Vehicle-trailer backing-up control system with vehicle rear wheel steering

• US 6,292,094 B1
• Filed: 01/16/2001
• Issued: 09/18/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 01/16/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: General Motors Corporation (Motors Liquidation Co. GUC Trust)
• Original Assignee: General Motors Corporation (Motors Liquidation Co. GUC Trust)
• Inventors: Chin, Yuen-Kwok, Deng, Weiwen, Lin, William Chin-Woei, Rule, David S., Lee, Yong Han
• Primary Examiner(s): Hofsass, Jeffery
• Assistant Examiner(s): PREVIL, DANIEL
• Application Number:
  US09/758,986
• Time in Patent Office: 245 Days
• Field of Search: 340/431, 340/671, 701/70, 701/93, 701/94, 701/75, 701/98, 701/41, 701/44, 701/42, 701/43
• US Class Current: 340/431
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 13/06 for backing a normally drawn trailer
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/02 Steering position indicators ; Steering position determination; Steering aids
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 7/159 characterised by computing methods or stabilisation processes or systems, e.g. responding to yaw rate, lateral wind, load, road condition

Abstract

A method is disclosed for controlling a backing maneuver of an automotive vehicle and trailer combination in which the vehicle has operator-actuated front wheel steering and microprocessor-actuated, reversible electric motor driven rear wheel steering. For a given initial alignment of vehicle and trailer, the computer-executed method first determines whether the driver needs to pull forward before commencing the backing operation. The driver is then requested to turn the front wheels in a direction suitable for backing the vehicle without a trailer in the desired direction. The process then determines whether the driver needs to perform counter front wheel steering before backing. Then the process controls the steering of the rear wheels during the backing operation.

Claims

1. A method of assisting a vehicle operator in backing an automotive vehicle and trailer combination in an operator-determined direction, said combination having a connection between a hitch on the rear of the vehicle and a tongue of the trailer and a hitch angle between the axis of the tongue and the longitudinal axis of the vehicle;

said vehicle comprising operator-controlled front wheel steering, and rear wheel steering actuated by a computer having continual access to data comprising vehicle speed, front wheel angle, rear wheel angle and said hitch angle, said wheel angles being measured from said longitudinal axis;

said method being conducted by said computer upon actuation by said operator with the vehicle and trailer then aligned with a first hitch angle, said method comprising

(a) determining whether said first hitch angle is of a magnitude that requires the vehicle to be pulled ahead to reduce said angle and, if so determined, instructing the operator to drive the vehicle forward to reduce said angle;

(b) requesting the operator to turn the front wheels to a front wheel angle for initiating backing of the vehicle in a direction desired by the operator for moving the trailer;

(c) using said front wheel angle to determine a target hitch angle responsive to said front wheel angle;

(d) determining whether counter steering of the front wheels is required to achieve said target hitch angle during vehicle-trailer backing and, if so determined, instructing the operator to temporarily counter steer the front wheels while continuing to back the vehicle; and

thereafter

(e) continually using current vehicle speed, front and rear wheel angles and hitch angle to determining the difference between the current hitch angle and the target hitch angle and continually determining a rear wheel steering angle to achieve said target hitch angle.

2. A method as recited in claim 1 further comprising continually changing said rear wheel angle in accordance with said determined rear wheel steering angle.

3. A method as recited in claim 1 further comprising determining whether said first hitch angle is of a magnitude that requires the vehicle to be pulled ahead to reduce said angle by determining whether said first angle, θ

⁰, is greater than a maximum hitch angle, θ

⁰_max, at which the operator can utilize the maximum wheel angles of the front and rear steering of the vehicle to reduce said hitch angle by backing the vehicle.

4. A method as recited in claim 3 further comprising estimating the value of θ

⁰_max by a calculation using the equation;

${\mathrm{\theta <br><br>}}_{\max }^0={\sin }^{-1}<br><br>\left[\frac{p}{\left(L_1+y_1<br><br>p\right)<br><br>\sqrt{A^2+B^2}}\right]-\mathrm{\beta <br><br>}$

where;

5. A method as recited in claim 1 in which the determination of whether said counter steering is required is based on an affirmative answer to one of the following tests:

a. θ

⁰>

θ

* and δ

*_f≦

δ

¹_{f max};

or

b. θ

⁰<

θ

* and δ

*_f≧

δ

²_{f max}

where θ

⁰ is the current hitch angle, θ

* is the target hitch angle, δ

*_f is the operator-determined front wheel angle, and δ

¹_{f max} and δ

²_{f max} are respectively the right turn and left turn maximum values for front wheel angle such that a given maximum rear wheel steering can avoid the necessity of counter front wheel steering, and a value of δ

_{f max} is calculated using;

${\mathrm{\delta <br><br>}}_{f<br><br>\text{\hspace{1em}<br><br>}<br><br>\max }={\tan }^{-1}<br><br>\left[\tan <br><br>\left({\stackrel{\_}{\mathrm{\delta <br><br>}}}_{r<br><br>\text{\hspace{1em}<br><br>}<br><br>\max }\right)+L_1<br><br>\left(\frac{\tan <br><br>\left({\stackrel{\_}{\mathrm{\delta <br><br>}}}_{r<br><br>\text{\hspace{1em}<br><br>}<br><br>\max }\right)<br><br>\cos <br><br>\text{\hspace{1em}<br><br>}<br><br>{\mathrm{\theta <br><br>}}^0+\sin <br><br>\text{\hspace{1em}<br><br>}<br><br>{\mathrm{\theta <br><br>}}^0}{L_2-y_1<br><br>\sin <br><br>\text{\hspace{1em}<br><br>}<br><br>{\mathrm{\theta <br><br>}}^0+h<br><br>\text{\hspace{1em}<br><br>}<br><br>\cos <br><br>\text{\hspace{1em}<br><br>}<br><br>{\mathrm{\theta <br><br>}}^0}\right)\right]$

 

where L₁ is the wheel base of the vehicle, L₂ is the length of the trailer tongue, {overscore (δ

)}_{r max} is maximum rear wheel angle, h is the axle to hitch distance and y₁ is $y_1=\frac{T}{2}<br><br>\text{\hspace{1em}<br><br>}<br><br>\mathrm{if}<br><br>\text{\hspace{1em}<br><br>}<br><br>{\mathrm{\delta <br><br>}}_f><br><br>{\mathrm{\delta <br><br>}}_r<br><br>\text{\hspace{1em}<br><br>}<br><br>\mathrm{and}<br><br>\text{\hspace{1em}<br><br>}<br><br>y_1=-\frac{T}{2}<br><br>\text{\hspace{1em}<br><br>}<br><br>\mathrm{if}<br><br>\text{\hspace{1em}<br><br>}<br><br>{\mathrm{\delta <br><br>}}_f<<br><br>{\mathrm{\delta <br><br>}}_r<br><br>\text{\hspace{1em}<br><br>}<br><br>\mathrm{where}$

δ

_f, δ

_r are front and rear wheel angles, and T is vehicle wheel track width.

6. A method as recited in claim 1 ether comprising, following step (d) determining whether the motion of the trailer during further backing will be opposite the direction effected solely by the front wheel angle, and if so determined, informing the operator of such motion.

7. A method as recited in claim 6 in which said determination is affirmed when:

(i) the current hitch angle, θ

⁰, is larger than said target hitch angle, θ

*, and said driver-selected front wheel angle, δ

^*_f, is larger than δ

¹_{f max} as defined in this specification, or

θ

⁰ is less than θ

* and δ

*_f is less than δ

²_{f max} as defined in this specification; and

(ii) θ

⁰ times θ

* is less than zero, or θ

⁰ times θ

* is greater than zero and the absolute value of θ

⁰ is greater than the absolute value of θ

*.

8. A method as recited in claim 1 in which step (e) further comprises continually determining said rear wheel steering angle as a mathematical function of the difference, Δ

θ

, between the current hitch angle, θ

⁰, and said target hitch angle, θ

*.

9. A method as recited in either claim 7 or 8 in which the difference between the current rear wheel angle and the corrected rear wheel angle, Δ

δ

_r, is continuously determined, in accordance with an equation of the form;

${\mathrm{\Delta <br><br>\delta <br><br>}}_r=\left(P<br><br>\text{\hspace{1em}<br><br>}<br><br>\mathrm{\Delta <br><br>\theta <br><br>}+I<br><br>\int <br><br>\mathrm{\Delta <br><br>\theta <br><br>}<br><br><br><br>t+D<br><br>\frac{<br><br>\mathrm{\Delta <br><br>\theta <br><br>}}{<br><br>t}\right)$

where P, I and D are experimentally-determined constants.