# US 9,434,408 B2 · 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 9,434,408 B2 - Document ID: US9434408B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 14/650,363 - Filed: 2013-01-10 - Published: 2015-11-05 - Granted: 2016-09-06 - Earliest claimed: 2013-01-10 - Assignees: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha - Applicants: Takahiro Kojo; Toru Takashima - Inventors: Takahiro Kojo; Toru Takashima - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US9434408B2 ## CPC - B62D 5/0484: {for reaction to failures, e.g. limp home} - B60T 8/1755: Brake regulation specially adapted to control the stability of the vehicle, e.g. taking into account yaw rate or transverse acceleration in a curve (road vehicle drive control systems for control of driving stability otherwise than by controlling a particular sub-unit B60W30/02) - B60T 8/885: {using electrical circuitry} - B60W 10/18: including control of braking systems - B60W 10/20: including control of steering systems - B60W 30/18: Propelling the vehicle - B60W 50/0205: {Diagnosing or detecting failures; Failure detection models} - B60W 50/0225: {Failure correction strategy} - B62D 5/049: {detecting sensor failures} - B60T 2270/402: Back-up - B60W 2050/0215: {Sensor drifts or sensor failures} - B60W 2540/18: Steering angle - 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 - 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 device includes: an angle sensor configured to detect a rotation angle of a steering system of a vehicle; an actuator mounted on the vehicle; and a control device configured to perform a vehicle control by controlling the actuator based on the detection result of the angle sensor. At a time the angle sensor has failed, the control device is configured to limit the vehicle control at a time an estimation angle error obtained based on a failure time of the angle sensor and the rotation speed of the steering system is not smaller than a predetermined reference value and not to limit the vehicle control at a time the estimation angle error is smaller than the reference value. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A vehicle control device comprising: an angle sensor configured to detect a rotation angle of a steering system of a vehicle; an actuator mounted on the vehicle; and a control device configured to perform a vehicle control by controlling the actuator based on the detection result of the angle sensor, wherein the control device is configured to: determine, based on a sensor signal of the angle sensor, whether the angle sensor has a failure; based upon the an sensor being determined to have the failure, calculate an estimation angle error based on a failure time of the angle sensor and a rotation speed of the steering system; and limit the vehicle control when the estimation angle error is not smaller than a predetermined reference value and not limit the vehicle control when the estimation angle error is smaller than the predetermined reference value. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein the rotation speed of the steering system is set in response to a predetermined assumed maximum rotation speed. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein the control device is configured to perform other control different from the vehicle control based on the detection result of the angle sensor, limit the other control at the time the angle sensor has failed, and not to limit the vehicle control at a time the estimation angle error is smaller than the reference value. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein the estimation angle error relatively becomes larger as the failure time of the angle sensor relatively becomes longer, and relatively becomes larger as the rotation speed of the steering system relatively becomes faster. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The vehicle control device according to claim 1, further comprising: a stop mechanism configured to regulate a change in the rotation angle of the steering system, wherein the control device is configured to calculate the estimation angle error based on the failure time of the angle sensor and the rotation speed of the steering system, and suppress an increase in the calculated estimation angle error while the stop mechanism regulates a change in the rotation angle of the steering system after the angle sensor has failed. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The vehicle control device according to claim 1, further comprising: a rotary machine configured to brake a rotation of a part of which the rotation angle is detected by the angle sensor at the time the angle sensor has failed. ### Claim 7 (depends on 6) The vehicle control device according to claim 6, wherein the control device is configured to calculate the estimation angle error based on a counter-electromotive force generated in the rotary machine at a time the rotation of the part of which the rotation angle is detected by the angle sensor is braked. ### Claim 8 (depends on 6) The vehicle control device according to claim 6, wherein the control device is configured to correct the output value of the angle sensor based on the counter-electromotive force generated in the rotary machine at a time the rotation of the part of which the rotation angle is detected by the angle sensor is braked. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The vehicle control device according to claim 8, wherein the control device is configured to determine whether to correct the output value of the angle sensor based on a parameter involved with a motion actually generated in the vehicle and a parameter involved with a motion of the vehicle estimated based on the corrected output value of the angle sensor. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein the angle sensor includes at least one of: a steering angle sensor configured to detect a rotation angle of a steering member of the vehicle as the rotation angle of the steering system; a VGRS angle sensor configured to detect a VGRS angle of a VGRS device changing a steering angle of a steering wheel with respect to the steering angle of the steering member as the rotation angle of the steering system; and a rear wheel steering angle sensor configured to detect a rear wheel steering angle of a rear wheel steering device capable of steering the rear wheel of the vehicle as the rotation angle of the steering system. ### Claim 11 (depends on 1) The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle control is a VSC control of controlling the turning state of the vehicle. ### Claim 12 (depends on 1) The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein the control device is configured to limit the vehicle control by prohibiting the vehicle control or limiting a target control amount of the vehicle control to a relatively small value compared to the case where the vehicle control is not limited.