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.

Abstract: A control system (18) and method for an automotive vehicle (10) includes a pitch rate sensor (37) generating a pitch rate signal, a longitudinal acceleration sensor (36) generating a longitudinal acceleration signal, and a yaw rate sensor (28) generating a yaw rate signal. A safety system (44) and the sensors are coupled to a controller. From the sensors, the controller (26) determines an added mass and a position of the added mass, a pitch gradient and/or a pitch acceleration coefficient that takes into account the added mass and position. The controller controls a vehicle system in response to the added mass and the position of the added mass, the pitch gradient and/or pitch acceleration coefficient variables.

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.

Abstract: A method of controlling a vehicle includes determining a lateral tire force, a front lateral tire force, a rear lateral tire force, and determining a linear sideslip angle from the front lateral tire force and the rear lateral tire force. The method further includes determining a linear lateral velocity in response to the linear sideslip angle and controlling the vehicle in response to the linear sideslip angle.

Abstract: An integrated stability control system using the signals from an integrated sensing system for an automotive vehicle includes a plurality of sensors sensing the dynamic conditions of the vehicle. The sensors include an IMU sensor cluster, a steering angle sensor, wheel speed sensors, any other sensors required by subsystem controls. The signals used in the integrated stability controls include the sensor signals; the roll and pitch attitudes of the vehicle body with respect to the average road surface; the road surface mu estimation; the desired sideslip angle and desired yaw rate from a four-wheel reference vehicle model; the actual vehicle body sideslip angle projected on the moving road plane; and the global attitudes. The demand yaw moment used to counteract the undesired vehicle lateral motions (under-steer or over-steer or excessive side sliding motion) are computed from the above-mentioned variables.

Abstract: A vehicle has a hybrid electric system and a parking assist system. The hybrid electric system includes at least one motor outputting a direction-indicating speed signal. The parking assist system configured for affecting steering and speed control of the vehicle for maneuvering the vehicle into a target parking location. Affecting the steering and speed control of the vehicle dependent upon parking assist control information derived using the direction-indicating speed signal.

Abstract: A control system (11) for a vehicle (10) includes vehicle dynamics sensors (35-47) providing a vehicle dynamics signal. Tire monitoring system sensors (20) in each wheel generate tire signals including temperature, pressure and acceleration data. A controller (26) communicates with the tire monitoring system sensors (20) and at least one vehicle dynamics sensor, and generates a brake signal as a function of the multi-axis acceleration data of the tire signals. The brake signal is transmitted to a brake system (64) to apply a brake torque in response to the brake signal.

Abstract: A control system (11) for a vehicle (10) includes vehicle dynamics sensors (35-47) providing a vehicle dynamics signal. Tire monitoring system sensors (20) in each wheel generate tire signals including temperature, pressure and acceleration data. A controller (26) communicates with the tire monitoring system sensors (20) and at least one vehicle dynamics sensor, and generates a suspension value as a function of the multi-axis acceleration data of the tire signals. The suspension value is transmitted to a suspension control system (33) to adjust the vehicle suspension characteristics in response to the suspension value.

Abstract: A method for estimating a brake pressure, a longitudinal tire force and a tire-road ? during periods of antilock control that measures deceleration of a wheel during a period of constant brake pressure, reduces a brake pressure to cause slip on the wheel to begin reducing, measures reacceleration of the wheel after a point in time in which the change in brake pressure is completed, calculates a change in acceleration based on the measured reacceleration and the measured deceleration, estimates a change in brake pressure from a proportional relationship between the change in acceleration and a brake pressure value, estimates a brake pressure from the relationship between a time for valve activation during a change in acceleration and the change in brake pressure. The method also estimates a longitudinal tire force from a mathematical relationship between the change in acceleration, a tire radius, and the estimated brake pressure.

Abstract: A steering wheel angle detection system having a steering wheel angle sensor, a generator and a controller memory such that when a vehicle ignition is powered off, movement of a steering wheel generates electricity and allows a steering wheel angle sensor to detect the change in steering wheel angle. The change, or an indicator, is stored in non-volatile RAM until a time in which the ignition is powered-on. The generator may be a generator dedicated to the steering wheel angle sensor or it may be an electric motor that is part of an electrically assisted power steering system.

Abstract: A system and method for actively cancelling steering nibble and/or brake judder in an electric power steering system using a controller and an electric motor by converting a selected wheel speed to a frequency, selecting a nibble order, determine nibble enable frequencies for cancellation, selecting a damping factor based on changes in vehicle velocity, calculating filter coefficients based on the selected damping factor, the selected nibble order and the wheel frequency, applying a gain scheduler to a steering column torque signal for the nibble enable frequencies, applying a tuned resonator filter to an output of the gain scheduler and using the filter coefficients to produce a nibble signal, calculating an active nibble cancelling torque signal from the nibble signal and applying the active nibble cancelling torque signal to the electric motor to cancel steering wheel nibble vibration.

Abstract: A control system (18) and method for an automotive vehicle (10) includes a pitch rate sensor (37) generating a pitch rate signal, a longitudinal acceleration sensor (36) generating a longitudinal acceleration signal, and a yaw rate sensor (28) generating a yaw rate signal. A safety system (44) and the sensors are coupled to a controller. From the sensors, the controller (26) determines an added mass and a position of the added mass, a pitch gradient and/or a pitch acceleration coefficient that takes into account the added mass and position. The controller controls a vehicle system in response to the added mass and the position of the added mass, the pitch gradient and/or pitch acceleration coefficient variables.

Abstract: A method for compensating for wheel speed and acceleration calculation errors comprising the steps of collecting a wheel speed signal, creating at least one compensation factor for the wheel speed signal, correlating each compensation factor with a rotational position of the wheel, modifying each compensation factor individually based on variations in calculations made from the information collected according to the rotational position of the wheel, and calculating wheel speed and acceleration using the at least one compensation factor applied according to the rotational position of the wheel from which the wheel speed signal is collected.

Abstract: A bushing for use in a hollow tube housing of a rack and pinion steering system. The bushing is formed as a generally cylindrical body having a central aperture and a circular cantilevered flange that extends outward from the body of the bushing. The flange contains a leading surface for compression contact with a corresponding interfering surface on the hollow interior of the rack housing. The flange is disposed to continuously compress a portion of its leading surface against a portion of the interfering surface on the hollow interior of the housing over a predetermined range of temperatures when the bushing is installed in the housing, and thereby providing thermal compensation to maintain a seal.

Abstract: A method for controlling an antilock brake system on a vehicle, the method comprising calculating a prediction of tire normal forces and modifying a brake torque applied to a brake based on the predicted tire normal forces. The prediction of tire normal forces may be calculated using predicted longitudinal forces or estimates of longitudinal forces that are obtained by predicting a master-cylinder pressure.

Abstract: A method for rollover sensing (12) that may be used in the determination of when to deploy restraints in a vehicle is disclosed herein. The method for rollover sensing (12) may include lateral acceleration sensors (22), a roll rate sensor (18), and a roll angle detector (20). A control circuit (16) determines a roll moment of inertia as a function of lateral acceleration, a trip point length as a function of the lateral acceleration, and a trip point angle as a function of the lateral acceleration. The control circuit (16) also determines a rollover threshold in response to a roll rate signal, a roll angle signal, the trip point length, the roll moment of inertia, and the trip point angle. The control circuit (16) further generates a control signal for a deployment circuit in response to the rollover threshold.

Abstract: A system and method of controlling a vehicle with a trailer comprises determining the presence of a trailer, generating an oscillation signal indicative of trailer swaying relative to the vehicle, generating an initial weighted dynamic control signal for a vehicle dynamic control system in response to the oscillation signal, operating at least one vehicle dynamic system according to the dynamic control signal, and thereafter, iteratively generating a penalty function for the weighted dynamic control signal as a function of the oscillation signal response. A neural network with an associated trainer modifies the dynamic control signal as a function of trailer sway response.

Abstract: A method for resetting a steering wheel of a motor vehicle having electric power assisted steering, with a resetting torque being determined in order to move the steering wheel from a diffracted steering position to a neutral position. The resetting torque differs for low and high friction values wherein a signal produced in response to a determined yaw rate is introduced into the determination of the resetting torque. The contribution of the yaw-rate based resetting torque to the total resetting torque increases as the vehicle speed increases.

Abstract: A vehicle (10) includes a control system (18) that is used to control a vehicle system. The control system determines an axle torque, and longitudinal forces at each tire in response to the axle torque. Lateral forces at each tire are determined in response to the longitudinal forces. The control system of the vehicle is determined in response to the longitudinal and lateral forces.

Abstract: A trailer brake controller 10 for use in a passenger vehicle 12 is provided, including a control element 11 positioned within the passenger vehicle 12, a vehicle speed input 16 and a vehicle brake pressure input 14 providing speed and brake pressure data to the control element 11, and a trailer brake output 18 sending a signal to the trailer in response to the vehicle speed input 16 and the vehicle brake pressure input 14.