Vehicle rollover mitigation system

• US 8,725,353 B2
• Filed: 01/16/2012
• Issued: 05/13/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/16/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Lu, Jianbo, Filev, Dimitar Petrov, Stevens, Greg Blaisdell, Rupp, Jeffrey Dan, Rhode, Douglas Scott, Pilutti, Thomas Edward
• Primary Examiner(s): Algahaim, Helal A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nguyen, Nga X
• Application Number:
  US13/350,839
• Publication Number:
  US 20130184936A1
• Time in Patent Office: 848 Days
• Field of Search: 701/38, 701/41, 701/70, 280/5.506
• US Class Current: 701/41
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2210/16 Off-road driving conditions
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2230/03 Overturn, rollover
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2230/06 Tractor-trailer swaying
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 8/17554 specially adapted for enhancing stability around the vehicles longitudinal axle, i.e. roll-over prevention road vehicle drive control systems for roll-over prevention otherwise than by controlling a particular sub-unit B60W30/04
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/06 including control of combustion engines
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/16 Axle differentials, e.g. for dividing torque between left and right wheels
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/184 with wheel brakes
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/20 including control of steering systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2030/043 about the roll axis
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/10 Longitudinal speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/18 Roll
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/04 related to roll-over prevention

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a system and a method for mitigating vehicle rollovers, the method comprises monitoring a vehicular tilt and sensing a vehicular rollover in a particular direction, through a tilt sensor. Further, the system determines an occurrence of a rollover according to a calculated tilt threshold, through a central processing unit. Steering the vehicle in the sensed direction of the rollover, accelerating the vehicle in the same direction, and braking the vehicle upon sensing a decrease in the rollover, all being controlled through a controller, enables the vehicle to eventually stabilize and return to track.

Claims

1. A method for mitigating vehicle rollovers, the method comprising:

monitoring a vehicle tilt and sensing a vehicle rollover in a direction, through a tilt sensor;

determining an occurrence of a rollover according to a calculated tilt threshold through a central processing unit disposed within a controller;

steering the vehicle in the sensed direction of the rollover, the steering being controlled through the controller;

accelerating the vehicle, in the direction of the rollover after steering control, by varying a throttle position with the steering, the throttle being controlled by the controller; and

braking the vehicle through a brake upon sensing a decrease in the rollover, the brake being controlled through the controller.

2. The method of claim 1 further determining a nature of the rollover to be soft-tripped using a computing module configured within the controller.

3. The method of claim 1 further establishing a severity value of the rollover according to a vehicular velocity sensed before the vehicle crosses the tilt threshold, the velocity being sensed through one of the following:

a speed data sensor connected to a vehicle speedometer; and

an on-board sensor.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the tilt sensor is one of the following:

a dual-axial accelerometer;

a combination of inertial sensors; and

a software sensor, that obtains the vehicle tilt indications through estimations from the on-board sensor.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the controller returns the vehicle to normal operation once the brake is applied, and upon sensing a predetermined decrease in the vehicle tilt, the decrease being established according to the calculated tilt threshold.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the acceleration includes providing traction to the vehicle'"'"'s wheels in contact with a ground surface.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein torque-vectoring will be used on a lifted wheel with large slip ratio, to allow the wheels on the ground surface to generate tractive force, using one of the following:

braking;

limited slip differentials; and

electronic limited slip differentials.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the traction is provided through the controller.

9. A system for mitigating vehicle rollovers, the system comprising:

a vehicle,

a tilt sensor mounted on the vehicle, configured to monitor the vehicle'"'"'s tilt relative to horizontal and to sense the direction of tilt as a rollover direction;

a vehicle accelerator, configured as a vehicle'"'"'s throttle,

a vehicle brake,

a vehicle steering; and

a controller connected to the tilt sensor, the vehicle brake, the vehicle accelerator, and the vehicle steering, configured to

steer the vehicle in the rollover direction, and accelerate the vehicle in the direction of the rollover after steering control, and

brake the vehicle upon sensing a decrease in the rollover after the vehicle'"'"'s throttle action.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein a computing module configured within the controller determines a nature of a rollover to be soft-tripped.

11. The system of claim 9, wherein a severity value of the rollover is established according to a vehicular velocity sensed before the vehicle crosses a tilt threshold, the velocity being sensed through at least one of:

a speed data sensor connected to a vehicle speedometer; and

an on-board sensor.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the tilt sensor is one of:

a dual-axial accelerometer;

a combination of inertial sensors; and

a software sensor, that obtains the vehicle tilt through estimations from the on-board sensor.

13. The system of claim 9, wherein the controller includes a central processing unit that determines an occurrence of the rollover according to a calculated tilt threshold.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the controller returns the vehicle to normal operation once the brake is applied, and upon sensing a predetermined amount of decrease in the vehicle tilt, the decrease being established according to the calculated tilt threshold.

15. The system of claim 9, wherein traction is provided to vehicle wheels that are on a ground surface, when at least one of the wheels is detected to have a large slip ratio during the rollover.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the traction is provided through the controller.