Automotive apparatus and method for dynamically determining centripetal force of a vehicle
AssigneeFord Motor Company
InventorsWilford T. Yopp, Sam M. Mackool
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
An apparatus and method for determining the centripetal force of an automotive vehicle operating on a roadway includes a vehicle speed measuring mechanism and a steering force measuring mechanism. Information regarding vehicle speed and steering force are fed into a processor which determines the centripetal force of the vehicle.
Claims21
An apparatus for determining the centripetal force of an automotive vehicle operating on a roadway, comprising;
- vehicle speed measuring means comprising means for producing a first signal representing the speed at which said vehicle is being operated;
- steering force measuring means comprising means for producing a second signal representing the steering force required to operate the steering system of said vehicle at said measured vehicle speed;
- and
- processor means for determining the centripetal force of said vehicle, with said processor means comprising means for receiving said first and second signals and means for deriving from said signals a third signal representing the magnitude of said centripetal force.
A vehicle control apparatus, comprising:
- vehicle speed measuring means for measuring the speed of said vehicle and for producing a first signal representing said speed;
- steering force measuring means for measuring the steering force required to operate the steering system of said vehicle at said measured vehicle speed and for producing a second signal presenting said force;
- processor means for determining the centripetal force of said vehicle, with said processor means comprising means for receiving said first and second signals and means for deriving from said signals a third signal representing the magnitude of said centripetal force;
- and
- emergency control means responsive to said third signal for operating a control system within said vehicle.
A method for determining the centripetal force exerted on an automotive vehicle and for initiating a control system within said automotive vehicle having roadwheels, comprising the steps of:
- measuring the speed of said vehicle;
- measuring the steering force required to turn said roadwheels of said vehicle;
- entering said vehicle speed and said steering force into a processor means;
- comparing said measured vehicle speed and said measured steering force with one of a plurality of reference pairs stored in said processor means, each one of said reference pairs comprising vehicle speed and steering force values corresponding to a predetermined centripetal force value;
- and
- initiating said control system within said vehicle when said centripetal force value exceeds a predetermined value.
A method for controlling a steering assist device of a power steering system of an automotive vehicle having a pair of steerable roadwheels, comprising the steps of:
- measuring the sped of said vehicle;
- measuring the steering pressure within said steering system while turning said roadwheels of said vehicle, said pressure being measured by a pressure transducer;
- determining a required steering assist value based upon said measured vehicle speed and said measured steering pressure;
- and
- adjusting sad power assist device of said power steering system to meet said required steering assist value.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.