With Yaw Control Patents (Class 303/146)
  • Publication number: 20040201272
    Abstract: A system and method of controlling a brake system of a vehicle comprising determining a coefficient condition; determining vehicle yaw; determining a driver's corrective action; and determining a brake pressure control response based on the coefficient condition, vehicle yaw and the driver's corrective action.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 8, 2003
    Publication date: October 14, 2004
    Applicant: DELPHI TECHNOLOGIES INC.
    Inventor: Kevin A. O'Dea
  • Patent number: 6789858
    Abstract: In a vehicle having an ABS control system, a braking control of a right and left rear wheels can be independently carried out when a lateral acceleration exceeds a lateral acceleration value set beforehand. When the ABS control is operated at one of the right and left rear wheels, the control system executes a stepwise pressure increase control which provides a stepwise pressure increase for the other rear wheel up to a braking pressure to be reached at a start of the control.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2001
    Date of Patent: September 14, 2004
    Assignee: Fuji Jukogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yuji Soejima, Tohru Akiyama
  • Publication number: 20040135431
    Abstract: A vehicular brake system includes a brake actuator that enables brake assist to be carried out, the brake assist increasing a braking force exhibited by wheel brakes in response to a braking operation input by a vehicle driver in comparison with the braking force when it is unassisted. The system further includes braking operation detection means for detecting a braking operation by the driver; emergency avoidance steering operation detection means for detecting an emergency avoidance steering operation by the driver, and actuator control means for controlling operation of the brake actuator so as to carry out the brake assist in response to the detection means detecting a braking operation while an emergency avoidance steering operation is being detected by the detection means or during a period from the detection of the emergency avoidance steering operation by the detection means to the time when a predetermined period of time has elapsed after the detection has ended.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 20, 2003
    Publication date: July 15, 2004
    Applicant: HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Hiroshi Sekine
  • Publication number: 20040130209
    Abstract: In a vehicle having an ABS control system, a braking control of a right and left rear wheels can be independently carried out when a lateral acceleration exceeds a lateral acceleration value set beforehand. When the ABS control is operated at one of the right and left rear wheels, the control system executes a stepwise pressure increase control which provides a stepwise pressure increase for the other rear wheel up to a braking pressure to be reached at a start of the control.
    Type: Application
    Filed: November 19, 2003
    Publication date: July 8, 2004
    Inventors: Yuji Soejima, Tohru Akiyama
  • Publication number: 20040119334
    Abstract: An improved method and associated system for controlling the brake system of a vehicle train including a tractor vehicle and a trailer vehicle, wherein a control device disposed in the tractor vehicle is adapted to initiate automatic braking of the trailer vehicle, and wherein the conditions of the driving roadway, especially the coefficient of friction, are taken into account in braking of the trailer vehicle. The intensity of braking of the trailer vehicle is reduced by the control device when a coefficient of friction smaller than a predetermined minimum value is detected between the vehicle train or parts thereof and the driving roadway. One application of the invention is in load trains equipped with means for preventing rollover or overturning.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 10, 2003
    Publication date: June 24, 2004
    Inventors: Thomas Lenz, Benno Meyer, Gerhard Ruhnau
  • Patent number: 6742851
    Abstract: A detection device for detecting braking of a vehicle during cornering on a road surface where the coefficient of friction of the road surface on a wheel on the outside of a curve is lower than on a wheel on the inside of the curve includes a comparison device for comparing the brake force or the brake force reduction of at least one wheel on the outside of a curve with the brake force or the brake force reduction of at least one wheel on the inside of the curve, and a device for generating a detection signal or initiating appropriate measures when the brake force of at least one wheel on the outside of a curve is lower or reduced to a greater degree than the brake force of at least one wheel on the inside of the curve. A device for influencing yaw torques has a so-called detection device and a reduction device which reduces the brake force in a brake of a wheel on the inside of a curve.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 2000
    Date of Patent: June 1, 2004
    Assignee: Continental Teves AG & Co. OhG
    Inventors: Jürgen Woywod, Ralph Gronau, Georg Roll, Dirk Waldbauer
  • Publication number: 20040080209
    Abstract: A brake regulating system (1, 1′) particularly suitable for stabilizing the motion of a commercial vehicle is described, in which a control unit (12) outputs, as a function of a number of input variables, a predefined manipulated variable for the brake pressure of each wheel (2, 4, 6, 8) of a commercial vehicle (10) and/or a predefined manipulated variable for an output variable of the drive engine. For detecting the input variables, the input of the control unit (12) is connected to a steering angle sensor (70) for detecting a steering angle predetermined by the driver, to a sensor system for determining the yaw rate of the commercial vehicle (10), and to a first acceleration sensor (76) for detecting the transverse acceleration of the commercial vehicle (10).
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 16, 2003
    Publication date: April 29, 2004
    Inventors: Klaus-Dieter Leimbach, Falk Hecker, Oliver Jundt, Herbert Schramm
  • Publication number: 20040070268
    Abstract: A motor vehicle steering system includes a yaw rate controller that continuously detects a yaw rate representing the vehicle yawing motion, forms a control signal as a function thereof, and causes a steering movement that counteracts the undesired yawing motion. The control signal is formed differently in the unbraked driving condition than when the vehicle is braked. In addition, the control signal in the case of a control intervention of a brake control system may be formed differently than when the vehicle is braked without such a control intervention. Preferably, the control signal which is determined from the deviation between a desired yaw rate value and the actual yaw rate value, in the case of a controlled braking operation, is formed by means of at least one other amplification factor (kp) that differs from that which is used in the unbraked driving condition.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 9, 2003
    Publication date: April 15, 2004
    Applicant: Bayerische Motoren Werke Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventor: Goetz Baumgarten
  • Patent number: 6719378
    Abstract: A brake system for a vehicle, as well as a method for operating the brake system for a vehicle, a braking pressure that is dependent upon a correction factor being adjusted by the brake system, the correction factor being produced by a characteristic curve which is between the correction factor and the transversal acceleration of the vehicle and which has a range including an ascent that is dependent upon the transversal acceleration of the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 13, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 13, 2004
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventors: Juergen Schuh, Manfred Gerdes
  • Patent number: 6697728
    Abstract: In a vehicle motion control system based on a target yaw rate scheme, a brake force computing unit brakes an outer front wheel in a controlled manner when a sign of the yaw rate has changed and the yaw rate increment has become equal to or greater than a threshold value after a counter steer action has been detected and the vehicle body slip angle has become equal to or greater than a threshold value. Thus, suppose that a vehicle travels a winding road and a counter steer action is taken. If the vehicle body slip angle and actual yaw rate increment exceed threshold values, the outer front wheel is braked. Therefore, even when the vehicle body slip angle reaches a maximum value and an attempt is made to reduce it again by a counter steer action in a similar manner as a swinging pendulum, because the increases in the yaw rate and actual yaw rate increment are predicted and monitored before the vehicle body slip angle reaches its maximum value, the vehicle is enabled to travel in a stable fashion.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 2002
    Date of Patent: February 24, 2004
    Assignee: Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Keiyu Kin, Hiroyuki Urabe, Osamu Yano
  • Patent number: 6681169
    Abstract: A control unit of a control system for wheel-specific braking torque control is provided for a vehicle having an electronically controlled transmission. The control unit records the speeds of all wheels of the vehicle for the purpose of recognizing wheel slippage. The control unit records at least one vehicle dynamics operating parameter of the vehicle as an input signal, which can be recognized by a yawing of the vehicle. In the case of slippage on at least one wheel of an axle and when yawing of the vehicle takes place, the control unit initiates an up-shifting process in the transmission in order to reduce the engine torque by a certain torque amount. At the same time, the control unit initiates a braking intervention on both wheels of the other axle, i.e. the axle without the wheel slippage, in order to increase the braking torque by the same torque amount.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 1, 2001
    Date of Patent: January 20, 2004
    Assignee: Bayerische Motoren Werke Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Christian Billig, Gerhard Fischer
  • Patent number: 6681168
    Abstract: A traction control device for a vehicle that has at least one axle, to which two driven wheels are assigned, the traction control device, when one of the driven wheels of the axle shows a tendency to spin, regulating the kinematic behavior of the wheel tending to spin by building up a first wheel brake pressure such that the wheel tending to spin of the axle remains within a permissible slip range. In order to reduce disturbance torques caused by the first wheel brake pressure for a wheel that is not tending to spin of the axle, a second wheel brake pressure is built up, which is adjustable independently of the first wheel brake pressure. Also described is a method for controlling the slip of at least one driven wheel of an axle of a vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 29, 2001
    Date of Patent: January 20, 2004
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventor: Norbert Polzin
  • Patent number: 6672689
    Abstract: The present invention involves a system and method of regulating manual control for a driver of a vehicle during a sliding condition of the vehicle having an electronic stability program using a stability control system. The method includes recognizing the vehicle in a sliding condition and determining whether the vehicle is manually controllable in the sliding condition. The method further includes adjusting the electronic stability program, if the vehicle is determined to be manually controllable, and activating the stability control system to control the vehicle when the vehicle is not manually controllable. The method further includes applying a compensated brake pressure on the vehicle based on the activation of the stability control system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 28, 2002
    Date of Patent: January 6, 2004
    Assignee: Continental Teves, Inc.
    Inventor: Geoffrey Burke Bauer
  • Publication number: 20040000814
    Abstract: The present invention involves a system and method of regulating manual control for a driver of a vehicle during a sliding condition of the vehicle having an electronic stability program using a stability control system. The method includes recognizing the vehicle in a sliding condition and determining whether the vehicle is manually controllable in the sliding condition. The method further includes adjusting the electronic stability program, if the vehicle is determined to be manually controllable, and activating the stability control system to control the vehicle when the vehicle is not manually controllable. The method further includes applying a compensated brake pressure on the vehicle based on the activation of the stability control system.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 28, 2002
    Publication date: January 1, 2004
    Applicant: Continental Teves, Inc.
    Inventor: Geoffrey Burke Bauer
  • Patent number: 6671605
    Abstract: A method of coordinating a plurality of intervention measures into a driving performance of a vehicle includes determining a wheel slip angle of a front axle, determining a coefficient of friction on the front axle, determining a wheel slip angle threshold value, comparing the wheel slip angle to the wheel slip angle threshold value, and initiating a first intervention measure through at least one of a brake system of the vehicle and a drive system of the vehicle if an absolute value of the wheel slip angle is greater than an absolute value of the wheel slip angle threshold value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 18, 2002
    Date of Patent: December 30, 2003
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventors: Thomas Ehret, Manfred Gerdes
  • Publication number: 20030234576
    Abstract: A controlled brake apparatus and method of operating a brake apparatus utilize a pre-charge circuit connected directly between the fluid reservoir of a master cylinder of the apparatus and the inlet of a controlled braking pump, to thereby direct pre-charge flow and pressure to the controlled braking pump inlet in a parallel circuit relationship to a primary hydraulic circuit, rather than in a series flow arrangement through the primary hydraulic circuit as was the case in prior brake systems. By feeding the pre-charge pressure and flow to the inlet of the controlled braking pump in this parallel circuit manner, components of the pre-charge circuit, such as a prime valve and its associated check valve are not exposed to braking pressure and can be made significantly smaller, lighter and at lower cost. The brake apparatus may also include a pre-charge pump driven by the same motor used for driving the controlled braking pump.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 19, 2002
    Publication date: December 25, 2003
    Applicant: DELPHI TECHNOLOGIES INC.
    Inventors: David F. Reuter, Earl W. Lloyd
  • Publication number: 20030230933
    Abstract: The present invention is a method and system to control regenerative braking during the operation of a yaw stability control system. The method and system can use feedback control algorithms to monitor and dynamically modify regenerative and non-regenerative braking. The controller can use a simple proportional-integral-derivative feedback controller. A vehicle yaw stability control system can determine if a vehicle is experiencing an oversteer or understeer condition. The controller compares actual brake balance to a desired brake balance. The controller determines if the front axle wheels are overbraked relative to the rear axle wheels or if the rear axle wheels are overbraked relative to the front axle wheels as compared to the desired brake balance. The controller can adjust regenerative braking and non-regenerative braking levels according to the determinations.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 17, 2002
    Publication date: December 18, 2003
    Applicant: Ford Motor Company
    Inventors: Michael John Schneider, Todd Allen Brown
  • Patent number: 6663113
    Abstract: A method for improving the traction between a road surface and a motor vehicle having a pair of front wheels and a pair of rear wheels which engage the road, each front wheel mounted on a front axle, each rear wheel mounted on a rear axle, one of the axles being a driven axle, and a two-part undercarriage roll stabilizer system including a front and a rear undercarriage stabilizer, each the undercarriage stabilizer comprising an actuating drive operatively coupled to a the pair of wheels, and for reducing the stopping distance along the road in which the motor vehicle can be stopped. The method includes: determining a coefficient of friction between at least two wheels and the road surface; comparing the coefficients of friction; and tensioning the actuating drives diagonally, the wheel contact forces between diagonally opposite wheels and the road surface thereby being one of increased and decreased in response to the determined coefficient of friction between a wheel and the road surface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 2001
    Date of Patent: December 16, 2003
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventors: Armin Schülke, Armin-Maria Verhagen, Roland Stoller
  • Patent number: 6659570
    Abstract: Vehicle motion control devices and methods systematically treat a conditions of each wheel to acquire and maintain the vehicle behavior stability together with anti wheel lock and wheel spin processing, braking forces distribution. Device for controlling a running behavior of a vehicle estimates a road reaction force on each wheel, calculates a yaw moment around a centroid of the vehicle body generated by the road reaction force on each wheel, and controls driving and braking forces on each wheel based upon the yaw moments so as to stabilize a running of the vehicle. Spin and Drift conditions are detected through presently generated yaw moments and critical yaw moments which can be generated by a road reaction force assumed to be maximized. Physical parameters of each wheels, required for detecting and controlling the behavior of the vehicle are estimated with a theoretical tire model.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 13, 2001
    Date of Patent: December 9, 2003
    Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Akira Nakamura
  • Publication number: 20030218378
    Abstract: In a vehicle dynamics control (VDC) system for a four-wheel-drive vehicle employing a brake control system regulating braking forces applied to road wheels independently of each other and a differential mechanism controlling a differential motion between front and rear wheel axles, a VDC controller controls a braking force of each road wheel depending on whether the vehicle is in oversteering or understeering. The VDC controller includes a braking-force compensation section that compensates for a braking force of at least one of a first wheel, which is subjected to vehicle dynamics control, and a second wheel to which a transferred braking force is transferred from the first wheel through the differential mechanism, to reduce a braking force of the second wheel and to prevent the braking force of the second wheel from exceeding a lateral grip limit of the second wheel during the vehicle dynamics control.
    Type: Application
    Filed: April 16, 2003
    Publication date: November 27, 2003
    Applicant: NISSAN MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Nobuyuki Tanaka, Akihiro Itoh
  • Patent number: 6648426
    Abstract: To control the yaw behavior of a vehicle, a setpoint for the yaw rate of the vehicle is determined from the steering angle specified by the driver and a vehicle speed that has been determined. An actual value of the yaw rate is also determined. A controlling deviation is then determined from the difference between the actual value and the setpoint of the yaw rate, and is then supplied to controllers operating independently of one another. In one controller, the steering controller, the setpoint is determined for the wheel steering angle of the steered wheels, while in the other controller, the braking controller, a setpoint is determined for the change in the braking pressure of the brake wheels. Taking this value into account, a specified braking pressure is then determined.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 22, 1999
    Date of Patent: November 18, 2003
    Assignee: DaimlerChrysler AG
    Inventors: Friedrich Boettiger, Avshalom Suissa
  • Patent number: 6623089
    Abstract: A method for estimating the yaw rate of a vehicle. The method includes receiving at least one signal indicative of a vehicular lateral acceleration and receiving at least one signal indicative of a vehicular wheel velocity. A plurality of yaw rate estimation functions are provided. A first yaw rate estimation function of the plurality of yaw rate estimation functions is selected in response to at least one of the received signals. A first estimated yaw rate is estimated in accordance with the selected first yaw rate estimation function and at least two signals each indicative of a wheel velocity. If the first estimated yaw rate is not within a threshold value of an actual measured yaw rate, a second yaw rate estimation function is selected to obtain a second estimated yaw rate using a signal indicative of lateral acceleration for correlation with the actual measured yaw rate.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2002
    Date of Patent: September 23, 2003
    Assignee: Delphi Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Sanket Amberkar
  • Patent number: 6625527
    Abstract: A sensor system with monitoring device wherein the sensor system includes at least two redundant sensors for gathering a process reference variable or process measured variable of a process, and in that the monitoring device includes a first subtractor for producing a first difference between the sensor output signals, a first and a second differentiator for the time derivative of the sensor output signals, a second subtractor for producing a second difference between the differentiated sensor output signals, and a fault analysis device by which the first and the second difference is respectively compared with a predeterminable first or second threshold value, and a fault message is produced when at least one of the differences exceeds the threshold value concerned.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 11, 2001
    Date of Patent: September 23, 2003
    Assignee: Continental Teves AG & Co. OHG
    Inventors: Eve Limin Ding, Ralf Herbst
  • Patent number: 6615124
    Abstract: Vehicular dynamic controlling apparatus and method for an automotive vehicle which can achieve a desired yaw rate output in response to a steering input by a vehicular driver even when the controlled vehicle is running in such a cornering limit range such that a vehicular lateral acceleration is relatively large without giving a steering maneuver different from that the vehicular driver desires to the vehicular driver.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 31, 2000
    Date of Patent: September 2, 2003
    Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Kazutaka Adachi
  • Patent number: 6611744
    Abstract: A steering assist apparatus includes a camera for picking up the rear side of a vehicle, a monitor disposed in a driver's compartment of the vehicle, a steering angle sensor for detecting a steering angle of a steering wheel, and a display controlling unit for displaying on the monitor an image through said camera when the vehicle reverses and for superimposing and displaying on said monitor a guide display for assisting the drive of the vehicle when the vehicle is to be parked. The guide display includes a steering start guide line fixedly displayed in a predetermined position of an image field of the monitor for guiding a steering start position for parking, and a steering amount guide mark moved and displayed along the steering start guide line on the image field of the monitor in correspondence with a steering angle of the steering wheel detected by the steering angle sensor.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 13, 2001
    Date of Patent: August 26, 2003
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toyoda Jidoshokki Seisakusho
    Inventors: Kazunori Shimazaki, Koji Hika, Satoshi Yamada, Isao Suzuki, Masahiko Ando, Tomio Kimura, Kousuke Teramura, Hisashi Kuriya
  • Patent number: 6611741
    Abstract: A method for detecting misalignment in a motor vehicle sensor system, in which signals are emitted, signals reflected by a stationary object are received, and a relative angle and a relative distance or a longitudinal displacement and a transverse displacement between the detected object and a reference axis of the motor vehicle as well as a relative velocity between the detected object and the motor vehicle are determined on the basis of the signals emitted and received. A correction value is determined for the relative angle on the basis of the relative angle, the relative distance, and a velocity of the vehicle in question or on the basis of the longitudinal displacement, the transverse displacement, and the vehicle's own velocity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 2, 2002
    Date of Patent: August 26, 2003
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventors: Harald Michi, Bernd Lichtenberg, Werner Uhler
  • Patent number: 6604035
    Abstract: A device for stabilizing a vehicle is described. For this purpose, the device includes first determination device with which at least two vehicle motion quantities describing the vehicle motion, in particular in the direction transverse to the vehicle, are determined. Furthermore, the device includes second determination device with which a characteristic quantity is determined for each of the vehicle motion quantities. The second determination includes an adjustment device with the help of which the variation over time of the characteristic quantities is adjusted to the vehicle's behavior. In addition, the device device includes a control device with which intervention quantities are determined at least as a function of the vehicle motion quantities and the characteristic quantities, which are supplied to an actuator system for performing at least brake interventions and/or engine interventions with which the vehicle is stabilized.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 20, 2000
    Date of Patent: August 5, 2003
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventors: Gabriel Wetzel, Ian Faye, Klaus-Dieter Leimbach, Falk Hecker, Oliver Jundt, Herbert Schramm
  • Patent number: 6600974
    Abstract: A device for detecting a pendulum motion of a vehicle. The device includes at least one first ascertainment arrangement, with which a lateral-motion-dynamics quantity is ascertained that represents the lateral motion dynamics of the vehicle. In addition, the device includes a second ascertainment arrangement with which a speed quantity is ascertained that describes the vehicular speed. With the aid of a third ascertainment arrangement it is ascertained, as a function of the at least one lateral-motion-dynamics quantity and the speed quantity, whether a pendulum motion of the vehicle exists. For that purpose, it is at least checked whether the at least one lateral-motion-dynamics quantity is greater than an associated threshold value and the speed quantity is greater than an associated threshold value. A pendulum motion of the vehicle exists when the lateral-motion-dynamics quantity is greater than the associated threshold value and when the speed quantity is greater than the associated threshold value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 2001
    Date of Patent: July 29, 2003
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventor: Ansgar Traechtler
  • Patent number: 6595601
    Abstract: A method for the open-loop or closed-loop control of the braking action at at least one wheel of a vehicle. In this method, a transverse-dynamics quantity is ascertained which describes the transverse dynamics of the vehicle. As a function of a vehicle-dynamics quantity which describes the vehicle dynamics, or a wheel-dynamics quantity which describes the wheel dynamics of at least one wheel, it is determined whether a driver-independent braking intervention is necessary. In the event that a driver-independent braking intervention is necessary, a pulse-shaped signal is determined for triggering the actuators assigned to at least one wheel. The first pulse of the pulse-shaped signal is influenced in its time duration as a function of the transverse-dynamics quantity.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 2002
    Date of Patent: July 22, 2003
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventors: Thomas Sauter, Johannes Schmitt
  • Patent number: 6595602
    Abstract: A vehicle includes multiple wheels, a locking drive differential, and a stability controller. A first wheel is mechanically coupled to a second wheel. The locking drive differential mechanically couples the second wheel to a third wheel. The stability controller is coupled to the third wheel. The stability controller is programmed to attain a slip rate of about the first and the second wheel at the third wheel, which stabilizes the vehicle in an over-steer condition. The method applies a modulated stability pressure to the third wheel until the third wheel attains about the combined slip rate of the first wheel and the second wheel and a fourth wheel is rotating at about the velocity of the vehicle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 5, 2001
    Date of Patent: July 22, 2003
    Assignee: Continental Teves, Inc.
    Inventors: Mile Jokic, Robert D. Kostadina, Martin Kuemmel, Markus E. Schneider, Christian H. P. Schumacher, William Skellenger
  • Patent number: 6588859
    Abstract: A system and method of vehicle stability enhancement control the method comprising the steps of determining a Delta Velocity of the vehicle, determining one of an understeer and an oversteer condition of the vehicle, applying a percentage of the Delta Velocity to an outside front and an outside rear wheel in the oversteer condition, and applying a percentage of the Delta Velocity to an inside front and an inside rear wheel in the understeer condition. The system and method may further comprise the step of applying the Delta Velocity to a rear wheel during the oversteer condition or applying the Delta Velocity to a front wheel during the understeer condition using fluid pressure from a master cylinder when braking is occurring.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 17, 2001
    Date of Patent: July 8, 2003
    Assignee: Delphi Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Steven P. Loudon, Eric E. Krueger, Julien Guiet, Michael J. Check
  • Publication number: 20030122417
    Abstract: Device and method for operating a vehicle using a vehicle controller to individually adjust braking forces of the wheels of at least one axle of the vehicle and using a yawing moment compensator to at least partially compensate for a yawing moment of the vehicle resulting from different braking forces of individual wheels of at least one axle by intervening in a steering of the vehicle, the action of the yawing moment compensator on the steering not being performed or only to a lesser degree while the vehicle controller is adjusting braking forces.
    Type: Application
    Filed: October 21, 2002
    Publication date: July 3, 2003
    Inventors: Matthias Hackl, Wolfgang Kraemer, Rainer Muenz
  • Patent number: 6584395
    Abstract: The footrest force of the footrest function attached to a vehicle braking pedal is adjusted by a driver's-lad estimation device for deciding a footrest force corresponding to an individual driver and correspondingly to a load computed by the load estimation device. A detection device for detecting whether the present vehicle presently corners is used to change the set speed of the vehicle in accordance with the radius of a corner.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 4, 2001
    Date of Patent: June 24, 2003
    Assignee: Hitachi, Ltd.
    Inventors: Kazuhiko Satou, Toshimichi Minowa, Satoru Kuragaki, Tokuji Yoshikawa, Takao Kojima
  • Patent number: 6577948
    Abstract: A method of determining the direction of travel of a vehicle independent of the transmission gear position. A plurality of yaw rate values are utilized, which are summed or integrated over a period of time to generate a plurality of yaw rate sum values. The sign of each yaw rate sum value is compared. This comparison of the signs of each yaw rate sum value results in a confidence value that is used to determine the direction of travel. Preferably, the actual gear position, a calculated gear ratio, and the vehicle's velocity are used to build confidence in the resulting confidence value given above.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2002
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2003
    Assignee: Continental Teves, Inc.
    Inventors: William J. Skellenger, Christian H P Schumacher
  • Publication number: 20030102713
    Abstract: A vehicle-behavior control apparatus for a vehicle with a center differential comprising of a control unit adopted to be connected to a braking system and vehicle status sensors. This control unit directs the braking system to distribute suitable braking force to each wheels in response to a spin or driftout moment determined by any outputs of the vehicle sensors and a state of the center differential determined by a differential state sensor.
    Type: Application
    Filed: January 3, 2003
    Publication date: June 5, 2003
    Applicant: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Zensaku Murakami
  • Patent number: 6556912
    Abstract: A control section of a road friction coefficient estimating apparatus inputs a vehicle speed, a steering wheel angle and a yaw rate from a vehicle speed sensor, a steering wheel angle sensor and a yaw rate sensor, respectively. The control section comprises a reference yaw rate calculating section, a yaw rate deviation calculating section, a yaw rate deviation dispersion calculating section and a road friction coefficient establishing section. The reference yaw rate calculating section calculates a reference yaw rate based on vehicle speed and steering angle in accordance with a vehicle motion model. The yaw rate deviation calculating section calculates a yaw rate deviation based on the reference yaw rate and the actual yaw rate. The yaw rate deviation dispersion calculating section calculates a dispersion of the yaw rate deviation for a specified sampling number.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 18, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 29, 2003
    Assignee: Fuji Jukogyo, Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Koji Matsuno
  • Patent number: 6547343
    Abstract: A brake system control method, comprising the steps of: measuring a set of vehicle parameters including steering wheel angle, vehicle speed, lateral acceleration and vehicle yaw rate; responsive to the measured parameters using an observer to estimate lateral velocity of the vehicle, wherein the observer contains (a) an open loop dynamic model of the vehicle responsive to the measured vehicle speed and the measured yaw rate, (b) a closed loop term responsive to a first error between the measured yaw rate and a predicted yaw rate, a second error between a previously estimated lateral velocity and a predicted lateral velocity and a third error between the measured lateral acceleration and a predicted lateral acceleration; estimating a vehicle slip angle responsive to the estimate of lateral velocity; determining a control command responsive to the vehicle slip angle; and controlling an actuator responsive to the control command.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 8, 1997
    Date of Patent: April 15, 2003
    Assignees: General Motors Corporation, Delphi Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Aleksander Boguslaw Hac
  • Publication number: 20030062769
    Abstract: A lane-keep control system for a host-vehicle is arranged to detect a traveling condition of the host-vehicle, to detect a tendency of a lane deviation of the host-vehicle on the basis of the traveling condition, to calculate a driving/braking force controlled variable of each wheel according to the traveling condition so as to generate a yawing moment directed toward a direction of preventing the lane deviation when the tendency of the lane deviation is detected, to control a driving/braking force according to the driving/braking force controlled variable, to detect a steering state quantity indicative of a quantity of state of a steering wheel, and to correct the driving/braking force controlled variable on the basis of the steering state quantity.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 27, 2002
    Publication date: April 3, 2003
    Applicant: NISSAN MOTOR CO., LTD.
    Inventors: Shinji Matsumoto, Genpei Naito, Satoshi Tange, Hiroyuki Yoshizawa
  • Publication number: 20030062768
    Abstract: A system and method of vehicle stability enhancement control the method comprising the steps of determining a Delta Velocity of the vehicle, determining one of an understeer and an oversteer condition of the vehicle, applying a percentage of the Delta Velocity to an outside front and an outside rear wheel in the oversteer condition, and applying a percentage of the Delta Velocity to an inside front and an inside rear wheel in the understeer condition. The system and method may further comprise the step of applying the Delta Velocity to a rear wheel during the oversteer condition or applying the Delta Velocity to a front wheel during the understeer condition using fluid pressure from a master cylinder when braking is occurring.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 17, 2001
    Publication date: April 3, 2003
    Inventors: Steven P. Loudon, Eric E. Krueger, Julien Guiet, Michael J. Check
  • Publication number: 20030052536
    Abstract: The invention concerns a vehicle stabilizing device for setting or modifying brake pressures in the wheel brakes of a braking system with diagonally divided braking circuits.
    Type: Application
    Filed: September 17, 2002
    Publication date: March 20, 2003
    Inventors: Markus Schneider, Fikri El Guenaoui
  • Patent number: 6533368
    Abstract: The present invention is directed to a vehicle motion control system, which includes wheel brake cylinders, an automatic hydraulic pressure generating apparatus for generating a hydraulic braking pressure irrespective of operation of a brake pedal, a hydraulic pressure control valve device disposed between the pressure generating apparatus and the wheel brake cylinders to control the hydraulic braking pressure in each wheel brake cylinder, and a controller for controlling the pressure generating apparatus and the valve device in response to conditions of vehicle motion, and performing an automatically pressurizing control to the wheel brake cylinders at least when a brake pedal is not depressed, to perform a vehicle motion control.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 26, 2001
    Date of Patent: March 18, 2003
    Assignee: Aisin Seiki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Akitaka Nishio, Masanobu Fukami, Shiro Monzaki
  • Publication number: 20030047994
    Abstract: A method for controlling a damper of a vehicle is provided, wherein the vehicle includes a front damper and a rear damper and a damping force of the dampers is controlled by respective data detected by a steering angle sensor, a vehicle speed sensor and a yaw rate sensor. First, steering angle data, vehicle speed data and yaw rate data are inputted in step (a) and a desired yaw rate is calculated in step (b) by using the steering angle data, the vehicle speed data and a specification of the vehicle. Then, the desired yaw rate is compared in step (c) with the yaw rate data provided from the yaw rate sensor. Thereafter, it is determined in step (d) whether the vehicle is over-steered or under-steered depending on the comparison result obtained in the step (C). Finally, the damping force of the damper is controlled in step (e) in response to the determination result in the step (d).
    Type: Application
    Filed: December 28, 2001
    Publication date: March 13, 2003
    Inventor: You-Seok Koh
  • Publication number: 20030038541
    Abstract: In an electronic brake system, a brake pedal is operated by a driver according to a requisite braking force. Wheel cylinders equipped at respective vehicle wheels generate braking forces at the respective vehicle wheels. A master cylinder applies a brake fluid pressure to generate the respective wheel cylinder pressures. A pedal operation amount detection portion detects a stroke amount of the brake pedal. The brake pedal and the master cylinder are isolated from each other. The motor is driven based on the pedal operation amount detected by the pedal operation amount detection portion and then controls the brake fluid pressure.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 13, 2002
    Publication date: February 27, 2003
    Inventors: Motoshi Suzuki, Haruo Arakawa, Takayuki Takeshita, Takahisa Yokoyama
  • Patent number: 6523914
    Abstract: A method or apparatus for controlling a braking system in a vehicle, the vehicle including an inside front wheel and outside front wheel, whereby a determination is made of whether a drifting and/or an oversteering condition exists; and, if so, a predetermined braking pressure is applied to the outside front wheel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2001
    Date of Patent: February 25, 2003
    Assignee: Robert Bosch GmbH
    Inventors: Ruediger Poggenburg, Stefan Diehle, Werner Langer
  • Publication number: 20030030323
    Abstract: A method and system for detecting wheel slippage uses a turn sensor to detect a vehicle turning radius in order to predict the difference in wheel speed between wheels on the outside of the turning radius and wheels on the inside of the turning radius. The turn sensor detects the turning radius of the vehicle and signals a controller. The controller utilizes the signal from the turn sensor to predict a difference in wheel speeds between the wheel to the inside of the turn and the wheel to the outside of the turn. One of the driven axles includes wheel speed sensors mounted at opposite ends of the axle. The controller receives signals from each of the wheel speed sensors to determine an actual differential wheel speed. The predicted speed differential is compared to the actual speed differential and any difference between the two indicates wheel is slippage.
    Type: Application
    Filed: August 7, 2001
    Publication date: February 13, 2003
    Inventors: Gary Ford, Paul Johnston, Yngve Naerheim, Shan Shih, Marco Bassi, Mark A. Schakel, Michael E. Johnson, Mark E. Malinowski
  • Patent number: 6513886
    Abstract: A brake system control method for use in a vehicle in which wheel speed normalization factors are iteratively updated, comprising the steps of: monitoring a plurality of wheel speed signals from a plurality of wheel speed sensors; determining for each wheel a wheel acceleration responsive to the wheel speed signal; determining an acceleration dead band for each wheel, wherein the acceleration dead band is proportional to a measure of vehicle acceleration; comparing the wheel acceleration to the dead band; and if the magnitude of the wheel acceleration is greater than the magnitude of the dead band, inhibiting update of the normalization factors.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 1996
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2003
    Assignee: General Motors Corporation
    Inventors: John Andrew Weber, Alfred Russell Robertson, Kevin Gerard Leppek, Alexander Kade, Allen John Walenty, David Alan Thatcher
  • Publication number: 20030011241
    Abstract: In a method for increasing the maneuverability and driving stability of an automotive vehicle during cornering, the rotational behavior or the wheel slip of the individual vehicle wheels is monitored, and the distribution of the brake force to the curve-outward wheels compared to the brake force conducted to the curve-inward wheels is varied in dependence on the wheel rotational behavior and/or the slip of the wheels. When cornering is detected, a total deceleration of the vehicle that corresponds to the driver's request is determined, and a vehicle deceleration that corresponds to the driver's request is achieved by increasing the brake force (&Dgr;P1) at the curve-outward wheel(s) and decreasing or maintaining the brake force at the curve-inward wheels.
    Type: Application
    Filed: July 12, 2002
    Publication date: January 16, 2003
    Inventors: Ivica Batistic, Robert Schmidt, Wolfgang Kling, Andreas Kohl
  • Patent number: 6505893
    Abstract: Two brake circuits (1, 2) each comprise at least one wheel brake (VL, VR, HL, HR), a fluid control module (38, 42, 44; 40, 46, 48; 24) for fluid pressure control at the at least one wheel brake, and at least one brake line (50, 52; 54, 56) for connecting the fluid control module to the at least one wheel brake, such that only one brake line is connected to each wheel brake. In order to increase the safety of the vehicle brake system during braking with only one intact brake circuit, according to the invention in the vehicle brake system a sensor arrangement (58) for determining failure of a brake circuit is provided, and the fluid control modules in the event of failure of a brake circuit are capable of controlling the fluid pressure at the at least one wheel brake of the intact brake circuit in such a way that the gradient of a developing yawing moment (G) of a vehicle provided with the vehicle brake system does not exceed a predetermined maximum value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2001
    Date of Patent: January 14, 2003
    Assignee: Lucas Automotive GmbH
    Inventors: Frank Schmidt, Steven Keen, Ingo Montermann, Christoph Puderbach
  • Patent number: 6491358
    Abstract: A braking force distribution control apparatus for a vehicle has a lateral acceleration detecting unit detecting lateral acceleration of the vehicle, a longitudinal acceleration detecting unit detecting longitudinal acceleration of the vehicle, a vehicle speed detecting unit detecting a vehicle speed, and a braking control unit adapted to select. When preset conditions for brake operating time are satisfied, the braking control unit executes one of select-low control and independent braking control in accordance with the lateral acceleration, the longitudinal acceleration and the vehicle speed, the select-low control controlling braking forces of left and right wheels depending on a wheel on the side with a large slipping condition. The independent braking control system independently controls the braking force for each wheel in dependency on the slipping condition of each of the wheels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 26, 2001
    Date of Patent: December 10, 2002
    Assignee: Fuji Jukogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Yuji Soejima, Tohru Akiyama
  • Publication number: 20020180265
    Abstract: A vehicle includes multiple wheels, a locking drive differential, and a stability controller. A first wheel is mechanically coupled to a second wheel. The locking drive differential mechanically couples the second wheel to a third wheel. The stability controller is coupled to the third wheel. The stability controller is programmed to attain a slip rate of about the first and the second wheel at the third wheel, which stabilizes the vehicle in an over-steer condition. The method applies a modulated stability pressure to the third wheel until the third wheel attains about the combined slip rate of the first wheel and the second wheel and a fourth wheel is rotating at about the velocity of the vehicle.
    Type: Application
    Filed: June 5, 2001
    Publication date: December 5, 2002
    Inventors: Mile Jokic, Robert D. Kostadina, Martin Kuemmel, Markus E. Schneider, Christian H.P. Schumacher, William Skellenger