Data processing: vehicles – navigation – and relative location – Vehicle control – guidance – operation – or indication
Reexamination Certificate
1999-09-29
2001-08-07
Zanelli, Michael J. (Department: 3661)
Data processing: vehicles, navigation, and relative location
Vehicle control, guidance, operation, or indication
C701S041000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06272403
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a reverse determination method of vehicle for determining whether a vehicle is in reverse running, and a vehicle control apparatus making use of this method.
2. Related Background Art
There have been suggestions heretofore about approaches to determining whether the vehicle is in reverse running, based on behavior of the vehicle, in addition to approaches to determining whether the vehicle is in reverse running, based on the shift position of the shift lever. For example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. Hei6(1994)-167508 suggests a way of determining whether the vehicle is in reverse running, based on a yaw rate estimated from a steering-wheel angle and a vehicle speed and a real yaw rate detected actually.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
Since the real yaw rate detected actually has a phase lag behind the steering-wheel angle detected, i.e., behind actual steering operation, there are cases wherein a direction of the estimated yaw rate and a direction of the real yaw rate are reverse in the initial stage of steering. In such cases, there was the possibility that the reverse running of vehicle could be misjudged.
An object of the present invention is, therefore, to provide a reverse determination method of vehicle that permits the reverse running of vehicle to be determined more accurately, and a vehicle control apparatus making use of this method.
A reverse determination method of vehicle according to the present invention is a reverse determination method of vehicle for determining whether a vehicle is in reverse running, comprising a step of detecting a lateral acceleration and a yaw rate acting on the vehicle and a step of determining whether the vehicle is in reverse running, based on a direction of the lateral acceleration acting on the vehicle and a direction of the yaw rate also acting on the vehicle.
Let us consider two cases here; the vehicle is moving forward or backward while the steering wheel is turned by a predetermined steering-wheel angle from the neutral position. Under such situations, the lateral acceleration acts in the same direction on the vehicle in the forward motion and in the backward motion, but the yaw rate acts in opposite directions on the vehicle in the forward motion and in the backward motion. It is thus possible to determine whether the vehicle is in reverse running, based on the directions of the lateral acceleration and the yaw rate acting on the vehicle.
A vehicle control apparatus of the present invention comprises lateral acceleration detecting means for detecting a lateral acceleration acting on a vehicle, yaw rate detecting means for detecting a yaw rate acting on the vehicle, and determination means for determining whether the vehicle is in reverse running, based on directions of the lateral acceleration and the yaw rate acting on the vehicle, wherein a predetermined vehicle control is carried out based on the lateral acceleration and the yaw rate detected, and based on a running direction of the vehicle determined.
The lateral acceleration acts in the same direction on the vehicle in the forward motion and in the backward motion, but the yaw rate acts in opposite directions on the vehicle in the forward motion and in the backward motion, as described above. Therefore, the determination means is arranged to determine whether the vehicle is in reverse running, based on the directions of the lateral acceleration and the yaw rate acting on the vehicle.
The present invention will be more fully understood from the detailed description given hereinbelow and the accompanying drawings, which are given by way of illustration only and are not to be considered as limiting the present invention.
Further scope of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description given hereinafter. However, it should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating preferred embodiments of the invention, are given by way of illustration only, since various changes and modifications within the spirit and scope of the invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from this detailed description.
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patent: 4679808 (1987-07-01), Ito et al.
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patent: 5640324 (1997-06-01), Inagaki
patent: 5684699 (1997-11-01), Sugiyama
patent: 5686662 (1997-11-01), Tracht et al.
patent: 5694321 (1997-12-01), Eckert et al.
patent: 5710704 (1998-01-01), Graber
patent: 5734570 (1998-03-01), Arlandis
patent: 36 08 420 A-1 (1986-09-01), None
patent: 6-167508 (1994-06-01), None
patent: 7-117645 (1995-05-01), None
patent: 9-287962 (1997-11-01), None
Kawaguchi Hiroshi
Sugitani Nobuyoshi
Gibson Eric M
Oliff & Berridg,e PLC
Toyota Jidosha & Kabushiki Kaisha
Zanelli Michael J.
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