Vehicle control apparatus and vehicle control method

• US 6,657,539 B2
• Filed: 12/13/2001
• Issued: 12/02/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Yamamoto, Shinsuke, Nagae, Akira
• Primary Examiner(s): TRIEU, VAN THANH
• Application Number:
  US10/013,541
• Publication Number:
  US 20020075139A1
• Time in Patent Office: 719 Days
• Field of Search: 340/436, 340/438, 340/439, 340/459, 340/466, 340/467, 340/457.4, 701/34, 701/76, 701/301, 303/122.05, 303/122.08, 303/182, 303/191, 180/275, 180/282, 180/169
• US Class Current: 340/438
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2021/01122 Prevention of malfunction
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 21/013 including means for detecting collisions, impending collisions or roll-over
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2270/402 Back-up
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 8/885 using electrical circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2050/021 Means for detecting failure or malfunction
• 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 30/09 Taking automatic action to avoid collision, e.g. braking and steering

Abstract

A control apparatus and method for a vehicle that has at least one detector that detects a running state of the vehicle, and a controller that receives a result of detection by the detector and controls a predetermined vehicle-installed apparatus. The controller determines whether the detector has failed; restricts a control process by which the controller controls the vehicle running state if it is determined that the detector has failed; detects a collision state of the vehicle; and restricts the determination that the detector has failed, for a predetermined time following detection of the collision state of the vehicle, if the collision state is detected. If the collision state of the vehicle is detected, the controller changes the determining process by which the detector is determined to have failed in such a direction as to restrict the determination that the detector has failed; for example, the controller changes the threshold for failure determination, or prohibits determination that the detector has failed. Therefore, even if an excessively great detection result is temporarily output from the detector due to the effect of an impact caused by a collision or the like, it is possible to avoid an event that it is immediately determined that the detector has failed.

Claims

1. A vehicle control apparatus for controlling a running state of a vehicle, comprising:

at least one detector that detects the running state of the vehicle; and

a controller that;

receives a result of detection by the detector and controls a predetermined vehicle-installed apparatus;

determines whether the detector has failed;

restricts a control process by which the controller controls the running state of the vehicle if it is determined that the detector has failed;

detects a collision state of the vehicle; and

if the collision state of the vehicle is detected, changes a determining process of determining whether the detector has failed so as to restrict a determination that the detector has failed, for a predetermined time following detection of the collision state.

2. A vehicle control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the controller controls a braking force applied to each wheel so as to stabilize a vehicle behavior of the vehicle.

3. A vehicle control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein if the collision state of the vehicle is detected, the controller changes the determining process of determining whether the detector has failed so as to determine that the detector is normal, for the predetermined time following the detection of the collision state.

4. A vehicle control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the controller determines whether the detector has failed based on whether an output of the detector exceeds a predetermined value, and

if the collision state of the vehicle is detected, the controller changes the predetermined value in such a direction as to restrict the determination that the detector has failed, for the predetermined time following the detection of the collision state.

5. A vehicle control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the controller determines whether the detector has failed based on whether an output of the detector exceeds a predetermined value for a predetermined time, and

if the collision state of the vehicle is detected, the controller increases the predetermined time for a predetermined time following the detection of the collision state.

6. A vehicle control apparatus for controlling a running state of a vehicle, comprising:

at least one detector that detects the running state of the vehicle; and

a controller that;

receives a result of detection by the detector and controls a predetermined vehicle-installed apparatus;

determines whether the detector has failed;

restricts a control process by which the controller controls the running state of the vehicle if it is determined that the detector has failed;

detects a collision state of the vehicle; and

if the collision state of the vehicle is detected, prohibits the restricting operation of control process by the controller for a predetermined time following detection of the collision state.

7. A vehicle control apparatus according to claim 6, wherein the controller controls a braking force applied to each wheel so as to stabilize a vehicle behavior of the vehicle.

8. A vehicle control apparatus for controlling a running state of a vehicle, comprising:

at least one detector that detects the running state of the vehicle; and

a controller that;

receives a result of detection by the detector and controls a predetermined vehicle-installed apparatus;

determines whether the detector has failed;

restricts a control process by which the controller controls the running state of the vehicle if it is determined that the detector has failed;

detects a collision state of the vehicle; and

if the collision state of the vehicle is detected during a control of the vehicle running state by the controller, prohibits the restricting of the control process and restrains a change in a control state under the control process for a predetermined time following detection of the collision state, and, after an elapse of the predetermined time, cancels prohibition of the control process and restarts the control process by the controller.

9. A vehicle control apparatus according to claim 8, wherein the controller controls a braking force applied to each wheel so as to stabilize a vehicle behavior of the vehicle.

10. A vehicle control apparatus according to claim 8, wherein if the collision state of the vehicle is detected during the control of the vehicle running state by the controller, the control state by the controller is maintained for the predetermined time following the detection of the collision state.

11. A control method for a vehicle having at least one detector that detects a running state of the vehicle, and a controller that receives a result of detection by the detector and controls a predetermined vehicle-installed apparatus, the method comprising:

determining whether the detector has failed;

restricting a control process by which the controller controls the vehicle running state if it is determined that the detector has failed;

detecting a collision state of the vehicle; and

restricting the determination that the detector has failed, for a predetermined time following detection of the collision state of the vehicle, if the collision state is detected.

12. A vehicle control method according to claim 11, wherein the controller controls a braking force applied to each wheel so as to stabilize a vehicle behavior of the vehicle.

13. A vehicle control method according to claim 11, wherein if the collision state of the vehicle is detected, it is determined that the detector is normal, for the predetermined time following the detection of the collision state.

14. A vehicle control method according to claim 11, wherein:

it is determined whether the detector has failed based on whether an output of the detector exceeds a predetermined value, and

if the collision state of the vehicle is detected, the predetermined value is changed in such a direction as to restrict the determination that the detector has failed, for the predetermined time following the detection of the collision state.

15. A vehicle control method according to claim 11, wherein:

it is determined whether the detector has failed based on whether an output of the detector exceeds a predetermined value for a predetermined time, and

if the collision state of the vehicle is detected, the predetermined time is increased for a predetermined time following the detection of the collision state.

16. A control method for a vehicle having at least one detector that detects a running state of the vehicle, and a controller that receives a result of detection by the detector and controls a predetermined vehicle-installed apparatus, the method comprising:

determining whether the detector has failed;

restricting a control process by which the controller controls the vehicle running state if it is determined that the detector has failed;

detecting a collision state of the vehicle; and

prohibiting the restricting of the control process, for a predetermined time following detection of the collision state of the vehicle if the collision state is detected.

17. A vehicle control method according to claim 16, wherein the controller controls a braking force applied to each wheel so as to stabilize a vehicle behavior of the vehicle.

18. A control method for a vehicle having at least one detector that detects a running state of the vehicle, and a controller that receives a result of detection by the detector and controls a predetermined vehicle-installed apparatus, the method comprising:

determining whether the detector has failed;

restricting a control process by which the controller controls the vehicle running state if it is determined that the detector has failed;

detecting a collision state of the vehicle; and

prohibiting the restricting of the control process and restraining a change in a control state under the control process by the controller for a predetermined time following detection of the collision state if the collision state is detected during performance of the control process by the controller, and canceling prohibition of the restricting of the control process and restarting the control process by the controller after the predetermined time elapses.

19. A vehicle control method according to claim 18, wherein the controller controls a braking force applied to each wheel so as to stabilize a vehicle behavior of the vehicle.

20. A vehicle control method according to claim 18, wherein if the collision state of the vehicle is detected during performance of the control process by the controller, the control state by the control means is maintained for the predetermined time following the detection of the collision state.