Vehicle dynamic control platform between application and controlled object

• US 8,855,833 B2
• Filed: 10/27/2011
• Issued: 10/07/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Advics Company Limited (Aisin Corp.), Aisin Seiki Co., Ltd. (Aisin Corp.), DENSO Corporation
• Original Assignee: Advics Company Limited (Aisin Corp.), Aisin Seiki Co., Ltd. (Aisin Corp.), DENSO Corporation
• Inventors: Kumabe, Hajime, Ogata, Yoshihisa, Tatsukawa, Junpei, Tokimasa, Mitsuhiro, Mukai, Yasuhiko, Hanzawa, Masatoshi, Maruyama, Masaki, Nitta, Hirofumi, Mizutani, Yuichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Algahaim, Helal A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Han, Charles J
• Application Number:
  US13/282,626
• Publication Number:
  US 20120109414A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,076 Days
• Field of Search: 701/1, 701/2, 701/22, 701/36, 701/41, 701/70, 701/79, 701/83, 701/96, 701/110, 701/115, 701/121, 701/29.1, 701/29.2, 701 297- 344
• US Class Current: 701/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/0095 Automatic control mode change
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/02 Control of vehicle driving stability
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/035 Bringing the control units into a predefined state, e.g. giving priority to particular actuators
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/045 Monitoring control system parameters
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/14 Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention

Abstract

In a vehicle dynamic control platform arranged between a controlled object and an application, an availability obtainer obtains an availability corresponding to a controllable range of a second parameter of the controlled object, and outputs the availability of the second parameter of the controlled object to the application. The application is programmed to output the target value of the first parameter based on the availability of the second parameter of the controlled object. A comparator compares the target value of the first parameter with the availability of the second parameter when the target value of the first parameter is outputted from the application, and determines, based on a result of the comparison, whether to perform dynamic control of the vehicle by controlling the controlled object.

Claims

1. A vehicle dynamic control platform for controlling lateral movement of a vehicle comprising:

a controller arranged between a controlled object and an application, the controller designed to control the controlled object according to a target value of a first parameter associated with motion of the vehicle as a control request from the application;

a controllable-range computer configured to obtain a controllable range of a second parameter of the controlled object, and to output the controllable range of the second parameter of the controlled object to the application, the application being programmed to output the target value of the first parameter based on the controllable range of the second parameter of the controlled object;

a comparator configured to compare the target value of the first parameter with the controllable range of the second parameter when the target value of the first parameter is outputted from the application, and determine, based on a result of the comparison, whether to perform dynamic control of the vehicle by controlling the controlled object; and

a monitor configured to monitor current conditions of the vehicle, wherein the controllable-range computer is configured to;

receive vehicle information indicative of the current conditions of the vehicle from the monitor,

limit, based on the vehicle information, the controllable range of the second parameter of the controlled object to generate a limited controllable range of the second parameter of the controlled object, and

output, to the comparator, the controllable range of the second parameter of the controlled object as a first controllable range of the second parameter of the controlled object and the limited controllable range of the second parameter of the controlled object as a second controllable range of the second parameter of the controlled object, and

the comparator is configured to compare the target value of the first parameter with each of the first controllable range of the second parameter and the second controllable range of the second parameter.

2. The vehicle dynamic control platform according to claim 1, wherein the comparator is configured to transmit, to the application, information indicative of a result of the determination of whether to perform dynamic control of the vehicle.

3. The vehicle dynamic control platform according to claim 1, further comprising a notifying device for notifying information to a driver of the vehicle,

wherein the comparator is configured to transmit, to the notifying device, information indicative of a result of the determination of whether to perform dynamic control of the vehicle, and the notifying device is configured to receive the information indicative of the result of the determination of whether to perform dynamic control of the vehicle, and notify the driver of the information indicative of the result of the determination of whether to perform dynamic control of the vehicle.

4. The vehicle dynamic control platform according to claim 1, wherein the comparator is configured to:

determine whether the target value of the first parameter is within one of a first area, a second area, and a third area, the first area being within the second controllable range of the second parameter, the second area being beyond the second controllable range of the second parameter and within the first controllable range of the second parameter, the third area being beyond the first controllable range of the second parameter; and

determine whether to perform dynamic control of the vehicle by controlling the controlled object according to the determined one of the first to third ranges.

5. The vehicle dynamic control platform according to claim 4, wherein the comparator is configured to:

determine to perform dynamic control of the vehicle by controlling the controlled object if the target value of the first parameter is within the first area; and

determine to disable dynamic control of the vehicle by controlling the controlled object if the target value of the first parameter is within the third area.

6. The vehicle dynamic control platform according to claim 5, further comprising a notifying device for notifying information to a driver of the vehicle,

wherein the comparator is configured to determine to perform dynamic control of the vehicle by controlling the controlled object with caution, and transmits, to the notifying device, information representing that dynamic control of the vehicle is performed with caution.

7. The vehicle dynamic control platform according to claim 5, wherein the comparator is configured to determine to disable dynamic control of the vehicle by controlling the controlled object if the target value of the first parameter within the third area is continued for a preset time or more.

8. The vehicle dynamic control platform according to claim 5, wherein the comparator is configured to operate in a limp-home mode to disable dynamic control of the vehicle via the controlled object.

9. The vehicle dynamic control platform according to claim 1, wherein the second parameter includes a controlled variable and a change in the controlled variable of the controlled object, and the controllable-range computer is configured to obtain, as a first controllable range, the controllable range of the controlled variable of the controlled object, obtain, as a second controllable range, the controllable range of the change in the controlled variable of the controlled object, and output the first controllable range of the controlled variable of the controlled object and the second controllable range of the change in the controlled variable of the controlled objects to the application.

10. A vehicle dynamic control system comprising:

the vehicle dynamic control platform recited in claim 1;

a control requester including the application recited in claim 1; and

the controlled object recited in claim 1.

11. The vehicle dynamic control platform according to claim 1, wherein the controller receives the control request from the application and controls the controlled object according to the target value.