Data processing: vehicles – navigation – and relative location – Vehicle control – guidance – operation – or indication – Indication or control of braking – acceleration – or deceleration
Reexamination Certificate
2000-07-24
2001-11-13
Cuchlinski, Jr., William A. (Department: 3661)
Data processing: vehicles, navigation, and relative location
Vehicle control, guidance, operation, or indication
Indication or control of braking, acceleration, or deceleration
C701S041000, C701S071000, C701S072000, C180S421000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06317677
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a device for controlling a running behavior of a vehicle such as an automobile, and more particularly, to a device for controlling a turning behavior of a vehicle having an engine, wheels and a steering system by interrelating the engine with the steering system.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is already known to control the engine of an automobile in controlling a turning behavior thereof, so as to throttle the engine when the turning behavior reaches a predetermined threshold condition, as described in, for example, Japanese Patent Laid-open Publication 9-125999. By so incorporating an engine throttle control in a turning behavior control of an automobile that the automobile is decelerated when the turning behavior reaches a predetermined threshold condition, the turning behavior will be recovered from a threshold condition, so as to be retained from entering into an excessive understeering leading to a driftout or an excessive oversteering leading to a spin.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
However, the inventors note that a threshold condition such as a limit of an excessive understeering or oversteering is against a result already produced by an inappropriate correlation of a vehicle speed due to an engine output and a steering of a vehicle which would have been avoided if the engine output is appropriately controlled in relation to the steering, so that the vehicle is controlled not to approach such an understeering or oversteering limit.
In view of the above, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide a device for controlling a turning behavior of a vehicle such as an automobile, by which the engine output is controlled in relation to the steering operation by a driver, so that the vehicle is protected in an earlier stage from subjecting to an excessive understeering or oversteering which would lead to a driftout or a spin of the vehicle, respectively.
According to the present invention, the above-mentioned primary object is accomplished by a device for controlling a turning behavior of a vehicle having an engine, wheels and a steering system, comprising:
means for detecting operation parameters of the vehicle, including means for detecting running speed of the vehicle;
means for calculating a standard performance of the turning behavior of the vehicle substantially according to a steering angle input by the steering system and a running speed of the vehicle detected by the running speed detection means;
means for calculating a deviation of the turning behavior from the standard performance thereof in an amount of decrease of vehicle running speed to be effected with the vehicle for compensating the deviation;
means for calculating a target decrease of torque of the engine for effecting the vehicle running speed decrease; and
means for decreasing the torque of the engine according to the target engine torque decrease.
By such a construction that the turning behavior according to a steering angle input by the steering system and a running speed of the vehicle, i.e. a yaw rate of the vehicle, is calculated with respect to its deviation from a standard performance thereof, so as to obtain the deviation in an amount of decrease of vehicle running speed to be effected with the vehicle for compensating the deviation, and the engine torque is controlled to decrease the vehicle speed for the compensating decrease amount, the turning behavior of the vehicle is controlled as watched in a stage of the vehicle speed in relation to the input of steering, prior to the conventional watching of the turning behavior in the stage of the result of the turn effected by a product of the vehicle speed and the yaw rate.
As an embodiment, the operation parameter detection means may further include means for detecting lateral acceleration of the vehicle, the standard turning behavior performance calculation means may calculate a standard yaw rate of the vehicle, the turning behavior deviation calculation means may calculate the turning behavior deviation by first dividing the lateral acceleration detected by the lateral acceleration detection means with the standard yaw rate to obtain a target vehicle speed, and subtracting the vehicle speed detected by the vehicle speed detection means from the target vehicle speed, so as to obtain a vehicle speed modification amount on a condition that the balance is negative, the vehicle speed modification amount being the vehicle speed decrease to be effected with the vehicle for compensating the deviation into an understeering.
As a further embodiment, the operation parameter detection means may further include means for detecting yaw rate and lateral acceleration of the vehicle, the standard turning behavior performance calculation means may calculate a standard yaw rate of the vehicle and a first provisional target vehicle speed by dividing the lateral acceleration detected by the lateral acceleration detection means with the standard yaw rate on one hand, while calculating on the other hand a second provisional target vehicle speed by dividing the lateral acceleration detected by the lateral acceleration detection means with the yaw rate detected by the yaw rate detection means, and the turning behavior deviation calculation means may subtract the vehicle speed detected by the vehicle speed detection means from either the first or the second provisional target vehicle speed whichever is smaller than the other, so as to obtain a vehicle speed modification amount on a condition that, when the first provisional target vehicle speed is selected, the vehicle speed modification amount is the vehicle speed decrease to be effected with the vehicle for compensating the deviation into an understeering, while when the second provisional target vehicle speed is selected, the vehicle speed modification amount is the vehicle speed decrease to be effected with the vehicle for compensating the deviation into an oversteering.
As a further embodiment, the operation parameter detection means may further include means for detecting yaw rate, the standard turning behavior performance calculation means may calculate a standard yaw rate of the vehicle and a first provisional target vehicle speed by dividing a product of the vehicle speed detected by the vehicle speed detection means and the standard yaw rate with the yaw rate detected by the yaw rate detection means on one hand, while calculating on the other hand a second provisional target vehicle speed by dividing a product of the vehicle speed detected by the vehicle speed detection means and the yaw rate detected by the yaw rate detection means with the standard yaw rate, and the turning behavior deviation calculation means may subtract the vehicle speed detected by the vehicle speed detection means from either the first or the second provisional target vehicle speed whichever is larger than the other, so as to obtain a vehicle speed modification amount on a condition that, when the first provisional target vehicle speed is selected, the vehicle speed modification amount is the vehicle speed decrease to be effected with the vehicle for compensating the deviation into an understeering, while when the second provisional target vehicle speed is selected, the vehicle speed modification amount is the vehicle speed decrease to be effected with the vehicle for compensating the deviation into an oversteering.
As a further embodiment, the vehicle operation parameter detection means may further include means for detecting lateral acceleration of the vehicle or means for detecting friction coefficient of a road surface, and the device may further comprise means for calculating a target deceleration of the vehicle based upon the vehicle running speed decrease amount calculated by the turning behavior deviation calculation means, means for estimating a maximum deceleration of the vehicle allowable by an engine braking based upon the lateral acceleration of the vehicle detected by the lateral acceleration detection means or th
Monzaki Shirou
Watanabe Ryochi
Arthur Gertrude
Cuchlinski Jr. William A.
Oliff & Berridg,e PLC
Toyota Jidosha & Kabushiki Kaisha
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