System and method for characterizing vehicle body to road angle for vehicle roll stability control

• US 20040064237A1
• Filed: 06/30/2003
• Published: 04/01/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 08/01/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Lu, Jianbo, Brown, Todd Allen
• Granted Patent: US 7,003,389 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/70
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 17/0162 mainly during a motion involving steering operation, e.g. cornering, overtaking B60G17/0164 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 17/0195 characterised by the regulation being combined with other vehicle control systems conjoint control of vehicle sub-units including control of suspension systems B60W10/22
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2300/026 Heavy duty trucks
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/0521 Roll rate
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/0523 Yaw rate
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/104 lateral or transversal with regard to vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/106 longitudinal with regard to vehicle, e.g. braking
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/204 Vehicle speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/41 Steering angle
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/4122 Neutral position detection
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/61 Load distribution
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2401/12 Strain gauge
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2401/174 Radar
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2401/28 Gyroscopes
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2800/012 Rolling condition
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2800/0194 transversal with regard to vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2800/215 by applying a braking action on each wheel individually
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2800/24 Steering, cornering
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2800/702 Improving accuracy of a sensor signal
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2800/85 System Prioritisation
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2800/91 : Suspension Control
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2800/9122 : ARS - Anti-Roll System Control
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2800/9124 : Roll-over protection systems, e.g. for warning or control
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2800/92 : ABS - Brake Control
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2800/922 : EBV - Electronic brake force distribution
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2800/96 : ASC - Assisted or power Steering control
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2800/962 : Four-wheel steering
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 16/0233 : Vehicle tilting, overturning or roll over
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/0018 : Roll-over
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/01313 : monitoring the vehicle steering system or the dynamic control system
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/01322 : comprising variable thresholds, e.g. depending from other collision parameters
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/01327 : Angular velocity or angular acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/013 : including means for detecting collisions, impending collisions or roll-over
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/0132 : responsive to vehicle motion parameters , e.g. to vehicle longitudinal or transversal deceleration or speed value
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2210/22 : Banked curves
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2230/03 : Overturn, rollover
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2240/06 : Wheel load; Wheel lift
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 8/172 : Determining control parameters used in the regulation, e.g. by calculations involving measured or detected parameters B60T8/17551 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 8/175 : Brake regulation specially adapted to prevent excessive wheel spin during vehicle acceleration, e.g. for traction control safety devices for propulsion unit control responsive to, or preventing, skidding of wheels B60K28/16
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 8/1755 : Brake regulation specially adapted to control the stability of the vehicle, e.g. taking into account yaw rate or transverse acceleration in a curve road vehicle drive control systems for control of driving stability otherwise than by controlling a particular sub-unit B60W30/02
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 8/243 : for roll-over protection
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/04 : related to roll-over prevention
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 6/002 : computing target steering angles for front or rear wheels B62D7/159 takes precedence

Abstract

A control system (18) for an automotive vehicle (10) having a safety system includes a controller (26) determining a first body to road angle; determining a second body to road angle; determining a final body to road angle from the first body to road angle and the second body to road angle; and controlling the safety system in response to the final body to road signal.

Claims

1. A method for controlling a safety system of an automotive vehicle comprises:

determining a first body to road angle;

determining a second body to road angle;

determining a final body to road angle from the first body to road angle and the second body to road angle; and

controlling a safety system in response to the final body to road signal.

2. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein determining a first body to road angle comprises determining a first body to road angle from a wheel departure angle.

3. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein determining a first body to road angle comprises determining a first body to road angle from a wheel departure angle and a global roll angle.

4. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein determining a second body to road angle comprises determining a second body to road angle in response to a global roll angle and a reference bank angle.

5. A method as recited in claim 4 further comprising determining the reference bank angle in response to a wheel lift status.

6. A method as recited in claim 4 further comprising determining the reference bank angle in response to a wheel lift status, the global roll angle, and the relative roll angle.

7. A method as recited in claim 4 further comprising determining the reference bank angle in response to a wheel lift status, a pre-charge status, the global roll angle, and the first body to road angle.

8. A method as recited in claim 1 wherein determining a second body to road angle comprises determining a second body to road angle in response to a smoothing ratio, a relative roll angle, and a previous second body to roll angle.

9. A method as recited in claim 8 wherein when a two wheel lift status is present, determining the first body to road angle as a function of a scaling factor, a relative roll angle and a wheel departure angle.

10. A method as recited in claim 8 further comprising multiplying the scaling factor by the relative roll angle.

11. A method of controlling a safety system of an automotive vehicle comprises:

determining a wheel departure angle;

determining a relative roll angle;

determining a first body to road angle in response to the wheel departure angle and the relative roll angle;

determining a reference bank angle;

determining a global roll angle;

determining a second body to road angle from the reference bank angle and the global roll angle;

determining a final body to road angle from the first body to road angle and the second body to road angle; and

controlling a safety system in response to the final body to road signal.

12. A method as recited in claim 11 wherein determining a reference bank angle comprises determining the reference bank angle in response to a wheel lift status, the global roll angle, and the relative roll angle.

13. A method as recited in claim 11 wherein determining a reference bank angle comprises determining the reference bank angle in response to a wheel lift status, a pre-charge status, the global roll angle, and the first body to road angle.

14. A method as recited in claim 11 wherein determining a second body to road angle comprises determining a second body to road angle in response to a smoothing ratio, a relative roll angle, and a previous second body to roll angle.

15. A method as recited in claim 14 wherein when a two wheel lift status is present, determining the first body to road angle as a function of a scaling factor, a relative roll angle and a wheel departure angle.

16. A method as recited in claim 14 further comprising multiplying the scaling factor by the relative roll angle.

17. A method of controlling a safety system of an automotive vehicle comprising:

determining a wheel departure angle;

determining a relative roll angle;

determining a first body to road angle in response to the wheel departure angle and the relative roll angle;

determining a wheel lift status;

when the wheel lift status is grounded, determining a second body to road angle based on a previous second body to road angle and a relative roll angle;

when the wheel lift status is one wheel lifted, determining a second body to road angle based on a reference bank angle and a global roll angle;

when the wheel lift status is two wheel lifted,

determining a second body to road angle based on a reference bank angle based on a scaled first body to road bank angle and a global roll angle;

determining a final body to road angle from the first body to road angle and the second body to road angle; and

controlling a safety system in response to the final body to road signal.

18. A method as recited in claim 17 wherein determining a second body to road angle comprises determining a second body to road angle in response to a smoothing ratio, a relative roll angle, and a previous second body to roll angle.

19. A method as recited in claim 18 wherein when a two wheel lift status is present, determining the first body to road angle as a function of a scaling factor, a relative roll angle and a wheel departure angle.

20. A method as recited in claim 18 further comprising multiplying the scaling factor by the relative roll angle.

21. A control system for an automotive vehicle having a safety system comprising:

a controller programmed to perform the steps of;

determining a first body to road angle;

determining a second body to road angle;

determining a final body to road angle from the first body to road angle and the second body to road angle; and

controlling the safety system in response to the final body to road signal.

22. A method of controlling a safety system of an automotive vehicle comprising:

determining a body to road angle in response to the wheel departure angle and the relative roll angle; and

controlling a safety system in response to the body to road signal.

23. A method of controlling a safety system of an automotive vehicle comprising:

determining a reference bank angle;

determining a global roll angle;

determining a body to road angle from the reference bank angle and the global roll angle; and

controlling a safety system in response to the body to road angle.