Abstract: A brake controller for a vehicle is disclosed. The brake controller is mounted on the vehicle to control the drive of the brake device. The brake controller comprises a rough road index calculating section for calculating a rough road index in a predetermined cycle, wherein the rough road index indicates an unevenness degree of the road on which the vehicle travels; and a controlling section for controlling the drive of the brake device to provide the driving force to the brake pad when the current rough road index calculated by the rough road index calculating section is smaller than a previous rough road index calculated by the rough road index calculating section.

Abstract: A method of controlling a torque vectoring mechanism and an associated torque vectoring system are disclosed. The method can distribute torque between a left non-driven wheel and a right non-driven wheel of a vehicle based on a torque control value. The torque control value can be based on a change in yaw moment about a center of gravity of the vehicle. The change in yaw moment can be determined based on a reduction of lateral force on a driven axle due to both longitudinal and lateral slip on the driven wheels.

Abstract: A braking control system and method for a vehicle improves vehicle stability and steerability. When a braking torque is being applied and a road disturbance is detected, the braking torque may be reduced as the vehicle traverses the road disturbance. Subsequently, when the road disturbance has been traversed, the braking control system may allow the application of braking torque as requested by a braking device. The reduction in braking torque when traversing road disturbances minimizes the physical impact experienced by the vehicle wheels.

Abstract: A rough road detection system for a vehicle comprises a first acceleration sensor that measures vertical acceleration of a component of the vehicle. An adaptive acceleration limits module determines a first acceleration limit based upon a speed of the vehicle. A limit comparison module generates a rough road signal based on a comparison of the first acceleration limit from the adaptive acceleration limits module and the measured acceleration from the first acceleration sensor.

Abstract: A method for detecting a rough road section in a vehicle route comprises the following steps: sensing the acceleration of the vehicle with an acceleration sensor, evaluating the acceleration at several points of time, and detecting the rough road section with regard to the evaluation results. A device for detecting a rough road section in a vehicle route comprises an acceleration sensor for sensing the acceleration of a vehicle, an evaluation device for evaluating the acceleration at several points of time, and a detection device for detecting the rough road section with regard to the evaluation results. A speed control method according to the present invention comprises the following steps: detecting a rough road section, and fixing a nominal speed in response to the detection. A speed control system includes a rough road detection device and a speed controller which controls the speed of the vehicle according to the rough road detection.

Abstract: A traction control apparatus for a vehicle sets an allowable slip ratio to a constant value that is rather great, when the shift position of a sub-transmission is in “H4”, or the shift position of the sub-transmission is in “L4” and the difference between the maximum value and the minimum value among wheel speeds of each driving wheel is less than a wheel speed difference threshold value. On the other hand, when the shift position of the sub-transmission is in “L4” and the difference is not less than the wheel speed difference threshold value, the traction control apparatus for the vehicle of the present invention sets the allowable slip ratio to a constant value that is smaller than the above-mentioned constant value. In case where the slip ratio of each driving wheel exceeds the allowable slip ratio set as described above, predetermined braking force is exerted on each driving wheel so as to place the slip ratio of each driving wheel within the allowable slip ratio.

Abstract: A panic braking operation of a vehicle having at least two wheels is detected by measuring speed quantities which represent the rotary motions of at least two wheels, selecting the speed quantity of one of the wheels and/or by determining a speed value from the speed quantities, determining a change value which represents the time-related change of the selected speed quantity and/or of the speed value, determining the time characteristic of the change value, and detecting a panic braking operation as a function of the time characteristic of the change value. What is advantageous here is that no complex and expensive additional sensor technology is needed for detecting panic braking; the wheel-speed sensors which are provided anyway in anti-lock control systems, traction control systems, and/or vehicle stability control systems are sufficient. Thus, the use of a panic detection is also possible in so-called “low-cost braking systems”.

Abstract: A traction control for a motor vehicle responds to detection of a rough road surface so as to shift control away from propulsion power reduction and toward brake control to an over-spinning driven wheel when the rough road surface is detected. This better adapts the traction control to a road surface that may have a high coefficient of friction but produces intermittent loss of traction due to wheel hop or normal force fluctuations due to the rough road surface. The lower power reduction is obtained by increasing a target brake pressure used to derive a brake pressure error signal from which from which a power reduction command is derived. A delta target brake pressure may also be increased to provide a higher target velocity for the driven wheel propulsion.

Abstract: A correction factor setting unit sets correction factors for a front-rear traction distribution control unit, an anti-lock brake control unit, a traction control unit, and a braking power control unit according to the situation of a road and the shape thereof which are inputted from a road information recognizing unit. At this time, the correction factors are preset values according to the situation of the road and the shape thereof so that the actions of the control units will be balanced with each other. Consequently, the plurality of vehicle behavior control units mounted in a vehicle act efficiently according to the situation of the road, on which the vehicle is driven forwards, and the shape thereof while quickly responding to the situation of the road and the shape thereof. Besides, the actions of the vehicle behavior control units are balanced with one another.

Abstract: A method for detecting a rough road section in a vehicle route comprises the following steps: sensing the acceleration of the vehicle with an acceleration sensor, evaluating the acceleration at several points of time, and detecting the rough road section with regard to the evaluation results. A device for detecting a rough road section in a vehicle route comprises an acceleration sensor for sensing the acceleration of a vehicle, an evaluation device for evaluating the acceleration at several points of time, and a detection device for detecting the rough road section with regard to the evaluation results. A speed control method according to the present invention comprises the following steps: detecting a rough road section, and fixing a nominal speed in response to the detection. A speed control system includes a rough road detection device and a speed controller which controls the speed of the vehicle according to the rough road detection.

Abstract: In a driving force control apparatus, a target driving torque TO is obtained based on a value determined by subtracting a feedback correction torque TF corresponding to a slip amount DVS from a correction reference torque TBC corresponding to a vehicle body speed VB. Slip is suppressed by a throttle control so that the engine output is reduced to the target driving torque TO. A retard command is output when the slip amount DVS and a slip rate GDVS are greater than predetermined values to retard an ignition timing of the engine, thereby suppressing an abrupt slip. When it is determined that a right and left front wheel speed difference is large and the vehicle is running on a split road, a retard command is made difficult to be reset as compared to a case where the vehicle is not running on a split road. When it is detected that the driving wheels are vibrating, particularly a differential factor is decreased and regulated only to a component to reduce the target driving torque.

Abstract: A method and a device for setting the braking action on the wheels of a motor vehicle is described where at least two wheels are arranged on a rear axle and two wheels are arranged on the front axle. A wheel quantity representing the stability of one wheel is formed at least as a function of the wheel slip. This wheel quantity (as a first comparison quantity) is compared with an appropriate threshold value (as a second comparison quantity). Depending on the result of this comparison, the braking action is set. A friction quantity representing the friction coefficient on one wheel or on several wheels of the rear axle is determined. Depending on this friction quantity describing the friction conditions on the rear wheels, at least one of the comparison values (friction value and/or threshold value) on one wheel or several wheels of the front axle is modified.

Abstract: To improve the control behavior of an ABS system in an off-road travel situation, a special control mode is activated as soon as such an off-road travel situation is identified. To this end, braking pressure reduction on the wheel of a vehicle axle which is the first to exceed the normal control thresholds is prevented, different from the normal control mode, and the braking pressure on this wheel is maintained constant until reacceleration of this wheel commences. Starting from this time, braking pressure increase is allowed in the wheel brake of this wheel until the normal control thresholds are reached and the special control mode is terminated. The normal control mode applies to the second wheel of the axle concerned as long as the special control mode applies to the first wheel. Subsequently, the special control mode can pass on to the second wheel of the axle, and the first wheel will then ensure that steerability and/or driving stability is maintained.

Abstract: In a wheel condition estimating apparatus for estimating a wheel condition in a wheel resonance system including a frictional characteristic between a tire and a road surface, a transfer characteristic of the wheel resonance system from the vibration input to the output response is expressed by a transfer function including, as an unknown component of a wheel condition, a physical quantity relating to ease of a slipping between the tire and the road surface, an output response with respect to the vibration input to the wheel resonance system is detected and the unknown component which substantially satisfies the detected output response is estimated on the basis of the transfer function.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to an unpaved road detection system wherein a slip rate is calculated on the basis of wheel speeds detected by wheel speed sensors and a vehicle speed detected by a vehicle speed detection device. A linear acceleration sensor is provided for detecting an acceleration of the vehicle in a longitudinal direction thereof to produce a signal linearly proportional to the detected acceleration. A variation of the signal produced by the linear acceleration sensor corresponding to the variation of the slip rate is calculated. The variation of the signal is compared with a reference value. If the variation exceeds the reference value, it is determined that the vehicle is traveling on an unpaved road.

Abstract: This relates to a brake force control apparatus that executes a brake assist control, which generates, when a driver performs an emergency braking, a brake force greater than that generated at a normal time. The brake force control apparatus is inhibited from being unnecessarily executed at the time of traveling a rough road or passing a step. When it is determined, based on an operation of a brake pedal, that an emergency braking is performed, it is determined whether the road on which the vehicle is traveling is a rough road (step 114). If the road is not rough, it is further determined whether the vehicle is passing a step (step 116). The brake assist control is executed only when it is determined that the vehicle is not passing a step (steps 118-126).

Abstract: A method of improving the control behavior of a controlled brake system, wherein the rotational behavior of the individual vehicle wheels is measured and evaluated for determining control quantities, and wherein slip threshold values for the commencement of the control are predetermined, includes that the slip threshold of a wheel is increased for a predefined time interval as a function of the acceleration after preceding instability in order to suppress the effects of road surface irregularities. This increase may be carried out in two steps as a function of the exceeded acceleration limit values.

Abstract: An antilock brake control system for a vehicle includes a control start determining device for determining that an antilock brake control should be started, in response to a slip rate calculated based on a wheel speed and a presumed vehicle speed exceeding a start determination threshold value determined as a function of the presumed vehicle speed. The control start determining device changes the function of the presumed vehicle speed for calculating the start determination threshold value, based on the state of the antilock brake control for a wheel other than a wheel which is subjected to the determination by the control start determining device, and the results of the determinations by the road surface friction coefficient determining device and the bad-road determining device. Thus, appropriate antilock brake control for the situation of a road surface is conducted.

Abstract: For dampening vibrations in the drive system of a vehicle which is equipped with a control system (an anti-lock system, traction slip control system, etc.), torsional vibrations in the circumferential direction of the wheels are determined by evaluating the rotational behavior of the individual wheels. The torsional vibrations are dampened as a function of the amplitude and the phase positioning of the torsional vibrations by introducing braking pressure or by modulating the braking pressure introduced into the wheel brakes of the individual wheels for slip control.

Abstract: In an anti-lock brake control system, an actuator is controlled based on at least a slip rate determined in a slip rate calculating device and an output from a low-pass filter for filtering a wheel acceleration determined in a wheel acceleration calculating device, thereby switching-over the braking-pressure reducing, maintaining and increasing modes from one to another. The braking pressure-reduction control provided by an operation control device is terminated in response to the wheel acceleration determined in the wheel acceleration calculating device becoming equal to or larger than a preset value. Thus, it is possible to prevent an excessive pressure reduction during an anti-lock brake control on a road surface having a high coefficient of friction.

Abstract: Before braking occurs the speed of non-driven wheels is monitored and averaged to determine vehicle speed and an integrator is initialized with that speed. Acceleration is periodically calculated from the vehicle speed, stored in a ring buffer and averaged. The output of a chassis accelerometer is also sampled during the same periods and stored in a similar ring buffer and averaged. Accelerometer bias due to slope or drift is determined as the difference of the two averaged accelerations. The noise level of the accelerometer bias is determined by filtering and rectification. After braking occurs, the accelerometer output is corrected by subtracting the bias and the noise and is then used to continuously update the integrator output to provide an estimate of vehicle speed during braking.

Abstract: First and second signals representing unevenness of the roadway are generated for at least one wheel, and brake pressure is controlled using control parameters based on the second signal. The first signal is compared to a first threshold which is dependent on the second signal, and an extreme value signal which represents large impacts on the vehicle is generated when the threshold is exceeded. The control parameters are then adjusted so that the channels for controlling brake pressure at each controlled wheel are less sensitive.

Abstract: An anti-skid control for use in an automotive vehicle is comprised of a brake control device for adjusting braking force of each road-wheel of a vehicle, the brake control device being set to be initiated upon receipt of a condition, a detecting device being set to be initiated upon receipt of a condition, a detecting device for measuring a load applied to the vehicle, and a changing device for less sensitivity of the initiation of the brake control device as the load decreases. Even if an instantaneous decrease of the load occurs due to the vehicle's jumping motion or turning motion, an expected initiation of the brake operation can be prevented.