# US 7,412,319 B2 · Motor vehicle state detecting system

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- Number: US 7,412,319 B2
- Document ID: US7412319B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 11/030,437
- Filed: 2005-01-07
- Published: 2005-06-09
- Granted: 2008-08-12
- Earliest claimed: 2002-05-23
- Assignees: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha
- Inventors: Hiroshi Fujioka; Takanori Matsunaga; Takashi Maeda; Toshinori Matsui; Masahiko Kurishige; Hideyuki Tanaka
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US7412319B2

## CPC

- B62D 6/005: {treating sensor outputs to obtain the actual yaw rate}
- 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 2230/02: Side slip angle, attitude angle, floating angle, drift angle
- B60T 2260/02: Active Steering, Steer-by-Wire
- 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)
- 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

## Abstract

System for detecting stability/instability of behavior of a motor vehicle upon occurrence of tire slip or lock. State of the motor vehicle is determined on the basis of an alignment torque (Ta) applied from a road and a side slip angle (β). By taking advantage of such torque/slip-angle characteristic that although the alignment torque is proportional to a side slip angle when the latter is small, the alignment torque becomes smaller as the side slip angle increases, a normal value is determined from a straight line slope and the side slip angle in a region where the latter is small. Unstable behavior of the motor vehicle is determined when deviation of actual measured value from the normal value increases. Further, unstable state is determined when the slope of the alignment torque for the slip angle departs significantly from that of approximate straight line slope.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A motor vehicle state detecting system for detecting an unstable state of a motor vehicle or alternatively a prognostic sign thereof, comprising:
first detecting means for detecting an actual measured value of a first parameter corresponding to either a side slip angle or alternatively a steering angle of said motor vehicle;
second detecting means for detecting an actual measured value of a second parameter corresponding to either an alignment torque or alternatively a transverse acceleration which said motor vehicle is subjected to;
arithmetic means for arithmetically determining a third parameter relevant to a correlation which said first and second parameters bear to each other;
reference value setting means for setting in advance a comparison reference value for said third parameter; and
motor vehicle behavior stability decision means for making decision that behavior of said motor vehicle is unstable when said third parameter departs from said comparison reference value;
vehicle speed detecting means for detecting a running speed of said motor vehicle as a vehicle speed,
wherein said first detecting means is designed to detect an actual steering angle of said motor vehicle as an actual measured value of said first parameter,
wherein said second detecting means is designed to detect as an actual measured value of said second parameter an actual transverse acceleration applied to said motor vehicle, and
wherein said arithmetic means is designed to arithmetically determine the change rate of said actual transverse acceleration for said actual steering angle as an acceleration/steering-angle change rate which serves as said third parameter,
wherein said reference value setting means is designed to set as said comparison reference value a predetermined range for said acceleration/steering-angle change rate in dependence on said motor vehicle concerned and said vehicle speed, and
wherein said motor vehicle behavior stability decision means is designed to determine that behavior of said motor vehicle is unstable when said acceleration/steering-angle change rate departs from said predetermined range.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

A motor vehicle state detecting system according to claim 1, wherein
said arithmetic means includes:
time-based steering-angle change rate arithmetic means for arithmetically determining a time-based change rate of said actual steering angle as a time-based steering-angle change rate;
time-based acceleration change rate arithmetic means for arithmetically determining a time-based change rate of said actual transverse acceleration as a time-based acceleration change rate; and
acceleration/steering-angle change rate arithmetic means for dividing said time-based acceleration change rate by said time-based steering-angle change rate to thereby arithmetically derive said acceleration/steering-angle change rate.

### Claim 3 (depends on 2)

A motor vehicle state detecting system according to claim 2, wherein
said arithmetic means includes:
lower limit value setting means for setting a lower limit permissible value for said time-based steering-angle change rate in dependence on the motor vehicle concerned and said vehicle speed;
predetermined change rate setting means for setting a predetermined change rate for said time-based acceleration change rate in dependence on the motor vehicle concerned; and
division arithmetic inhibiting means for inhibiting division processing executed by said acceleration/steering-angle change rate arithmetic means when said time-based steering-angle change rate is smaller than said lower limit permissible value,
wherein said motor vehicle behavior stability decision means determines that behavior of said motor vehicle is unstable when said time-based steering-angle change rate is smaller than said lower limit permissible value and when said time-based acceleration change rate is greater than or equal to said predetermined change rate inclusive thereof.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

A motor vehicle state detecting system according to claim 1, wherein
said arithmetic means includes:
travel distance arithmetic means for arithmetically determining travel distance of said motor vehicle;
distance-based steering-angle change rate arithmetic means for arithmetically determining a change rate of said actual steering angle for said travel distance as a distance-based steering-angle change rate;
distance-based acceleration change rate arithmetic means for arithmetically determining a change rate of said actual transverse acceleration for said travel distance as a distance-based acceleration change rate; and
acceleration/steering-angle change rate arithmetic means for dividing said distance-based acceleration change rate by said distance-based steering-angle change rate to thereby arithmetically derive said acceleration/steering-angle change rate.

### Claim 5 (depends on 4)

A motor vehicle state detecting system according to claim 4, wherein
said arithmetic means includes:
lower limit value setting means for setting a lower limit permissible value for said distance-based steering-angle change rate in dependence on the motor vehicle concerned and said vehicle speed;
predetermined change rate setting means for setting a predetermined change rate for said distance-based acceleration change rate in dependence on the motor vehicle concerned; and
division arithmetic inhibiting means for inhibiting division processing executed by said acceleration/steering-angle change rate arithmetic means when said distance-based steering-angle change rate is smaller than said lower limit permissible value,
wherein said motor vehicle behavior stability decision means determines that behavior of said motor vehicle is unstable when said distance-based steering-angle change rate is smaller than said lower limit permissible value and when said distance-based acceleration change rate is greater than or equal to said predetermined change rate inclusive thereof.