Data processing: vehicles – navigation – and relative location – Vehicle control – guidance – operation – or indication – Indication or control of braking – acceleration – or deceleration
Reexamination Certificate
1998-07-10
2001-05-01
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
C070S071000, C303S146000, C303S147000, C303S148000, C303S149000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06226587
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a stability control system for an automotive vehicle, and, more particularly, to an automotive vehicle stability control system which controls a slip and a spin of an automotive vehicle during turning a corner or urgently making its way around an obstruction or upon an occurrence of a sudden change in road condition.
2. Description of the Related Art
There have been proposed various types of dynamic stability control systems for controlling a slip and a spin of a vehicle based on running state variables of the vehicle including a yaw rate and a steering angle while the vehicle turns a corner or urgently makes its way around an obstruction or when a sudden change occurs on road condition. One of such dynamic stability control systems described in, for example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 6-115418 changes the condition for commencement of independent braking control of the wheels according to running state variables to effect the braking control only when really necessary.
While it is necessary to execute direction control of the vehicle based on a slip angle as soon as possible when a change in vehicle direction is caused due to disturbances of, for example, surface condition of a road on which the vehicle is running, however, when a change in vehicle direction is caused by the driver's intention, early execution of the vehicle direction control leads to undesirable running actions against the driver's driving operation.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the invention to provide a stability control system which provides stable execution of dynamic stability control and realizes a reflection of driving operation by the driver in the dynamic stability control according to causes of a change in running direction.
The foregoing object of the present invention is achieved by providing a dynamic stability control system for controlling controlled variables with which braking units for front and rear wheels are managed to apply brakes to the respective front and rear wheels independently so as to control the vehicle in running direction. The dynamic stability control system determines state variables relating to a target direction based on running state variables including a state variable relating to a running direction of the vehicle, such as a slip angle, and performs braking control by controlling the controlled variable, such as a yaw rate, for the braking units to apply brakes to the front and rear wheels independently so as to make the directional state variable converge at the target directional state value when a difference between the directional state variable and the target directional state value is greater than a threshold value. At least one of the threshold value and the controlled variable is changed so as to make the braking control harder to take place when the difference greater than the threshold value has been caused due to a change in the target directional state value than when due to a change in the directional state variable.
With the dynamic stability control system of the invention, the controlled variable is controlled according to main causes, i e. a change in directional state variable and a change in target directional state value, due to which the difference between these directional state values greater than the threshold value occurs, so that the dynamic stability control is always executed successfully and stably even upon an occurrence of a change in vehicle running direction due not only to disturbances resulting from changes in road condition but also to the driver's intention to steer the vehicle.
REFERENCES:
patent: 5915800 (1999-06-01), Hiwatashi et al.
patent: 5927421 (1999-07-01), Fukada
patent: 5928302 (1999-07-01), Fukada
patent: 5931546 (1999-08-01), Nakashima et al.
patent: 5944393 (1999-08-01), Sano
patent: 5947221 (1999-09-01), Taniguchi et al.
patent: 6027183 (2000-02-01), Katayose et al.
patent: 6039411 (2000-03-01), Tozu et al.
patent: 6-115418 (1994-04-01), None
Izumi Tomoji
Okazaki Haruki
Tachihata Tetsuya
Tsuyama Toshiaki
Cuchlinski Jr. William A.
Mancho Ronnie
Mazda Motor Corporation
Nixon & Peabody LLP
Studebaker Donald R.
LandOfFree
Stability control system for automotive vehicle does not yet have a rating. At this time, there are no reviews or comments for this patent.
If you have personal experience with Stability control system for automotive vehicle, we encourage you to share that experience with our LandOfFree.com community. Your opinion is very important and Stability control system for automotive vehicle will most certainly appreciate the feedback.
Profile ID: LFUS-PAI-O-2484331