Electric parking brake control using steering wheel torque to determine driver presence

• US 9,663,075 B2
• Filed: 08/13/2015
• Issued: 05/30/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/13/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: FCA US LLC (Stellantis NV)
• Original Assignee: FCA US LLC (Stellantis NV)
• Inventors: Stoloff, Paul H, Myzienski, David, Dicks, David D
• Primary Examiner(s): Tran, Khoi
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, ROBERT T
• Application Number:
  US14/825,727
• Publication Number:
  US 20170043752A1
• Time in Patent Office: 656 Days
• Field of Search: 701 70
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 2/002 Seats provided with an occupancy detection means mounted therein or thereon detection means responsive to presence or absence of children B60N2/266
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 13/662 characterised by specified functions of the control system components
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 7/12 for automatic initiation; for initiation not subject to will of driver or passenger limiting speed of vehicles other than rail vehicles B60K31/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 7/14 operated upon collapse of driver deadman's devices for electrically propelled vehicles B60L3/02
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 8/171 Detecting parameters used in the regulation; Measuring values used in the regulation
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/02 Steering position indicators ; Steering position determination; Steering aids

Abstract

An automotive vehicle has an electric parking brake (EPB) and an electronic control unit (ECU) configured to control the EPB. The ECU is configured to control the EPB to apply it upon determining that a driver is not present in the vehicle. The ECU is configured to determine whether the driver is present in the vehicle or not based at least upon there having been or not having been a steering input. The ECU is configured to determine that there has been a steering input when a steering torque signal from an electric power steering system of the vehicle has changed by at least a threshold amount during a set period of time based and determine that there has not been a steering input when the steering torque signal has not changed by at least the threshold amount during the set period of time.

Claims

1. A method of controlling an electric parking brake of an automotive vehicle with an electronic control unit of the vehicle configured to control the electric parking brake, comprising:

determining with the electronic control unit that there has not been a steering input when a steering torque signal from an electric power steering system of the vehicle has not changed by at least a threshold amount during a set period of time;

determining with the electronic control unit that there has been the steering input when a steering torque signal from the electric power steering system of the vehicle has changed by at least a threshold amount during the set period of time; and

controlling the electric parking brake with the electronic control unit to apply the electric parking brake based upon the determination there has not been the steering input.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein controlling the electric parking brake with the electronic control unit to apply the parking brake is further based upon all of:

a driver door ajar input indicating that the driver door of the vehicle is open;

a driver seatbelt buckled/unbuckled input indicating that a driver seatbelt of the vehicle is unbuckled;

a brake pedal position input indicating that a brake pedal of the vehicle is at rest;

a throttle pedal position indicating that a throttle pedal of the vehicle is at rest;

an ignition switch input of the vehicle indicating that an ignition switch of the vehicle is in a run position;

a transmission PRNDL position input indicating that a transmission of the vehicle is in any of reverse, neutral or drive; and

a speed input indicating that a speed of the vehicle is less than five kilometers per hour.

3. An automotive vehicle, comprising:

an electric parking brake;

an electronic control unit configured to control the electric parking brake;

the electronic control unit configured to determine that there has not been a steering input when a steering torque signal from an electric power steering system of the vehicle has not changed by at least a threshold amount during a set period of time;

the electronic control unit further configured to determine that there has been a steering input when a steering torque signal from the electric power steering system of the vehicle has changed by at least a threshold amount during the set period of time; and

the electronic control unit further configured to control the electric parking brake to apply the electric parking brake based upon the determination there has not been the steering input.

4. The automotive vehicle of claim 3, wherein the electronic control unit is further configured to control the electric parking brake to apply the parking brake based upon all of:

a driver door ajar input indicating that the driver door of the vehicle is open;

a driver seatbelt buckled/unbuckled input indicating that a driver seatbelt of the vehicle is unbuckled;

a brake pedal position input indicating that a brake pedal of the vehicle is at rest;

a throttle pedal position indicating that a throttle pedal of the vehicle is at rest;

an ignition switch input of the vehicle indicating that an ignition switch of the vehicle is in a run position;

a transmission PRNDL position input indicating that a transmission of the vehicle is in any of reverse, neutral or drive; and

a speed input indicating that a speed of the vehicle is less than five kilometers per hour.