Method and Driving Dynamics Control System for Stabilizing a Car-Trailer Combination

• US 20090228182A1
• Filed: 11/16/2006
• Published: 09/10/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 11/22/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Continental Teves AG & Co. OHG (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Continental Teves AG & Company HG (Continental AG)
• Inventors: Preusser, Tobias, Bauer, Urs, Waldbauer, Dirk, Rogowski, Lothar
• Granted Patent: US 8,046,147 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/70
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2230/06 Tractor-trailer swaying
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2260/02 Active Steering, Steer-by-Wire
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 8/1708 for lorries or tractor-trailer combinations
• 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: B62D 13/00 Steering specially adapted for trailers combined traction and steering hitches B60D
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/025 Active steering aids, e.g. helping the driver by actively influencing the steering system after environment evaluation B62D1/28 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 6/003 in order to control vehicle yaw movement, i.e. around a vertical axis B62D6/007 takes precedence

Abstract

When swaying motions of a trailer or semi-trailer of a car-trailer combination are encountered, input signals which are taken into consideration to calculate a reference signal frequently include also oscillation components, due to which driving dynamics control for stabilization of the car-trailer combination can become very unreliable. To enhance the reliability of driving dynamics control of this type, a method is disclosed in which an input signal (Y) is sensed that includes signal oscillations which are due to a swaying motion of the trailer or semi-trailer and are superimposed on a base component (Y_Basis) of the input signal (Y). A reference signal is calculated from the input signal (Y), in which case the calculation is executed in such a way that the reference signal by approximation corresponds to a reference signal which is determined from the base component (Y_Basis) of the input signal (Y). A correcting variable for influencing the driving behavior of the towing vehicle of the car-trailer combination is then determined depending on a deviation between the reference signal and a detected actual signal. Furthermore, the invention discloses a driving dynamics control system which is appropriate to implement the method.

Claims

1-16. -16. (canceled)

17. A method for stabilizing a car-trailer combination consisting of a towing vehicle and a trailer or semi-trailer comprising the following steps:

detecting an input signal (Y;

δ

_H;

{dot over (ψ

)}_meas) with signal oscillations due to a swaying motion of the trailer or semi-trailer, the input signal (Y;

δ

_H;

{dot over (ψ

)}_meas) having a base component (Y_Basis;

{dot over (ψ

)}_Basis) superimposed by the signal oscillations,

determining a reference signal ({dot over (ψ

)}_ref,corr) correlating with an intermediate signal determined from the base component (Y_Basis;

{dot over (ψ

)}_Basis) of the input signal (Y;

δ

_H;

{dot over (ψ

)}_meas),

determining a correcting variable (Δ

δ

;

Δ

M) depending on a deviation (Δ

{dot over (ψ

)}_Trailer) between the reference signal ({dot over (ψ

)}_ref,corr) and a detected signal ({dot over (ψ

)}_meas), and

influencing the driving condition of the towing vehicle according to the determined correcting variable (Δ

δ

;

Δ

M).

18. The method as claimed in claim 17,

wherein the reference signal is a reference yaw rate signal ({dot over (ψ

)}_ref,corr) and the detected signal is an actual yaw rate signal ({dot over (ψ

)}_meas).

19. The method as claimed in claim 17,

wherein the reference signal ({dot over (ψ

)}_ref,corr) is calculated based on a vehicle model and depends on the intermediate signal (δ

_H,corr).

20. The method as claimed in claim 17,

wherein the input signal is a steering angle signal (δ

_H).

21. The method as claimed in claim 17,

wherein the input signal and the actual signal ({dot over (ψ

)}_meas) are identical and the intermediate signal corresponds to the reference signal ({dot over (ψ

)}_ref,corr).

22. The method as claimed in claim 17, comprising the intermediate step of calculating the intermediate signal (δ

_H,corr;

{dot over (ψ

)}_ref,corr) from the input signal (Y;

δ

_H;

{dot over (ψ

)}_meas) in a correction step, the intermediate signal approximately corresponding to the base component (Y_Basis;

{dot over (ψ

)}_Basis) of the input signal (Y;

δ

_H;

{dot over (ψ

)}_meas).

23. The method as claimed in claim 22,

wherein the correction step calculates average values of successive extreme values (Y_i−

1;

Y_i;

Y_i+1) of the input signal (Y;

δ

_H;

{dot over (ψ

)}_meas) and determines the intermediate signal (δ

_H,corr;

{dot over (ψ

)}_ref,corr) according to the average values.

24. The method as claimed in claim 23,

wherein the intermediate signal (δ

_H,corr;

{dot over (ψ

)}_ref,corr) is determined by way of an extrapolation process from previously calculated average values.

25. The method as claimed in claim 24,

wherein the average values in the extrapolation process are furnished with a weighting factor which is lower for older average values than for more recently calculated average values.

26. The method as claimed in claim 23,

wherein the intermediate signal (δ

_H,corr;

{dot over (ψ

)}_ref,corr) is determined from the average values using a model-based filter.

27. The method as claimed in claim 26,

wherein the input signal is an actuating variable and the intermediate signal is a state variable within the model on which the filter is based.

28. The method as claimed in claim 26,

wherein the filter is a Kalman filter.

29. The method as claimed in claim 17,

wherein the correcting variable is a steering torque (Δ

M) which is applied to a steering handle.

30. The method as claimed in claim 17,

wherein the correcting variable is an additional steering angle which allows controlling a steering system.

31. A driving dynamics control system for stabilizing a car-trailer combination consisting of a towing vehicle and a trailer or a semi-trailer, comprising:

a sensor detecting an input signal (Y;

δ

_H;

{dot over (ψ

)}_meas) with signal oscillations due to a swaying motion of the trailer or semi-trailer, the input signal (Y;

δ

_H;

{dot over (ψ

)}_meas) having a base component (Y_Basis;

{dot over (ψ

)}_Basis) superimposed by the signal oscillations,

a calculating device (104;

501) determining a reference signal ({dot over (ψ

)}_ref,corr) correlating with an intermediate signal determined from the base component (Y_Basis;

{dot over (ψ

)}_Basis) of the input signal (Y;

δ

_H;

{dot over (ψ

)}_meas),

a controlling device (102) determining a correcting variable (Δ

δ

;

Δ

M) depending on a deviation (Δ

{dot over (ψ

)}_Trailer) between the reference signal ({dot over (ψ

)}_ref,corr) and a detected signal ({dot over (ψ

)}_meas), and

an actuator influencing the driving condition of the towing vehicle according to the determined correcting variable (Δ

δ

;

Δ

M).