Lateral rollover limit detection system

• US 9,523,622 B2
• Filed: 12/04/2012
• Issued: 12/20/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/06/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology
• Original Assignee: Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology
• Inventors: Watanabe, Yutaka
• Primary Examiner(s): Laballe, Clayton E
• Assistant Examiner(s): Fenwick, Warren K
• Application Number:
  US14/363,231
• Publication Number:
  US 20140331748A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,477 Days
• Field of Search: 73/650.1, 73/650.7, 73/650.8, 73/650.9
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2040/1315 Location of the centre of gravity
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/13 Load or weight
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 1/122 Determining position of centre of gravity
• CPC Class Codes: G01M 17/06 Steering behaviour; Rolling behaviour

Abstract

Provided is a lateral rollover limit detection system which can determine the lateral rollover danger of a structure for which the weight or the weight distribution has not been clarified. A placement board, springs, and detection object are provided as a structure in which the placement board is supported with springs on both sides of an oscillation central axis with an acceleration sensor for detecting the reciprocating motion in an up-down direction of the placement board, and an arithmetic part which, on the basis of the inclination angle of the placement board in a direction of rotation around the oscillation central axis with respect to the horizontal plane in a standstill state of the detection object and the detection result by the acceleration sensor, calculates a limit center-of-gravity height beyond which the detection object is rolled over for a center-of-gravity location on the placement board of the structure being provided.

Claims

1. A lateral rollover limit detection system, comprising:

a structure, wherein a reference plane is supported with elastic forces on both sides of a reference axis;

an up-down direction means for detecting a reciprocating motion in an up-down direction of said reference plane; and

a calculating means for calculating, on the basis of a distance between said elastic forces supporting said structure on both sides of said reference axis, and the detection result by said up-down direction means, a limit center-of-gravity height beyond which said structure is rolled over in said direction of rotation as a lateral rollover limit height upon the center of gravity of said structure being on said reference axis,

wherein said calculation means calculates a center-of-gravity height beyond which the force in said direction of rotation acting on the center of gravity of said structure resulting from said elastic force is not capable of providing a righting movement against the gravity, as said lateral rollover limit height,

wherein said system further comprises a direction-of-rotation detection means for detecting a rotation around said reference axis of said reference plane, wherein said calculating means calculates said lateral rollover limit height for a center-of-gravity location on said reference plane of said structure, using an inclination angle of said reference plane in a standstill state determined from the detection result by said rotation-direction detection means, and

wherein said calculation means determines the central angle for the oscillation around said reference axis from the detection result by said rotation-direction detection means as said inclination angle in a standstill state;

wherein said calculation means determines a vertical oscillation frequency in the up-down direction for said reference plane from the detection result by said up-down direction detection means, and on the basis of said vertical oscillation frequency and the central angle for said oscillation, calculate said lateral rollover limit height.

2. The lateral rollover limit detection system according to claim 1, wherein said calculation means calculates a center-of-gravity height in said up-down direction from said reference axis to the center of gravity of said structure on the basis of the detection results by said up-down direction detection means and said direction of rotation detection means.

3. The lateral rollover limit detection system according to claim 2, comprising a lateral rollover determination means for determining the lateral rollover danger in said direction of rotation of said structure on the basis of said lateral rollover limit height which has been calculated by said calculation means and said center-of-gravity height, and a reporting means for reporting the determination result by said lateral rollover determination means.