Behavior control device of vehicle having means for avoiding miscontrol due to neutral shift of yaw rate sensor

• US 6,363,309 B1
• Filed: 06/16/1998
• Issued: 03/26/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 07/23/1997
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Matsuo, Yoshiaki, Irie, Yoshiaki
• Primary Examiner(s): LOUIS JACQUES, JACQUES H
• Application Number:
  US09/098,419
• Time in Patent Office: 1,379 Days
• Field of Search: 701/69, 701/70, 701/71, 701/73, 701/74, 701/75, 701/76, 701/79, 701/82, 701/83, 701/89, 701/90, 701/92, 701/36, 701/37, 701/38, 701/72, 701/41, 303/139, 303/140, 303/146, 303/147, 303/163, 303/116.2, 303/122.08, 280/5.51, 280/5.512, 280/5.513, 280/5.504, 180/410, 180/412, 180/422, 180/197, 180/413, 180/415
• US Class Current: 701/70
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2250/062 loosing zero-point calibration of yaw rate sensors when travelling on banked roads or in case of temperature variations
• 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

Abstract

In a behavior control device of a vehicle adapted to control the brake system according to a calculation based upon vehicle speed detected by a vehicle speed sensor, steering angle detected by a steering angle sensor, and yaw rate detected by a yaw rate sensor such that, when a deviation of the yaw rate detected by the yaw rate sensor relative to a standard yaw rate estimated from the vehicle speed and the steering angle increases beyond a threshold value, at least one of the wheels is braked by the brake system so as to generate a yaw moment in the vehicle body for decreasing the deviation of the yaw rate, the threshold value is temporarily increased until the yaw rate sensor is warmed up.

Claims

1. A behavior control device of a vehicle having a vehicle body, a plurality of wheels suspended by the vehicle body, an engine, a steering system, and a brake system for selectively braking the wheels, the device comprising:

means for detecting vehicle speed;

means for detecting steering angle;

means for detecting yaw rate of the vehicle; and

means for controlling the vehicle against a spin or a driftout according to a deviation of the yaw rate detected by the yaw rate detecting means relative to a standard yaw rate estimated from the vehicle speed detected by the vehicle speed detecting means and the steering angle detected by the steering angle detecting means increasing beyond a threshold value toward a liability of the vehicle to spin or driftout, respectively,

wherein the controlling means calculates an equivalent by steering angle of a neutral shift of the yaw rate detecting means when the vehicle is running straight so as thereby to modify the steering angle detected by the steering angle detecting means for a compensation of the neutral shift of the yaw rate detecting means while modifying the threshold value so as to be raised after a predetermined time has lapsed from the calculation of said equivalent.

2. A behavior control device according to claim 1, wherein the control means calculates the equivalent by steering angle of the neutral shift of the yaw rate sensor as a mean value of each instant value thereof during a predetermined unit period.

3. A behavior control device according to claim 1, wherein the control means modifies the value of the yaw rate detected by the yaw rate sensor so as to compensate for a neutral shift of the yaw rate sensor according to an output thereof while the vehicle is stopped or running straight.

4. A behavior control device according to claim 3, wherein the control means calculates the neutral shift of the yaw rate sensor as a mean value of an instant value thereof during a predetermined unit period.