# US 7,613,557 B2 · Vehicle control system > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 7,613,557 B2 - Document ID: US7613557B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 11/627,074 - Filed: 2007-01-25 - Published: 2007-08-16 - Granted: 2009-11-03 - Earliest claimed: 2006-02-13 - Assignees: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha - Inventors: Ikuhide Iyoda - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US7613557B2 ## CPC - B60T 8/1766: Proportioning of brake forces according to vehicle axle loads, e.g. front to rear of vehicle - B60G 17/0164: {mainly during accelerating or braking} - B60G 17/0195: characterised by the regulation being combined with other vehicle control systems {(conjoint control of vehicle sub-units including control of suspension systems B60W10/22)} - B60W 10/184: with wheel brakes - B60G 2400/204: Vehicle speed - B60G 2400/252: vertical - B60G 2800/22: Braking, stopping - B60G 2800/914: Height Control System - B60G 2800/915: Suspension load distribution - B60G 2800/92: ABS - Brake Control - B60G 2800/922: EBV - Electronic brake force distribution - B60G 2800/95: Automatic Traction or Slip Control [ATC] - B60G 2800/97: Engine Management System [EMS] - B60T 2260/06: Active Suspension System - B60T 2260/08: Coordination of integrated systems - B60W 10/10: including control of change-speed gearings - B60W 10/18: including control of braking systems - B60W 10/22: including control of suspension systems - B60W 30/18109: {Braking} - B60W 2040/1307: {Load distribution on each wheel suspension} - B60W 2510/18: Braking system - B60W 2520/16: Pitch - B60W 2720/403: between front and rear axle - 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 - B60G: VEHICLE SUSPENSION ARRANGEMENTS (air-cushion vehicles B60V; {cycle suspensions B62K25/00}) - 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 ## Abstract A vehicle control system for controlling a vehicle having a body, a pair of front wheels, and a pair of rear wheels, including a body-height adjusting device which adjusts four body heights each of which is defined as a relative-position relationship between corresponding one wheel of the pair of front wheels and the pair of rear wheels, and the body; and a brake-operation-force control device which controls respective operation forces of a pair of front-wheel brakes and a pair of rear-wheel brakes that restrain respective rotations of the pair of front wheels and the pair of rear wheels. The brake-operation-force control device includes an operation-force lowering portion which lowers, when the body-height adjusting device is adjusting at least one of the four body heights, the respective operation forces of at least one pair of brakes of the pair of front-wheel brakes and the pair of rear-wheel brakes, as compared with the respective operation forces when the body-height adjusting device is not adjusting any of the four body heights. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A vehicle control system for controlling a vehicle having a body, a pair of front wheels, and a pair of rear wheels, comprising: a body-height adjusting device which adjusts four body heights each of which is defined as a relative-position relationship between corresponding one wheel of the pair of front wheels and the pair of rear wheels, and the body; and a brake-operation-force control device which controls respective operation forces of a pair of front-wheel brakes and a pair of rear-wheel brakes that restrain respective rotations of the pair of front wheels and the pair of rear wheels, wherein the brake-operation-force control device comprises an operation-force lowering portion which controls, in at least a portion of a time duration when the body-height adjusting device adjusts at least one of the four body heights, the respective operation forces of at least one pair of brakes of the pair of front-wheel brakes and the pair of rear-wheel brakes, so that the controlled operation forces are low as compared with said respective operation forces when the body-height adjusting device does not adjust any of the four body heights, and wherein the operation-force lowering portion comprises a body-height-change-amount-dependent operation-force lowering portion which lowers, when an amount of change of said at least one body height caused by the body-height adjusting device has reached a first reference amount, the respective operation forces of said at least one pair of brakes of the pair of front-wheel brakes and the pair of rear-wheel brakes. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The vehicle control system according to claim 1, wherein the operation-force lowering portion comprises a wheel-rotation permitting portion which controls, in at least said portion of the time duration when the body-height adjusting device adjusts said at least one body height, the respective operation forces of said at least one pair of brakes, so as to permit respective rotations of at least corresponding one pair of wheels of the pair of front wheels and the pair of rear wheels, and thereby permit a change of a wheel base defined as a distance between the pair of front wheels and the pair of rear wheels. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The vehicle control system according to claim 1, wherein the operation-force lowering portion comprises a body-height-adjusting-side operation-force controlling portion which controls, in at least said portion of the time duration when the body-height adjusting device adjusts said at least one body height, the respective operation forces of said at least one pair of brakes that correspond to said at least one body height. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The vehicle control system according to claim 1, wherein the operation-force lowering portion comprises a larger-displacement-side operation-force lowering portion which lowers the respective operation forces of one pair of brakes of the pair of front-wheel brakes and the pair of rear-wheel brakes that correspond to a larger one of respective relative displacements between each pair of wheels of the pair of front wheels and the pair of rear wheels, and the body, that are so designed as to, when the body-height adjusting device changes the four body heights by a same amount, occur in a front-rear direction of the vehicle because of the changing of the four body heights. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The vehicle control system according to claim 1, wherein the pair of front wheels and the pair of rear wheels comprise a pair of drive wheels to which a drive force of a drive source of the vehicle is transmitted, and a pair of non-drive wheels to which said drive force is not transmitted, and wherein the operation-force lowering portion comprises a non-drive-wheel operation-force lowering portion which lowers, at least in a state in which said drive force is transmitted to the pair of drive wheels, the respective operation forces of one pair of brakes of the pair of front-wheel brakes and the pair of rear-wheel brakes that correspond to the pair of non-drive wheels. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The vehicle control system according to claim 1, wherein the pair of front wheels and the pair of rear wheels comprise two pairs of drive wheels to each of which a drive force of a drive source of the vehicle is transmitted, and wherein the operation-force lowering portion comprises a four-drive-wheel force-direction-dependent operation-force lowering portion which lowers the respective operation forces of one pair of brakes of the pair of front-wheel brakes and the pair of rear-wheel brakes that correspond to one pair of drive wheels of the two pairs of drive wheels, when a direction of the drive force transmitted to said one pair of drive wheels is same as a direction of a force applied to said one pair of drive wheels because of the adjusting of said at least one body height by the body-height adjusting device. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The vehicle control system according to claim 1, wherein the operation-force lowering portion comprises a memory which stores, for each pair of wheels of the pair of front wheels and the pair of rear wheels, a relationship between (a) said at least one body height that is adjusted by the body-height adjusting device and (b) relative position between the body and said each pair of wheels in a front-rear direction of the vehicle that is changed when said at least one body height is adjusted by the body-height adjusting device. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The vehicle control system according to claim 1, wherein the operation-force lowering portion comprises a reference-value-dependent operation-force lowering portion which lowers the respective operation forces of said at least one pair of brakes to a value not greater than a reference value. ### Claim 9 (depends on 1) The vehicle control system according to claim 1, wherein the operation-force lowering portion comprises an intermittently lowering portion which intermittently increases the respective operation forces of said at least one pair of brakes to a value not smaller than a first reference value and lowers said respective operation forces to a value not greater than a second reference value smaller than the first reference value. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The vehicle control system according to claim 1, wherein the operation-force lowering portion comprises a periodically lowering portion which selectively switches, at a predetermined time period, said at least one pair of brakes to a first operation state thereof in which the respective operation forces thereof are not smaller than a first reference value, and to a second operation state thereof in which the respective operation forces thereof are not greater than a second reference value smaller than the first reference value. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The vehicle control system according to claim 1, wherein the operation-force lowering portion comprises a first operation-force-dependent operation-force lowering portion which controls, when the amount of change of said at least one body height caused by the body-height adjusting device has reached the first reference amount in a state in which the respective operation forces of the pair of front-wheel brakes and the pair of rear-wheel brakes are not smaller than a first reference value, the respective operation forces of said at least one pair of brakes to a value not greater than a second reference value smaller than the first reference value, for a predetermined time duration. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The vehicle control system according to claim 1, wherein the operation-force lowering portion comprises an operation-force lowering and increasing portion which lowers the respective operation forces of one pair of brakes of the pair of front-wheel brakes and the pair of rear-wheel brakes and increases the respective operation forces of an other pair of brakes of the pair of front-wheel brakes and the pair of rear-wheel brakes. ### Claim 13 (depends on 12) The vehicle control system according to claim 12, wherein the operation-force lowering and increasing portion controls the respective operation forces of said other pair of brakes to a value assuring that a speed of movement of the vehicle is not higher than a reference speed. ### Claim 14 (depends on 1) The vehicle control system according to claim 1, wherein the operation-force lowering portion comprises a brake control portion which lowers the respective operation forces of said at least one pair of brakes when the pair of front-wheel brakes and the pair of rear-wheel brakes are in respective operative states thereof and a body-height adjusting request is obtained. ### Claim 15 (depends on 1) The vehicle control system according to claim 1, wherein the operation-force lowering portion comprises a stopped-state-dependent operation-force controlling portion which controls the respective operation forces of said at least one pair of brakes when a speed of movement of the vehicle is not higher than a reference speed at which the vehicle can be regarded as being in a stopped state, and in at least said portion of the time duration when the body-height adjusting device adjusts said at least one body height. ### Claim 16 (depends on 1) The vehicle control system according to claim 1, wherein the operation-force lowering portion comprises a target-stroke-dependent operation-force lowering portion which lowers the respective operation forces of said at least one pair of brakes when an absolute value of a difference of (a) a value of said at least one body height when the body-height adjusting device starts adjusting said at least one body height, and (b) a target value of said at least one body height, is not smaller than a reference value. ### Claim 17 (depends on 1) The vehicle control system according to claim 1, wherein the operation-force lowering portion comprises a second operation-force-dependent operation-force controlling portion which controls the respective operation forces of said at least one pair of brakes when an average value of the respective operation forces of said at least one pair of brakes is not smaller than a reference value, and in at least said portion of the time duration when the body-height adjusting device adjusts said at least one body height. ### Claim 18 (depends on 1) The vehicle control system according to claim 1, wherein the pair of front-wheel brakes and the pair of rear-wheel brakes comprise two pairs of service brakes which correspond to the pair of front wheels and the pair of rear wheels, respectively, and the vehicle has at least one pair of parking brakes corresponding to at least one pair of service brakes of the two pairs of service brakes, wherein the brake-operation-force control device controls each of respective operation forces of the two pairs of service brakes and respective operation forces of said at least one pair of parking brakes, and wherein the operation-force lowering portion lowers at least one of (a) the respective operation forces of at least one pair of service brakes of the two pairs of service brakes and (b) the respective operation forces of said at least one pair of parking brakes. ### Claim 19 (depends on 1) The vehicle control system according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle has, in addition to the pair of front-wheel brakes and the pair of rear-wheel brakes as two pairs of first brakes whose operation forces are controllable by the brake-operation-force control device and which are provided for the pair of front wheels and the pair of rear wheels, respectively, a pair of second brakes whose operation forces are not controllable by the brake-operation-force control device and which are provided for one pair of wheels of the pair of front wheels and the pair of rear wheels, and wherein the operation-force lowering portion comprises an uncontrollable-brake-free-side operation-force lowering portion which lowers, when the two pairs of first brakes are in respective operative states thereof and the pair of second brakes are in respective operative states thereof, the respective operation forces of one pair of first brakes of the two pairs of first brakes that correspond to an other pair of wheels of the pair of front wheels and the pair of rear wheels for which the pair of second brakes are not provided. ### Claim 20 (depends on 1) The vehicle control system according to claim 1, wherein the operation-force lowering portion comprises: a body-height-change-amount obtaining portion which obtains the amount of change of said at least one body height caused by the body-height adjusting device; a memory which stores, for each pair of wheels of the pair of front wheels and the pair of rear wheels, a relationship between (a) said at least one body height that is adjusted by the body-height adjusting device and (b) wheel base of the vehicle that is defined as a distance between the pair of front wheels and the pair of rear wheels and is changed when said at least one body height is adjusted by the body-height adjusting device; and a wheel-base-change-amount-dependent operation-force controlling portion which obtains, based on the amount of change of said at least one body height obtained by the body-height-change-amount obtaining portion and the relationship between (a) said at least one body height and (b) said wheel base stored by the memory, an amount of change of the wheel base of the vehicle, and controls, in at least said portion of the time duration when the body-height adjusting device adjusts said at least one body height and when the obtained amount of change of the wheel base has reached a second reference amount on an assumption that at least one of the front and rear wheels that corresponds said at least one body height is permitted to rotate, the respective operation forces of said at least one pair of brakes. ### Claim 21 A vehicle control system for controlling a vehicle having a body, a pair of front wheels, and a pair of rear wheels, comprising: a body-height adjusting device which adjusts four body heights each of which is defined as a relative-position relationship between corresponding one wheel of the pair of front wheels and the pair of rear wheels, and the body; and a brake-operation-force control device which controls respective operation forces of a pair of front-wheel brakes and a pair of rear-wheel brakes that restrain respective rotations of the pair of front wheels and the pair of rear wheels, wherein the brake-operation-force control device comprises an operation-force lowering portion which controls, in at least a portion of a time duration when the body-height adjusting device adjusts at least one of the four body heights, the respective operation forces of at least one pair of brakes of the pair of front-wheel brakes and the pair of rear-wheel brakes, so that the controlled operation forces are low as compared with said respective operation forces when the body-height adjusting device does not adjust any of the four body heights, and wherein the operation-force lowering portion comprises a wheel-base-change-amount-dependent operation-force controlling portion which controls, in at least said portion of the time duration when the body-height adjusting device adjusts said at least one body height and when an amount of change of a wheel base of the vehicle caused by the adjusting of said at least one body height has reached a second reference amount on an assumption that at least one of the front and rear wheels that corresponds said at least one body height is permitted to rotate, the respective operation forces of said at least one pair of brakes. ### Claim 22 A vehicle control system for controlling a vehicle having a body, a pair of front wheels, and a pair of rear wheels, comprising: a body-height adjusting device which adjusts four body heights each of which is defined as a relative-position relationship between corresponding one wheel of the pair of front wheels and the pair of rear wheels, and the body; and a brake-operation-force control device which controls respective operation forces of a pair of front-wheel brakes and a pair of rear-wheel brakes that restrain respective rotations of the pair of front wheels and the pair of rear wheels, wherein the brake-operation-force control device comprises an operation-force lowering portion which controls, in at least a portion of a time duration when the body-height adjusting device adjusts at least one of the four body heights, the respective operation forces of at least one pair of brakes of the pair of front-wheel brakes and the pair of rear-wheel brakes, so that the controlled operation forces are low as compared with said respective operation forces when the body-height adjusting device does not adjust any of the four body heights, and wherein the pair of front-wheel brakes and the pair of rear-wheel brakes comprise two pairs of service brakes which correspond to the pair of front wheels and the pair of rear wheels, respectively, and which are operated by operating a service-brake operating member of the vehicle, and wherein the operation-force lowering portion comprises a service-brake control portion which controls, in at least said portion of the time duration when the body-height adjusting device adjusts said at least one body height in a state in which the service-brake operating member is operated, respective operation forces of one pair of service brakes of the two pairs of service brakes that are applied to corresponding one pair of wheels of the pair of front wheels and the pair of rear wheels. ### Claim 23 (depends on 22) The vehicle control system according to claim 22, wherein the service-brake control portion comprises a parking-brake-free-side operation-force lowering portion which lowers the respective operation forces of said one pair of service brakes that correspond to said one pair of wheels that are free of a parking brake. ### Claim 24 (depends on 22) The vehicle control system according to claim 22, wherein the service-brake control portion comprises a parking-brake-inoperative-state-dependent operation-force lowering portion which lowers, when a pair of parking brakes of the vehicle are in respective operative states thereof for one pair of wheels of the pair of front wheels and the pair of rear wheels, the respective operation forces of said one pair of service brakes that correspond to an other pair of wheels of the pair of front wheels and the pair of rear wheels. ### Claim 25 A vehicle control system for controlling a vehicle having a body, a pair of front wheels, and a pair of rear wheels, comprising: a body-height adjusting device which adjusts four body heights each of which is defined as a relative-position relationship between corresponding one wheel of the pair of front wheels and the pair of rear wheels, and the body; and a brake-operation-force control device which controls respective operation forces of a pair of front-wheel brakes and a pair of rear-wheel brakes that restrain respective rotations of the pair of front wheels and the pair of rear wheels, wherein the brake-operation-force control device comprises an operation-force lowering portion which controls, in at least a portion of a time duration when the body-height adjusting device adjusts at least one of the four body heights, the respective operation forces of at least one pair of brakes of the pair of front-wheel brakes and the pair of rear-wheel brakes, so that the controlled operation forces are low as compared with said respective operation forces when the body-height adjusting device does not adjust any of the four body heights, wherein the pair of front wheels and the pair of rear wheels comprise a pair of drive wheels to which a drive force of a drive source of the vehicle is transmitted, and a pair of non-drive wheels to which said drive force is not transmitted, and wherein the operation-force lowering portion comprises at least one of (A) a first force-direction-dependent operation-force lowering portion which lowers, when a direction of the drive force transmitted to the pair of drive wheels is same as a direction of a force applied to the pair of drive wheels because of the adjusting of said at least one body height by the body-height adjusting device, the respective operation forces of one pair of brakes of the pair of front-wheel brakes and the pair of rear-wheel brakes that correspond to the pair of drive wheels, and (B) a second force-direction-dependent operation-force lowering portion which lowers, when a direction of the drive force transmitted to the pair of drive wheels is opposite to a direction of a force applied to the pair of drive wheels because of the adjusting of said at least one body height by the body-height adjusting device, the respective operation forces of one pair of brakes of the pair of front-wheel brakes and the pair of rear-wheel brakes that correspond to the pair of non-drive wheels. ### Claim 26 (depends on 25) The vehicle control system according to claim 25, wherein the operation-force lowering portion comprises the first force-direction-dependent operation-force lowering portion. ### Claim 27 (depends on 26) The vehicle control system according to claim 26, wherein the first force-direction-dependent operation-force lowering portion comprises a direction obtaining portion which obtains respective directions of respective forces applied to the pair of front wheels and the pair of rear wheels because of the adjusting of said at least one body height by the body-height adjusting device. ### Claim 28 (depends on 26) The vehicle control system according to claim 26, wherein the first force-direction-dependent operation-force lowering portion comprises a two-wheel drive-force transmission-state obtaining portion which detects whether the vehicle is in a two-wheel drive-force transmission state in which the drive force of the drive source is transmitted to one pair of wheels of the pair of front wheels and the pair of rear wheels and is not transmitted to an other pair of wheels of the pair of front wheels and the pair of rear wheels. ### Claim 29 (depends on 26) The vehicle control system according to claim 26, wherein the first force-direction-dependent operation-force lowering portion comprises a drive-wheel drive-force transmission-state obtaining portion which detects whether the drive force of the drive source is transmitted to the pair of drive wheels. ### Claim 30 (depends on 25) The vehicle control system according to claim 25, wherein the operation-force lowering portion comprises the second force-direction-dependent operation-force lowering portion.