# US 12,008,845 B2 · Vehicle control device

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- Number: US 12,008,845 B2
- Document ID: US12008845B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 17/423,945
- Filed: 2020-01-21
- Published: 2022-03-17
- Granted: 2024-06-11
- Earliest claimed: 2019-02-22
- Assignees: Hitachi Astemo, Ltd.
- Applicants: Hitachi Astemo, Ltd.
- Inventors: Tomoyasu Sakaguchi; Masashi Seimiya; Yoshitaka Fukasawa
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12008845B2

## CPC

- G07C 5/04: using counting means or digital clocks
- G01D 5/244: influencing characteristics of pulses or pulse trains; generating pulses or pulse trains
- G01P 13/04: Indicating positive or negative direction of a linear movement or clockwise or anti-clockwise direction of a rotational movement
- G01D 5/145: {influenced by the relative movement between the Hall device and magnetic fields (see G01R33/06)}
- G07C: TIME OR ATTENDANCE REGISTERS; REGISTERING OR INDICATING THE WORKING OF MACHINES; GENERATING RANDOM NUMBERS; VOTING OR LOTTERY APPARATUS; ARRANGEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS FOR CHECKING NOT PROVIDED FOR ELSEWHERE
- G01D: MEASURING NOT SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR A SPECIFIC VARIABLE; ARRANGEMENTS FOR MEASURING TWO OR MORE VARIABLES NOT COVERED IN A SINGLE OTHER SUBCLASS; TARIFF METERING APPARATUS; MEASURING OR TESTING NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
- G01P: MEASURING LINEAR OR ANGULAR SPEED, ACCELERATION, DECELERATION, OR SHOCK; INDICATING PRESENCE, ABSENCE, OR DIRECTION, OF MOVEMENT (measuring or recording blood flow A61B5/02, A61B8/06; monitoring speed or deceleration of electrically-propelled vehicles B60L3/00; vehicle lighting systems adapted to indicate speed B60Q1/54; determining position or course in navigation, measuring ground distance in geodesy or surveying G01C; combined measuring devices for measuring two or more variables of movement G01C23/00; measuring velocity of sound G01H; measuring velocity of light G01J7/00; measuring direction or velocity of solid objects by reception or emission of radiowaves or other waves and based on propagation effects, e.g. Doppler effect, propagation time, direction of propagation, G01S; measuring speed of nuclear radiation G01T; measuring acceleration of gravity G01V; {measuring or recording the speed of trains B61L23/00; speed indicators incorporated in motor vehicles B60K35/00; measuring frequency or phase G01R; traffic control G08G})

## Abstract

A vehicle control device includes a counting unit that counts rotation of wheels by a sensor; and a rotation determination unit that determines the rotation based on a count value of each of the wheels obtained by the counting unit. Based on a movement distance of a vehicle, the movement distance of each of the wheels from rotation detection to the next rotation detection is defined as a rotation detection travel distance of each of the wheels. The rotation determination unit determines a rotation direction of a wheel a second time is a direction opposite to that detected for a first time when rotation detection is not performed even once for a first reference wheel having a rotation detection travel distance equal to or less than a rotation detection travel distance of the first determination target wheel while the rotation of the selected first determination target wheel is detected twice.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A vehicle control device that is provided in a vehicle including a plurality of wheels and determines a rotation direction of a wheel included in the plurality of wheels using a sensor that detects rotation of each of the plurality of wheels whenever each of the plurality of wheels passes a predetermined rotation angle position, the vehicle control device comprising:
a counting unit that counts a rotation detection of each of the plurality of wheels by the sensor; and
a rotation determination unit that determines a rotation direction of a selected determination target wheel based on a count value of the rotation detection of each of the plurality of wheels obtained by the counting unit,
wherein a movement distance of each of the plurality of wheels from the rotation detection to a next rotation detection is defined as a rotation detection travel distance of each of the plurality of wheels using a movement distance of a predetermined position of the vehicle as a reference, and
the rotation determination unit determines that a rotation direction of rotation of a first determination target wheel detected for a second time is a direction opposite to a rotation direction of rotation detected for a first time when the rotation detection is not performed even once for a first reference wheel having a rotation detection travel distance equal to or less than a rotation detection travel distance of the first determination target wheel while the rotation of the first determination target wheel is detected twice.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein
the rotation determination unit determines that a rotation direction of rotation detected for a second time of a second determination target wheel is a direction identical to a rotation direction of rotation detected for a first time when rotation of a second reference wheel, different from the second determination target wheel, is detected an odd number of times while the rotation of the second determination target wheel is detected twice.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein
the rotation determination unit determines rotation detection travel distances during turning of the first determination target wheel and the first reference wheel based on rotation detection travel distances and turning radii of the first determination target wheel and the first reference wheel at a time of traveling straight.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein
if a rotation detection travel distance of the first reference wheel is equal to or less than a rotation detection travel distance of the first determination target wheel when the vehicle travels straight and the first reference wheel passes an outer side of the first determination target wheel during turning of the vehicle, the rotation determination unit determines that the rotation detection travel distance of the first reference wheel is shorter than the rotation detection travel distance of the first determination target wheel in the turning.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein
if the first reference wheel is a steered wheel, the first determination target wheel is a non-steered wheel, the first reference wheel and the first determination target wheel have a substantially similar trajectory when the vehicle travels straight, and a rotation detection travel distance of the first reference wheel is equal to or less than a rotation detection travel distance of the first determination target wheel when the vehicle travels straight, the rotation determination unit determines that the rotation detection travel distance of the first reference wheel is equal to or less than the rotation detection travel distance of the first determination target wheel regardless of a turning direction of the vehicle.

### Claim 6

A vehicle control device that is provided in a vehicle including a plurality of wheels and determines a rotation direction of a wheel included in the plurality of wheels using a sensor that detects rotation of each of the plurality of wheels whenever each of the plurality of wheels passes a predetermined rotation angle position, the vehicle control device comprising:
a counting unit that counts a rotation detection of each of the plurality of wheels by the sensor; and
a rotation determination unit that determines a rotation direction of a selected determination target wheel based on a count value of the rotation detection of each of the plurality of wheels obtained by the counting unit,
wherein a movement distance of each of the plurality of wheels from the rotation detection to a next rotation detection is defined as a rotation detection travel distance of each of the plurality of wheels using a movement distance of a predetermined position of the vehicle as a reference, and
the rotation determination unit determines that a rotation direction of rotation of a first determination target wheel detected for a second time is a direction opposite to a rotation direction of rotation detected for a first time when the rotation detection is performed an even number of times for a first reference wheel having a rotation detection travel distance longer than a rotation detection travel distance of the first determination target wheel while the rotation of the first determination target wheel is detected twice.

### Claim 7 (depends on 6)

The vehicle control device according to claim 6, wherein
the rotation determination unit determines that a rotation direction of rotation detected for a second time of a second determination target wheel is a direction identical to a rotation direction of rotation detected for a first time when rotation of a second reference wheel, different from the second determination target wheel, is detected an odd number of times while the rotation of the second determination target wheel is detected twice.

### Claim 8 (depends on 6)

The vehicle control device according to claim 6, wherein
the rotation determination unit determines rotation detection travel distances during turning of the first determination target wheel and the first reference wheel based on rotation detection travel distances and turning radii of the first determination target wheel and the first reference wheel at a time of traveling straight.

### Claim 9 (depends on 6)

The vehicle control device according to claim 6, wherein
if a rotation detection travel distance of the first determination target wheel is equal to or less than a rotation detection travel distance of the first reference wheel when the vehicle travels straight and the first determination target wheel passes an outer side of the first reference wheel during turning of the vehicle, the rotation determination unit determines that the rotation detection travel distance of the first determination target wheel is shorter than the rotation detection travel distance of the first reference wheel in the turning.