Data processing: vehicles – navigation – and relative location – Vehicle control – guidance – operation – or indication
Reexamination Certificate
2000-06-02
2001-11-27
Cuchlinski, Jr., William A. (Department: 3661)
Data processing: vehicles, navigation, and relative location
Vehicle control, guidance, operation, or indication
C701S038000, C280S006159, C303S171000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06324447
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The invention relates to a method and a device for stabilizing a vehicle.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
German Published Patent Application No. 44 16 991 A1 concerns a method and a device for warning truck drivers of the danger (or risk) of overturning (or rollover) when cornering. For this purpose, before the vehicle enters into a curve, on a straightest possible road segment before the curve, the type of vehicle and the status data relevant to the danger of overturning, such as the vehicle weight and the vehicle speed, are determined. Depending on the vehicle's center of gravity and the curve radius, the risk of overturning and the threshold (or limit) speed are determined. A signal requesting a reduction in speed is triggered if the vehicle's current speed shows cause for a risk of overturning, or if a preselected (or predetermined) safety margin with respect to the danger of overturning is encroached upon. For this purpose, a preselected safety margin of the permissible vehicle speed is specified with respect to the vehicle speed at the threshold of the danger of overturning.
With the system of German Published Patent Application No. 44 16 991 A1, one disadvantage may be that in the event of a danger of overturning, only a signal warning the driver is generated, instead of measures being carried out autonomously, i.e., independent of the driver, for reducing the vehicle speed and thus averting the risk of overturning. In this manner, under certain circumstances, a serious risk of overturning may not be promptly reacted to. Furthermore, in the determination of the risk of overturning, influences that are not considered include both torsion-dependant as well as load-shift-dependant, influences arising from forces acting on the vehicle.
German Published Patent Application No. 32 22 149 A1 concerns a device for avoiding sideways overturning of the vehicle. For this purpose, as a function of the track and the height of the center of gravity, a static stability is determined. From the latter, by multiplying two different safety factors, two permissible thresholds are determined. On the basis of the driving speed of the vehicle, the curve radius, and the gravitational acceleration, a dynamic instability is determined. In two comparisons, this dynamic instability is compared, in each case, with one of the two permissible thresholds. If the dynamic instability is greater than the first permissible threshold, the transmission clutch is released. If the dynamic instability is greater than the second permissible threshold, then the brakes of the vehicle are activated.
Also in the case of German Published Patent Application No. 32 22 149 A1 both torsion-dependant as well as load-shift-dependant influences arising from forces acting on the vehicle are not considered.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
An object of an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is to provide devices and methods for stabilizing a vehicle such that in stabilizing the vehicle, on the one hand, the torsion behavior of the vehicle and, on the other hand, the shift of the load, due to forces acting on the vehicle, are considered. For this reason, in determining a threshold value for the vehicle speed, a torsion variable and/or a load-shift variable are considered.
The method according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is a method for stabilizing a vehicle. In particular, the goal is to avoid an overturning of the vehicle along a vehicle axis oriented in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle and/or a sliding of the vehicle in the transverse direction. For purposes of illustration, it should be noted: if a high transverse acceleration acts upon a vehicle at a high frictional value, then there is the danger of overturning. On the other hand, if there is a lower frictional value, then there is the danger of (or skidding) in the transverse direction.
The phrase “a vehicle axis oriented in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle” should be understood. On the one hand, the vehicle axis about which the vehicle has a tendency to overturn can be the actual vehicle longitudinal axis. On the other hand, it can be a vehicle axis that is offset by a given angle with respect to the actual vehicle longitudinal axis. In this context, it is insignificant whether the offset vehicle axis passes through the center of gravity of the vehicle. The case of the offset (or rotated) vehicle axis should also permit this type of orientation of the vehicle axis, in which the vehicle axis corresponds either to a diagonal axis of the vehicle or to an axis that is parallel to the latter. In addition, it should be noted that the phrase “sliding of the vehicle in the transverse direction” should also include the spinning of the vehicle.
In the method according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a speed variable describing the vehicle speed and least one threshold value for the vehicle speed is determined. Since in the method according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention, on the one hand, the torsion behavior of the vehicle and, on the other hand, the shift of the load due to forces acting on the vehicle are to be taken into account, the at least one threshold value is determined at least as a function of the value of a torsion variable and/or of the value of a load shift variable. Based on the speed variable and the threshold value, a comparison is carried out, and, based on this comparison, interventions are carried out for stabilizing the vehicle. It should be noted that according to an exemplary embodiment of the invention, at least one threshold value should be determined. To illustrate that a threshold value can be selected from among many for the comparison, in the description, the threshold value, in the context of carrying out the comparison, is designated as the comparison variable.
The torsion variable characterizes how the vehicle behaves in reaction to a force acting upon the vehicle, in particular in reaction to a transverse force about a vehicle axis oriented in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, and in particular to what degree the vehicle is turned and/or twisted and/or displaced due to a force acting upon the vehicle. For example, on the basis of the torsion variable, a rolling motion of the vehicle should also be determined. Since the torsion variable describes the behavior of the vehicle along a vehicle axis oriented in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, it therefore also describes the displacement of the center of gravity of the vehicle about this axis. The displacement, of the center of gravity influences the behavior of the vehicle with respect to any existing danger of overturning or of skidding. Thus if the torsion variable of the vehicle is known, a more precise and therefore better stabilization of the vehicle can be effected. For this purpose, the at least one threshold value for the vehicle speed is determined as a function of the value of the torsion variable (or quantity). Since the torsion behavior of the vehicle to a large extent depends on the vehicle mass, the torsion variable is advantageously determined at least as a function of the mass variable (or quantity), which describes the mass of the vehicle.
The load-shift variable, which is determined particularly for vehicles having movable loads, (especially liquid loads), characterizes how the load of the vehicle behaves in reaction to a force operating on the vehicle, in particular in reaction to a transverse force, and in particular to what degree the load of the vehicle is shifted and/or displaced due to a force operating upon the vehicle. Since the risk of overturning and the risk of skidding of the vehicle is influenced by the shifting of the load transported by the vehicle especially during cornering, the load-shift variable is determined particularly for vehicles having movable loads (especially liquid loads). To take the load shift into account, the at least one threshold value for the vehicle speed is determined at least as a function of the value of this load-shift vari
Faye Ian
Schramm Herbert
Arthur Gertrude
Cuchlinski Jr. William A.
Kenyon & Kenyon
Robert & Bosch GmbH
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