Vehicle disturbance detection apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11066098-B2
Application number	US-201916697737-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 27, 2019
Priority date	Nov 30, 2018
Publication date	Jul 20, 2021
Grant date	Jul 20, 2021

Abstract

A vehicle disturbance detection apparatus includes an electronic control unit. The electronic control unit determines whether a disturbance occurs in a vehicle based on detection signals from a sensor device. The disturbance is a lateral external force that causes the vehicle to veer in a direction different from a direction expected by a driver. The electronic control unit determines that the disturbance occurs in the vehicle when a disturbance determination condition is established in a relationship between a calculated yaw rate and an actual yaw rate. The disturbance determination condition includes a cant traveling exclusion condition that is not established when the vehicle veers by traveling along a cant road but is established when the vehicle veers by receiving a crosswind.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A vehicle disturbance detection apparatus, comprising:
a sensor device including
a vehicle speed sensor configured to detect a vehicle speed,
a steering angle sensor configured to detect a steering angle,
a lateral acceleration sensor configured to detect a lateral acceleration of a vehicle, and
a yaw rate sensor configured to detect a yaw rate of the vehicle; and

an electronic control unit configured to execute
determining whether a disturbance occurs in the vehicle based on detection signals from the sensor device, the disturbance being a lateral external force that causes the vehicle to veer in a direction different from a direction expected by a driver,
calculating a first standard yaw rate estimable by using pieces of information related to the vehicle speed, the steering angle, the lateral acceleration, and predetermined vehicle specifications,
calculating a second standard yaw rate estimable by using the pieces of information related to the vehicle speed, the steering angle, and the vehicle specifications without using the piece of information related to the lateral acceleration, and
determining that the disturbance occurs in the vehicle when a disturbance determination condition is established in a relationship among the first standard yaw rate, the second standard yaw rate, and an actual yaw rate, the disturbance determination condition including a cant traveling exclusion condition that is not established when the vehicle veers by traveling along a cant road but is established when the vehicle veers by receiving a crosswind, the actual yaw rate being the yaw rate detected by the yaw rate sensor.

2. The vehicle disturbance detection apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the cant traveling exclusion condition includes a condition that defines a relationship in which a sign of a value obtained by subtracting the second standard yaw rate from the first standard yaw rate differs from a sign of a value obtained by subtracting the second standard yaw rate from the actual yaw rate.

3. The vehicle disturbance detection apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the disturbance determination condition includes a condition that a deviation between the first standard yaw rate and the second standard yaw rate is larger than a first threshold and a deviation between the actual yaw rate and the second standard yaw rate is larger than a second threshold.

4. The vehicle disturbance detection apparatus according to claim 2 , wherein the disturbance determination condition includes a condition that a deviation between the actual yaw rate and the first standard yaw rate is larger than a third threshold.

5. The vehicle disturbance detection apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the electronic control unit is configured to use a neutral point relative steering angle as the piece of information related to the steering angle when calculating the first standard yaw rate and when calculating the second standard yaw rate, the neutral point relative steering angle being an angle obtained by converting the steering angle detected by the steering angle sensor into a relative angle to a steering angle neutral point,
the electronic control unit is configured to detect a situation in which the vehicle is traveling straightforward, and
the electronic control unit is configured to correct, when the electronic control unit detects that the vehicle is traveling straightforward, the steering angle neutral point so that a deviation between the calculated first standard yaw rate and the actual yaw rate detected by the yaw rate sensor decreases.

6. The vehicle disturbance detection apparatus according to claim 5 , wherein
the electronic control unit is configured to determine that correction of variations in the sensor device and in the vehicle specifications is completed when the deviation between the first standard yaw rate and the actual yaw rate is equal to or smaller than a correction completion determination threshold through correction of the steering angle neutral point, and
the disturbance determination condition includes a condition that determination is made that the correction of the variations is completed.

7. The vehicle disturbance detection apparatus according to claim 6 , wherein the electronic control unit is configured such that, when an elapsed time after the determination is made that the correction of the variations is completed reaches a set time, the electronic control unit cancels the determination that the correction of the variations is completed, and then determines again that the correction of the variations is completed when the deviation between the first standard yaw rate and the actual yaw rate is equal to or smaller than the correction completion determination threshold through the correction of the steering angle neutral point.

Assignees

• Toyota Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• MITSUMOTO Hisanori

Classifications

• B62D6/04 Primary

  responsive only to forces disturbing the intended course of the vehicle, e.g. forces acting transversely to the direction of vehicle travel · CPC title

• B60W30/02 Primary

  Control of vehicle driving stability · CPC title

• B62D6/003

  in order to control vehicle yaw movement, i.e. around a vertical axis (B62D6/007 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B60T2210/22

  Banked curves · CPC title

• B62D15/021

  Determination of steering angle · CPC title