Integrated vehicle control system using dynamically determined vehicle conditions

• US 20070067085A1
• Filed: 09/19/2005
• Published: 03/22/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/19/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC (Ford Motor Company)
• Inventors: Lu, Jianbo, Rupp, Jeffrey
• Granted Patent: US 7,590,481 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/70
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2230/03 Overturn, rollover
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2270/413 Plausibility monitoring, cross check, redundancy
• 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 8/17551 determining control parameters related to vehicle stability used in the regulation, e.g. by calculations involving measured or detected parameters
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 8/17554 specially adapted for enhancing stability around the vehicles longitudinal axle, i.e. roll-over prevention road vehicle drive control systems for roll-over prevention otherwise than by controlling a particular sub-unit B60W30/04
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 8/24 responsive to vehicle inclination or change of direction, e.g. negotiating bends using electrical circuitry or regulation means B60T8/17
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/105 Longitudinal acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/125 Lateral acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/14 Yaw
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/16 Pitch
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2552/00 Input parameters relating to infrastructure
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2720/16 Pitch
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2720/18 Roll
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/072 Curvature of the road
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/076 Slope angle of the road
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/105 Speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/11 Pitch movement
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/112 Roll movement
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/114 Yaw movement

Abstract

A vehicle includes a control system that is used to control a vehicle system. The control system determines a roll condition in response to a yaw rate sensor and a pitch rate sensor without having to use a roll rate sensor. A relative roll angle, relative pitch angle, global roll angle, and global pitch angle may also be determined. A safety system may be controlled in response to the roll condition, roll angle, or the pitch angles individually or in combination.

Claims

1. A system for controlling a system in a vehicle comprising:

a pitch rate sensor generating a pitch rate signal;

a lateral acceleration sensor generating a lateral acceleration signal;

a longitudinal acceleration sensor generating a longitudinal acceleration signal;

a yaw rate sensor generating a yaw rate signal; and

a controller coupled to the sensors, said controller determining a roll characteristic in response to the pitch rate signal, the lateral acceleration signal, the longitudinal acceleration signal and the yaw rate signal, said controller generating a control signal in response to the roll characteristic.

2. A control system as recited in claim 1 wherein the roll characteristic comprises roll rate.

3. A control system as recited in claim 2 wherein said controller determines the roll rate in response to a sliding index.

4. A control system as recited in claim 3 wherein said controller determines the sliding index in response to a steady state roll angle and yaw rate signal, pitch rate signal and a steady state roll angle.

5. A control system as recited in claim 3 wherein said controller determines an estimated lateral velocity in response to the yaw rate signal and the sliding index.

6. A control system as recited in claim 5 wherein said controller determines a pitch attitude angle in response to a steady state pitch angle, the estimated lateral velocity, and the yaw rate signal.

7. A control system as recited in claim 6 wherein the controller determines a roll attitude angle from a steady state roll angle and the estimated lateral velocity.

8. A control system as recited in claim 7 wherein the controller determines a roll angular rate, the roll attitude angle, and the pitch rate.

9. A control system as recited in claim 1 wherein the roll characteristic comprises roll attitude angle.

10. A control system as recited in claim 9 wherein said controller further determines a roll rate in response to the roll attitude angle, the pitch rate signal and the yaw rate signal.

11. A control system as recited in claim 1 wherein a roll rate sensor generates a roll rate signal, wherein said controller determines a plausibility of the roll rate sensor by comparing the roll rate signal and the roll characteristic.

12. A control system as recited in claim 11 wherein when the controller determines the roll rate sensor is not plausible, using the roll characteristic in a rollover calculation and omitting the roll rate signal from the rollover calculation.

13. A control system as recited in claim 12 wherein the rollover calculation comprises a roll angle calculation.

14. A control system as recited in claim 13 wherein the roll angle calculation comprises a global roll angle calculation.

15. A method of controlling a system in a vehicle comprising:

generating a pitch rate signal;

generating a lateral acceleration signal;

generating a longitudinal acceleration signal;

generating a yaw rate signal;

determining a roll characteristic in response to the pitch rate signal, the lateral acceleration signal, the longitudinal acceleration signal and the yaw rate signal; and

controlling the system in response to the roll characteristic.

16. A method as recited in claim 15 wherein controlling the system comprises controlling a safety system.

17. A method as recited in claim 15 wherein controlling a safety system comprises controlling a yaw control system.

18. A method as recited in claim 15 wherein controlling a safety system comprises controlling a rollover control system.

19. A method as recited in claim 15 further comprising generating a roll rate signal from a roll rate sensor, determining a plausibility of the roll rate sensor by comparing the roll rate signal and the roll characteristic.

20. A method as recited in claim 19 further comprising when the roll rate sensor is not plausible, using the roll characteristic in a rollover calculation and omitting the roll rate signal from the rollover calculation.

21. A method as recited in claim 20 wherein the rollover calculation comprises a roll angle calculation.

22. A method as recited in claim 20 wherein the roll angle calculation comprises a global roll angle calculation.

23. A method of controlling a system in a vehicle comprising:

generating a pitch rate signal;

generating a lateral acceleration signal;

generating a longitudinal acceleration signal;

generating a yaw rate signal;

generating a roll rate signal;

determining a first global roll angle and a first global pitch angle in response to the roll rate signal, the lateral acceleration signal, the longitudinal acceleration signal and the yaw rate signal;

determining a second global roll angle and a second global pitch angle in response to the pitch rate signal, the lateral acceleration signal, the longitudinal acceleration signal and the yaw rate signal;

combining the first global roll angle and the second global roll angle to form a final global roll angle;

combining the first global pitch angle and the second global pitch angle to form a final global pitch angle;

controlling the system in response to the final global roll angle and the final global pitch angle.

24. A method as recited in claim 23 further comprising determining a vehicle lateral velocity;

determining a third global roll angle in response to the second global roll angle and the vehicle lateral velocity;

determining a third global pitch angle in response to the second global pitch angle and the vehicle lateral velocity; and

wherein combining the first global roll angle and the second global roll angle to form a final global roll angle comprises combining the first global roll angle, the second global roll angle and the third global roll angle to form a final global roll angle and wherein combining the first global pitch angle and the second global pitch angle to form a final global pitch angle comprises combining the first global pitch angle, the second global pitch angle and the third global pitch angle to form a final global pitch angle

25. A method as recited in claim 23 wherein controlling the system comprises controlling a safety system.

26. A method as recited in claim 25 wherein controlling a safety system comprises controlling a yaw control system.

27. A method as recited in claim 25 wherein controlling a safety system comprises controlling a rollover control system.

28. A method of controlling a vehicle system comprising:

determining a lateral acceleration;

determining a moment due to lateral tire forces in response to the lateral acceleration;

determining a first coefficient related to vehicle mass and spring roll rate;

determining a second coefficient related to vehicle spring rate and roll inertia;

determining a normalized vertical suspension force induced roll moment using the first coefficient, the second coefficient and the moment;

determining a relative roll angle in response to the normalized vertical suspension induced roll moment; and

controlling the system in response to the relative roll angle.

29. A method as recited in claim 28 wherein determining a first coefficient comprises determining the first coefficient in response to vehicle mass, a vertical displacement of a center of gravity of the vehicle and spring pitch rate.

30. A method as recited in claim 28 wherein controlling the system comprises controlling a safety system.

31. A method as recited in claim 30 wherein controlling a safety system comprises controlling a yaw control system.

32. A method as recited in claim 30 wherein controlling a safety system comprises controlling a rollover control system.

33. A method of controlling a vehicle system comprising:

determining a longitudinal acceleration;

determining a moment due to longitudinal tire forces in response to the longitudinal acceleration;

determining a first coefficient related to vehicle mass and spring pitch rate;

determining a second coefficient related to vehicle spring rate and pitch inertia;

determining a normalized vertical suspension force induced pitch moment using the first coefficient, the second coefficient and the moment;

determining a relative pitch angle in response to the normalized vertical suspension induced pitch moment; and

controlling the system in response to the relative pitch angle.

34. A method as recited in claim 33 wherein determining a first coefficient comprises determining the first coefficient in response to vehicle mass, a vertical displacement of a center of gravity of the vehicle and spring pitch rate.

35. A method as recited in claim 33 wherein controlling the system comprises controlling a safety system.

36. A method as recited in claim 35 wherein controlling a safety system comprises controlling a yaw control system.

37. A method as recited in claim 35 wherein controlling a safety system comprises controlling a rollover control system.

38. A method comprising:

determining a roll characteristic;

determining a yaw characteristic;

determining a side slip angle;

comparing the roll characteristic to a roll threshold;

comparing the yaw characteristic to a yaw threshold;

comparing the side slip angle to a side slip angle threshold;

in response to comparing the roll characteristic to the roll threshold, comparing the yaw characteristic to the yaw threshold, comparing the side slip angle characteristic to the side slip angle threshold, determining a dominant characteristic; and

operating a control system in response to the dominant characteristic.

39. A method as recited in claim 38 further comprising when the roll characteristic, the yaw characteristic or the side slip angle characteristic are not dominant, controlling a control system by blending control.