Controlling vehicle orientation

• US 10,703,359 B2
• Filed: 01/27/2017
• Issued: 07/07/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 01/27/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Varnhagen, Scott, Cohen, Schuyler, Strom, Johannes, Atmeh, Ghassan, Kassar, Alice
• Primary Examiner(s): Boomer, Jeffrey C
• Application Number:
  US15/417,920
• Publication Number:
  US 20180215373A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,257 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60N 3/001 of tables or trays
• 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 2552/35 Road bumpiness, e.g. potholes
• 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 30/025 related to comfort of drivers or passengers
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/10 related to vehicle motion
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/0097 Predicting future conditions

Abstract

A computer is programmed to predict, based at least in part on a stored road topology for a predetermined vehicle route, a vehicle body orientation based on lateral, longitudinal, and vertical accelerations predicted for the route. The computer is programmed to, based on the predicted vehicle body orientation, adjust at least one of an orientation of the vehicle body and an orientation of an object in the vehicle as the vehicle traverses the route.

Claims

1. A computer, programmed to:

predict a vehicle body orientation based on (i) lateral, longitudinal, and vertical accelerations predicted for a predetermined route, (ii) a current vehicle body orientation, wherein an orientation includes a roll, a pitch and a yaw; and

(iii) a stored road topology for the predetermined vehicle route;

predict a future actuation of a vehicle brake or steering based on the predetermined vehicle route;

predict a future lateral, longitudinal, and vertical acceleration based on the predicted future actuation of the vehicle;

determine a rate of change of the vehicle body orientation including a speed of change of vehicle body pitch based on the predicted future lateral, longitudinal, and vertical acceleration using a state-space model of the vehicle;

adjust the predicted vehicle body orientation based at least in part on the determined rate of change of the vehicle body orientation;

based on the adjusted predicted vehicle body orientation, adjust an orientation of the vehicle body as the vehicle traverses the route;

based on the adjusted predicted vehicle body orientation and an identified current orientation of an object in the vehicle, predict a change of orientation of the object; and

based on the predicted change of orientation of the object, adjust the orientation of the object.

2. The computer of claim 1, wherein adjusting at least one of the orientation of the vehicle body and the orientation of the object in the vehicle further includes causing a compensating acceleration of at least one of the vehicle body and the object, wherein the compensating acceleration adjusts at least one of the predicted lateral, longitudinal, and vertical accelerations.

3. The computer of claim 1, wherein adjusting at least one of the orientation of the vehicle body and the orientation of the object in the vehicle further includes leveling at least one of the vehicle body and the object.

4. The computer of claim 1, wherein the road topology includes at least one of a road longitudinal slope, a road lateral slope, road curvature coordinates, and location coordinates of a pothole.

5. The computer of claim 1, further programmed to:

receive a state-space model of a table movably mounted to the vehicle body, the model of the table including a set of inputs, outputs, and state variables describing a table orientation;

identify a current table orientation;

predict a change of the table orientation based on the current table orientation and the predicted lateral, longitudinal and vertical accelerations; and

adjust the table orientation based on the predicted change of the table orientation.

6. The computer of claim 5, further programmed to identify the current table orientation based on data received from a table orientation sensor.

7. The computer of claim 1, further programmed to identify the current orientation of the object in the vehicle based at least in part on data received from an orientation sensor providing a current roll, pitch, yaw, and vertical position of the object relative to the vehicle body.

8. A computer, programmed to:

predict a vehicle body orientation based on lateral, longitudinal, and vertical accelerations predicted for the route by;

receiving a state-space model of the vehicle body, the model including a set of inputs, outputs, and state variables describing a vehicle body orientation;

identifying a current vehicle body orientation based on vehicle sensor data;

predicting the lateral, longitudinal, and vertical accelerations based on a stored road topology for a predetermined vehicle route;

estimating a change of the current vehicle body orientation based at least in part on the received state-space model, the identified current vehicle body orientation, and the predicted lateral, longitudinal and vertical accelerations;

predict a future actuation of a vehicle brake or steering based on the predetermined vehicle route;

predict a future lateral, longitudinal, and vertical acceleration based on the predicted future actuation of the vehicle including braking;

determine a rate of change of the vehicle body orientation including a speed of change of vehicle body pitch based on the predicted future lateral, longitudinal, and vertical acceleration using the state-space model of the vehicle;

adjust the predicted vehicle body orientation based at least in part on the determined rate of change of the vehicle body orientation

based on the adjusted predicted vehicle body orientation, adjust at least one of an orientation of the vehicle body and an orientation of an object in the vehicle as the vehicle traverses the route,

based on the adjusted predicted vehicle body orientation and an identified current orientation of an object in the vehicle, predict a change of orientation of the object; and

based on the predicted change of orientation of the object, adjust the orientation of the object.

9. The computer of claim 8, wherein adjusting at least one of the orientation of the vehicle body and the orientation of the object in the vehicle further includes causing a compensating acceleration of at least one of the vehicle body and the object, wherein the compensating acceleration adjusts at least one of the predicted lateral, longitudinal, and vertical accelerations.

10. The computer of claim 8, wherein adjusting at least one of the orientation of the vehicle body and the orientation of the object in the vehicle further includes leveling at least one of the vehicle body and the object.

11. The computer of claim 8, wherein an orientation includes a roll, a pitch, a vertical position, and a yaw.

12. The computer of claim 8, wherein the road topology includes at least one of a road longitudinal slope, a road lateral slope, road curvature coordinates, and location coordinates of a pothole.

13. The computer of claim 8, further programmed to:

receive a state-space model of a table movably mounted to the vehicle body, the model of the table including a set of inputs, outputs, and state variables describing a table orientation;

identify a current table orientation based on data received from a table orientation sensor;

predict a change of the table orientation based on the current table orientation and the predicted lateral, longitudinal and vertical accelerations; and

adjust the table orientation based on the predicted change of the table orientation.

14. The computer of claim 8, further programmed to identify the current orientation of the object in the vehicle based at least in part on data received from an orientation sensor providing a current roll, pitch, yaw, and vertical position of the object relative to the vehicle body.