# US 2014/0195118 A1 · Vehicle control device > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2014/0195118 A1 - Document ID: US20140195118A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 13/877,677 - Filed: 2012-03-27 - Published: 2014-07-10 - Earliest claimed: 2012-03-27 - Assignees: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha - Inventors: Ryosuke Okubo - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140195118A1 ## CPC - B60T 8/26: characterised by producing differential braking between front and rear wheels {(using electrical circuitry or regulation means B60T8/17)} - B60T 8/00: Arrangements for adjusting wheel-braking force to meet varying vehicular or ground-surface conditions, e.g. limiting or varying distribution of braking force (by changing number of effective brake cylinders in power brake systems B60T17/10) - B60T 8/17636: {Microprocessor-based systems} - B60W 10/04: including control of propulsion units - B60W 10/18: including control of braking systems - B60W 30/02: Control of vehicle driving stability - B62D 6/04: responsive only to forces disturbing the intended course of the vehicle, e.g. forces acting transversely to the direction of vehicle travel - B60T 8/48: connecting the brake actuator to an alternative or additional source of fluid pressure {, e.g. traction control systems} - B60T 2210/13: Aquaplaning, hydroplaning - B60T: VEHICLE BRAKE CONTROL SYSTEMS OR PARTS THEREOF; BRAKE CONTROL SYSTEMS OR PARTS THEREOF, IN GENERAL (electrodynamic brake systems for vehicle, in general B60L; brakes per se, i.e. devices where braking effect occurs, including ultimate brake actuators, F16D); ARRANGEMENT OF BRAKING ELEMENTS ON VEHICLES IN GENERAL; PORTABLE DEVICES FOR PREVENTING UNWANTED MOVEMENT OF VEHICLES; VEHICLE MODIFICATIONS TO FACILITATE COOLING OF BRAKES - B60W: CONJOINT CONTROL OF VEHICLE SUB-UNITS OF DIFFERENT TYPE OR DIFFERENT FUNCTION; CONTROL SYSTEMS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR HYBRID VEHICLES; ROAD VEHICLE DRIVE CONTROL SYSTEMS FOR PURPOSES NOT RELATED TO THE CONTROL OF A PARTICULAR SUB-UNIT - B62D: MOTOR VEHICLES; TRAILERS (steering, or guiding on a desired track, of agricultural machines or implements A01B69/00; wheels, castors, axles, increasing wheel adhesion B60B; vehicle tyres, tyre inflation or tyre changing B60C; connections between vehicles of a train or the like B60D; vehicles for use on rail and road, amphibious or convertible vehicles B60F; suspension arrangements B60G; heating, cooling, ventilating or other air treating devices B60H; windows, windscreens, non-fixed roofs, doors or similar devices, protective coverings for vehicles not in use B60J; propulsion plant arrangements, auxiliary drives, transmissions, controls, instrumentation or dashboards B60K; electric equipment or propulsion of electrically-propelled vehicles B60L; power supply for electrically-propelled vehicles B60M; passenger accommodation not otherwise provided for B60N; adaptations for load transportation or to carry special loads or objects B60P; arrangement of signalling or lighting devices, the mounting or supporting thereof or circuits therefor, for vehicles in general B60Q; vehicles, vehicle fittings or vehicle parts not otherwise provided for B60R; servicing, cleaning, repairing, supporting, lifting, or manoeuvring, not otherwise provided for, B60S; brake arrangements, brake control systems or parts thereof B60T; air-cushion vehicles B60V; motor-cycles, accessories therefor B62J, B62K; testing of vehicles G01M) ## Abstract A vehicle control device is provided with an adjusting device and a control device. The adjusting device is capable of individually adjusting a rotary phase of each wheel of a vehicle. The control device is capable of executing control to individually adjust the rotary phase of each wheel by controlling the adjusting device based on a correlation between the rotary phase of the wheel and hydroplaning characteristics, which indicates resistance to occurrence of a hydroplaning phenomenon, when the hydroplaning phenomenon occurs in the vehicle. Therefore, the vehicle control device has an effect of stabilizing behavior of the vehicle when the hydroplaning phenomenon occurs. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A vehicle control device, comprising: an adjusting device capable of individually adjusting a rotary phase of each wheel of a vehicle; and a control device capable of executing control to individually adjust the rotary phase of each wheel by controlling the adjusting device based on a correlation between the rotary phase of the wheel and hydroplaning characteristics indicating resistance to occurrence of a hydroplaning phenomenon when the hydroplaning phenomenon occurs in the vehicle. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein the correlation between the rotary phase of the wheel and the hydroplaning characteristics is set in advance, and the hydroplaning characteristics are determined according to a pattern of a contact area between a tire mounted on the wheel and a road surface, and changes according to change in the rotary phase of the wheel. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein the hydroplaning characteristics is a value related to a frictional coefficient of the wheel according to the rotary phase of the wheel. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein the control device is capable of executing control to adjust rotary phases of right and left wheels of the vehicle to the rotary phases in which the hydroplaning characteristics of the right and left wheels are equivalent by controlling the adjusting device. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein the control device is capable of executing control to adjust the rotary phase of each wheel of the vehicle to the rotary phase in which the hydroplaning characteristics of the wheel are the maximum by controlling the adjusting device. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The vehicle control device according to claim 5, wherein the control device controls the adjusting device to adjust rotation of the wheel so as to realize the rotary phase in which the hydroplaning characteristics of the wheel are the maximum when a slip ratio of the wheel reaches a reference slip ratio, the reference slip ratio being a slip ratio determined in advance and capable of realizing maximum hydroplaning characteristics. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein the control device is capable of executing control to adjust the rotary phases of the right and left wheels of the vehicle to the rotary phases in which the hydroplaning characteristics of the right and left wheels are different from each other, thereby allowing a yaw rate of the vehicle to follow a target yaw rate by controlling the adjusting device. ### Claim 8 (depends on 2) The vehicle control device according to claim 2, wherein the hydroplaning characteristics is a value related to a frictional coefficient of the wheel according to the rotary phase of the wheel. ### Claim 9 (depends on 2) The vehicle control device according to claim 2, wherein the control device is capable of executing control to adjust rotary phases of right and left wheels of the vehicle to the rotary phases in which the hydroplaning characteristics of the right and left wheels are equivalent by controlling the adjusting device. ### Claim 10 (depends on 3) The vehicle control device according to claim 3, wherein the control device is capable of executing control to adjust rotary phases of right and left wheels of the vehicle to the rotary phases in which the hydroplaning characteristics of the right and left wheels are equivalent by controlling the adjusting device. ### Claim 11 (depends on 2) The vehicle control device according to claim 2, wherein the control device is capable of executing control to adjust the rotary phase of each wheel of the vehicle to the rotary phase in which the hydroplaning characteristics of the wheel are the maximum by controlling the adjusting device. ### Claim 12 (depends on 3) The vehicle control device according to claim 3, wherein the control device is capable of executing control to adjust the rotary phase of each wheel of the vehicle to the rotary phase in which the hydroplaning characteristics of the wheel are the maximum by controlling the adjusting device. ### Claim 13 (depends on 4) The vehicle control device according to claim 4, wherein the control device is capable of executing control to adjust the rotary phase of each wheel of the vehicle to the rotary phase in which the hydroplaning characteristics of the wheel are the maximum by controlling the adjusting device. ### Claim 14 (depends on 2) The vehicle control device according to claim 2, wherein the control device is capable of executing control to adjust the rotary phases of the right and left wheels of the vehicle to the rotary phases in which the hydroplaning characteristics of the right and left wheels are different from each other, thereby allowing a yaw rate of the vehicle to follow a target yaw rate by controlling the adjusting device. ### Claim 15 (depends on 3) The vehicle control device according to claim 3, wherein the control device is capable of executing control to adjust the rotary phases of the right and left wheels of the vehicle to the rotary phases in which the hydroplaning characteristics of the right and left wheels are different from each other, thereby allowing a yaw rate of the vehicle to follow a target yaw rate by controlling the adjusting device. ### Claim 16 (depends on 4) The vehicle control device according to claim 4, wherein the control device is capable of executing control to adjust the rotary phases of the right and left wheels of the vehicle to the rotary phases in which the hydroplaning characteristics of the right and left wheels are different from each other, thereby allowing a yaw rate of the vehicle to follow a target yaw rate by controlling the adjusting device. ### Claim 17 (depends on 5) The vehicle control device according to claim 5, wherein the control device is capable of executing control to adjust the rotary phases of the right and left wheels of the vehicle to the rotary phases in which the hydroplaning characteristics of the right and left wheels are different from each other, thereby allowing a yaw rate of the vehicle to follow a target yaw rate by controlling the adjusting device. ### Claim 18 (depends on 6) The vehicle control device according to claim 6, wherein the control device is capable of executing control to adjust the rotary phases of the right and left wheels of the vehicle to the rotary phases in which the hydroplaning characteristics of the right and left wheels are different from each other, thereby allowing a yaw rate of the vehicle to follow a target yaw rate by controlling the adjusting device.