road from the map database used by the ESC program comprises road shoulders.

11. The system of claim 1 or 3 wherein the property of the road from the map database used by the ESC program comprises superelevation.

12. The system of claim 1 or 3 wherein the property of the road from the map database used by the ESC program comprises black spots.

13. The system of claim 1 or 3 wherein the property of the road from the map database used by the ESC program comprises guard rails.

14. The system of claim 1 or 3 wherein the property of the road from the map database used by the ESC program comprises road medians.

15. The system of claim 1 or 3 wherein the property of the road from the map database used by the ESC program comprises speed limit information.

16. The system of claim 1 or 3 wherein the property of the road from the map database used by the ESC program comprises curvature.

3. An improved Electronic Stability Control system for a vehicle comprising:

a map database that includes data that indicates properties of roads in a road network upon which the vehicle travels;

a positioning system operably coupled to the map database to determine a position of the vehicle on a road in the road network;

an electronic control unit comprising a processor operable to execute programming functions, wherein said electronic control unit is operably coupled to sensors that indicate a vehicle direction and a steering wheel position, and further wherein said electronic control unit is operably coupled to the positioning system to receive information indicating the position of the vehicle on the road, and wherein said electronic control unit includes outputs to brake actuators associated with brakes associated with individual wheels of said vehicle; and

an ESC program run on the electronic control unit that uses inputs from the sensors and information from the map database that indicates a property of a portion of the road upon which the vehicle is located that is ahead of the position of the vehicle so as to determine a derived vehicle direction which would result from intended operation of the vehicle by a driver of the vehicle and to determine an output to the brake actuators to reduce a difference between the derived vehicle direction and an actual vehicle direction based upon the extent to which the property of the portion of the road ahead will itself cause a reduction of the difference between the derived vehicle direction and the actual vehicle direction.

17. The system of claim 3 wherein the ESC program also uses information from the map database to modify operation of vehicle steering direction and rate.

18. The system of claim 3 wherein the ESC program also uses information from the map database to modify vehicle chassis spring rate.

19. The system of claim 3 wherein the ESC program also uses information from the map database to modify vehicle chassis roll rate.

20. The system of claim 3 wherein the ESC program also uses information from the map database to modify wheel jounce damping rate.

21. The system of claim 3 wherein the ESC program also uses information from the map database to modify wheel rebound damping rate.

22. The system of claim 3 wherein the ESC program also uses information from the map database to modify vehicle transmission gear selection.

23. The system of claim 3 wherein the ESC program also uses information from the map database to modify vehicle transmission torque converter coupling.

24. The system of claim 3 wherein the ESC program also uses information from the map database to modify vehicle brake boost level.

25. The system of claim 3 wherein the ESC program also uses information from the map database to modify vehicle wheel camber.

26. The system of claim 3 wherein the ESC program also uses information from the map database to modify vehicle wheel caster.

27. A method of operation for an electronic stability control system in a vehicle, the method comprising the steps of:

determining, by a processor, a location of the vehicle along a road in a road network;

accessing, by the processor, a map database to determine a property of the road ahead of the location of the vehicle;

determining, by the processor based on the property of the portion of the portion of the road ahead, a derived vehicle direction which would result from intended operation of the vehicle by a driver of the vehicle;

obtaining, by the processor, outputs from sensors in the vehicle that indicate an actual vehicle direction; and

using, by the processor, the outputs from the sensors and the property of the road ahead of the location of the vehicle to determine whether to provide an output to brake actuators to reduce a difference between the actual vehicle direction and the derived vehicle direction based upon the extent to which the property of the portion of the road ahead itself will cause a reduction of the difference between the derived vehicle direction and the actual vehicle direction.

28. The method of claim 27 further comprising:

after using the outputs from the sensors and the property of the road ahead of the location of the vehicle to determine to provide an output to the brake actuators to reduce a difference between the actual vehicle direction and the derived vehicle direction, using, by the processor, the outputs from the sensors and the property of the road at the location of the vehicle to determine an output to apply to the brake actuators to reduce a difference between the actual vehicle direction and the derived vehicle direction.

29. A method of operation for an electronic stability control system in a vehicle, the method comprising the steps of:

determining, by a processor, a location of the vehicle along a road in a road network;

accessing, by the processor, a map database to determine a property of the road ahead of the location of the vehicle along the road;

determining, by the processor based on the property of the portion of the portion of the road ahead, a derived vehicle direction which would result from operation of the vehicle in a manner intended by a driver of the vehicle;

obtaining, by the processor, outputs from sensors in the vehicle that indicate an actual vehicle direction;

using, by the processor, the outputs from the sensors and the property of the road ahead of the location of the vehicle to determine whether to provide an output to brake actuators to reduce a difference between the actual vehicle direction and the derived vehicle direction; and

using, by the processor, the outputs from the sensors and the property of the road ahead of the location of the vehicle to determine an appropriate output for brake actuators to reduce a difference between the actual vehicle direction and the derived vehicle direction based upon the extent to which the property of the portion of the road ahead itself will cause a reduction of the difference between the derived vehicle direction and the actual vehicle direction.