Active rollover protection
AssigneeContinental Teves, Inc.
InventorsKurf Stouffer Lehmann, Brian L. Hildebrand, Clinton Schumann, Geoffrey Burke Bauer
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A system and method protects against rollover in a vehicle by employing an array of linear acceleration sensors. A control module includes, among other things, a model of the vehicle dynamics and a model of the array of sensors. A state vector is estimated based on the detected accelerations, the model of the vehicle dynamics and the model of the sensors. A control signal is generated based on the state vector, and the roll moment of the vehicle is reduced based on the control signal.
Claims32
A method for protecting against rollover in a motor vehicle comprising the steps of:
- providing an array of linear acceleration sensors at predetermined locations relative to the center of gravity of the vehicle;
- providing a control module having a model of the vehicle dynamics and a model of the array of sensors;
- detecting an acceleration for each sensor in the array of sensors;
- estimating a roll angle of the vehicle based on the detected accelerations, the model of the vehicle dynamics and the model of the sensors;
- generating a control signal based on the roll angle;
- and
- reducing the roll moment of the vehicle based on the control signal.
A method for protecting against rollover in a motor vehicle, the vehicle defining a longitudinal axis, a lateral axis, and a vertical axis, each axis passing through the center of gravity of the vehicle, the method comprising the steps of:
- providing an acceleration sensor positioned along the lateral axis of the vehicle, the sensor spaced a distance from the center of gravity;
- detecting an acceleration on the vehicle with the sensor;
- determining a roll acceleration of the vehicle from the detected acceleration and the known position of the sensor;
- integrating the roll acceleration to determine a roll rate and a roll angle of the vehicle;
- generating a control signal based on the roll angle, the roll rate and the roll acceleration;
- and
- reducing the roll moment of the vehicle based on the control signal.
A system for protecting against rollover in a vehicle comprising:
- an array of linear acceleration sensors positioned at predetermined locations relative to the center of gravity of the vehicle, each sensor detecting a linear acceleration along its sensor axis;
- a control module having a signal adjuster, an estimator, a signal generator, a model of the vehicle dynamics and a model of the array of sensors;
- the signal adjuster receiving the detected accelerations and transforming the accelerations from a sensor coordinate system to a body coordinate system;
- the estimator receiving the transformed accelerations and estimating a roll angle based on the transformed accelerations, the model of the vehicle dynamics and the model of the array of sensors;
- the signal generator generating a control signal when the roll angle indicates a tendency of the vehicle to rollover;
- and
- an actuator receiving the control signal and reducing the roll moment of the vehicle based thereon.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.