Vehicle control system for vehicle

Abstract

The invention relates to a vehicle control system (1) for a vehicle (200), comprising: a first control unit (3), which is designed to determine at least one manipulated variable (11) of a vehicle actuator (254) of the vehicle (200) and to output it to an actuator interface (13); a second control unit (5) connectable with the vehicle network (258) and the private network (256) for receiving a signal (S) comprising two or more geometric features (15) and two or more load features (21) of a current vehicle configuration (17) of the vehicle (200); the second control unit (5) is designed to define a driving dynamics limit value (25) of the current vehicle configuration (17) using the characteristic (15, 21) and to provide the driving dynamics limit value (25) on the control system network (7), and wherein the second control unit (5) is designed to determine the driving dynamics limit value (25) of the current vehicle configuration (17) using the characteristic (15, 21). The first control unit (3) is designed to determine the manipulated variable (11) using the driving dynamics limit value (25). The invention further relates to a vehicle (200) and a vehicle control method (300).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a vehicle control system for a vehicle, wherein the vehicle has an onboard network and at least one dedicated network, the vehicle control system has a first control unit, the first control unit being configured to determine at least one manipulated variable of a vehicle actuator of the vehicle and output it to an actuator interface. In addition, the invention also relates to a vehicle and a vehicle control method. Background Art

[0002] An experienced professional driver can estimate the expected driving stability of the vehicle before the journey begins, so that the vehicle can move safely in road traffic. The driving style selected by the skilled driver is coordinated with the existing marginal conditions and enables safe control of the vehicle. If necessary, the skilled driver adapts the selected driving style to avoid vehicle instability and guides the vehicle on the lane with the required accuracy.

[0003] In contrast, inexperienced drivers are unable to correctly judge the expected vehicle behavior or can only judge it to a limited extent. Even so-called virtual drivers who control autonomous vehicles or take on subtasks when controlling autonomous vehicles have not been able to ensure a correct judgment of stability behavior so far. If the judgment of the current driving stability and the required space requirements is insufficient, this will lead to inexperienced drivers or virtual drivers not recognizing instability or recognizing it too late. Conventional vehicle stability control systems only intervene to correct the driving behavior of the vehicle when certain limit values ​​are exceeded. As a result, this intervention is delayed and is accompanied by a higher space requirement, so that multiple corrections may be required or, in the worst case, an accident cannot be avoided. Therefore, there is a need for a vehicle control system that reliably prevents vehicle instability.

[0004] US 2013 / 0085639 A1 discloses a method for stability management of a vehicle, the method comprising the following steps: monitoring vehicle information by means of an electronic control unit; detecting an impending unstable driving state from the vehicle information by means of the electronic control unit before the unstable driving state occurs; and sending at least one output signal of a first signal series from the electronic control unit to at least one vehicle system before the unstable driving state occurs, in order to apply at least one active vehicle stability measure. In order to detect the impending unstable driving state, the electronic control unit receives information about weather conditions and road conditions as well as road map data. The above method according to US 2013 / 0085639 A1 has the disadvantage that vehicle-specific characteristics are not taken into account and an impending instability of a commercial vehicle is not detected or is only detected inadequately. In addition, the method for stability management is implemented by a single electronic control unit, which represents a considerable safety risk in the event of a malfunction. Summary of the invention

[0005] The object of the present invention is to improve safety and precision when controlling a vehicle.

[0006] In a first aspect, the task is solved by a vehicle control system for a vehicle, wherein the vehicle has a vehicle network and at least one dedicated network, and the vehicle control system has: a first control unit, which is configured to obtain at least one manipulated variable of a vehicle actuator of the vehicle and output it to an actuator interface; a second control unit, which can be connected to the vehicle network and the dedicated network to receive signals, which include two or more geometric characteristics and two or more load characteristics of the vehicle's current vehicle configuration; and a control system network connecting the first control unit and the second control unit, wherein the second control unit is configured to limit driving dynamics boundary values ​​of the current vehicle configuration using two or more geometric characteristics and two or more load characteristics, and to provide the driving dynamics boundary values ​​on the control system network, wherein the first control unit is configured to obtain the manipulated variable using the driving dynamics boundary values.

[0007] During the operation of the vehicle, the first control unit obtains the manipulated variable of the vehicle actuator and outputs the manipulated variable to the actuator interface in order to control the vehicle. The obtained manipulated variable is used to control the vehicle in the driving state or to achieve the driving task. The first control unit is preferably configured to implement a (partial) autonomous driving function. The autonomous driving function can be trajectory planning and / or positioning adjustment for a fully autonomous vehicle. However, it is also preferred that the first control unit can also be configured to implement a driver assistance function. The driver assistance function is or preferably includes adaptive cruise control (Adaptive Cruise Control in English), emergency brake assist, lane keeping assist and / or driving stability control. For example, the first control unit can obtain the steering manipulated variable for the steering system of the vehicle in order to control the vehicle through a curve.

[0008] Preferably, the first control unit can also determine a plurality of manipulated variables for one or more vehicle actuators and provide them to the actuator interface. The vehicle actuator influences the state of motion of the vehicle. Preferably, the vehicle actuator is or comprises a steering system, a brake, a braking system and / or a motor of the vehicle. The vehicle actuator is controlled with the aid of the manipulated variables and performs a driving dynamics intervention on the vehicle corresponding to the manipulated variables. For example, the required brake pressure on a brake modulator of a brake system can be predetermined as a manipulated variable in order to regulate a corresponding braking force at a service brake connected to the brake modulator. The first control unit determines the manipulated variables of the vehicle actuators, which in turn are used to influence the state of motion of the vehicle.

[0009] It should be understood that the first control unit may also only implement a subtask in controlling the vehicle actuator. Therefore, the manipulated variable known by the first control unit and output to the actuator interface may also only be an intermediate parameter of the vehicle actuator. For example, the first control unit may output the target deceleration as a manipulated variable to the actuator interface, and then the manipulated variable is converted into a brake pressure corresponding to the target deceleration in the brake modulator. Then, the brake modulator controls the brake pressure at the brake cylinder of the service brake to achieve the target deceleration.

[0010] The second control unit can be connected to the vehicle network and the vehicle-specific network in order to receive signals comprising two or more geometric characteristics and two or more load characteristics of the vehicle. The vehicle network and the dedicated network are networks of the vehicle. The vehicle network is preferably a vehicle bus system, particularly preferably a vehicle CAN. The dedicated network is preferably a dedicated network of a vehicle subsystem. Particularly preferably, the dedicated network is a steering system network of a steering system of the vehicle.

[0011] The geometrical characteristics and the load characteristics represent at least in part the current vehicle configuration of the vehicle, which involves vehicle-specific aspects as well as load-specific aspects. The geometrical characteristics represent the geometry of the vehicle. In addition to or instead of geometrical dimensions, the geometrical characteristics preferably also contain quantitative specifications (e.g. the number of axles of the vehicle). The geometrical characteristics include in particular or include geometrical parameters which define the driving dynamics of the vehicle, such as the wheelbase of the vehicle, the axle distance between the axles of the vehicle, the track width of the vehicle, the distance between the coupling point of the rear axle of the vehicle and the trailer, or the design of the trailer vehicle (e.g. a full trailer or a central axle trailer).

[0012] The load characteristics represent the loads acting on the vehicle, which may come from the vehicle's own weight and from the vehicle's load. Therefore, the current vehicle configuration of an unloaded vehicle is different from the current vehicle configuration of the same vehicle in a loaded state. The load characteristics are preferably or include wheel loads, axle loads, total vehicle mass, mass of a vehicle part and / or the position of the center of gravity of the vehicle or a vehicle part. The second control unit takes the acquired geometric characteristics and load characteristics into account when defining the driving dynamics boundary value. The driving dynamics boundary value is at least partially coordinated with the current vehicle configuration and thus enables particularly safe control of the vehicle. Therefore, the risk of instability caused by unfavorable loading on the vehicle can be identified and taken into account in the driving dynamics boundary value. The first control unit determines the manipulated variables for the vehicle actuators while using the driving dynamics boundary value. Therefore, it is ensured that the driving dynamics boundary value is observed when controlling the vehicle.

[0013] The control system network connects the first control unit and the second control unit and is used at least for exchanging driving dynamics boundary values. The control system network allows separate and particularly safe exchange of driving dynamics boundary values. Preferably, the control system network is a bus system, particularly preferably a CAN bus. The architecture according to the invention with the first control unit, the second control unit and the control system network ensures high fail-safety and is economical. The division of tasks between the control units allows less input of computing power for each control unit and allows fast control. In addition, in particular, the manipulated variables of the vehicle actuators that can be determined by the first control unit are critical to safety, so that intervention in the first control unit is prevented by setting the second control unit. In addition, at the input end (i.e., the input side for receiving signals), preferably only the second control unit can be connected to the vehicle network and at least one dedicated network. The second control unit forms an input side and protects the first control unit from erroneous signals. In addition, the second control unit also performs preprocessing of the signal, thereby reducing the task complexity of the first control unit.

[0014] The vehicle is particularly preferably a commercial vehicle. A commercial vehicle (Nfz), i.e. a commercial motor vehicle (Nkw), is a motor vehicle which, according to its type of construction and equipment, is intended for transporting people or goods or for towing a trailer, but is not a passenger car or motorcycle, but is, for example, a bus, a truck, a tractor or a crane truck. Within the scope of the present disclosure, a commercial vehicle can be a single commercial vehicle, which is also usually referred to in English as a rigid vehicle, or a towing vehicle consisting of a towing vehicle and one or more trailer vehicles.

[0015] The invention is based on the recognition that in modern vehicles, in particular commercial vehicles, a large number of geometrical and load characteristics are known. Therefore, various geometrical and load characteristics are processed in common vehicle systems, such as electronic brake systems. Therefore, the signals provided on the vehicle network or the vehicle-specific network already include these characteristics. The invention makes use of this recognition, because the second control unit can be connected to the vehicle network and the dedicated network and can therefore access these characteristics. Therefore, the vehicle control system can be integrated into the vehicle particularly easily. In addition, the vehicle control system can be used economically, in particular because separate sensor devices can be largely or completely omitted.

[0016] The second control unit is preferably a control unit different from the first control unit. It can also be provided that the second control unit and the first control unit are subunits of a control unit that can differ in function from one another.

[0017] In a first preferred embodiment, the second control unit is configured to predict the dynamic behavior of the current vehicle configuration using two or more geometrical characteristics and two or more load characteristics, and to define at least one driving dynamics limit value based on the predicted dynamic behavior. The behavior of the vehicle can thus be predicted. The dynamic behavior is preferably the yaw behavior of the towing vehicle, the folding behavior of one or more trailer vehicles, the natural angular frequency of the vehicle and / or the damping of the vehicle or of the dynamic system formed by the vehicle. The prediction of the dynamic behavior of the current vehicle configuration is preferably based on a model. For this purpose, the second control unit is preferably configured to individualize the basic vehicle model using the geometrical characteristics and the load characteristics, and to determine the dynamic behavior of the vehicle using the individualized vehicle model.

[0018] Preferably, the driving dynamics boundary value is the maximum vehicle speed allowed, the maximum lateral acceleration allowed, the maximum vehicle acceleration allowed, the maximum vehicle deceleration allowed, the maximum steering angle gradient allowed or the minimum turning radius allowed of the vehicle. The vehicle control system according to the present invention can also be configured to define a plurality of driving dynamics boundary values ​​for the vehicle, so that, for example, the maximum vehicle speed allowed is defined as the first driving dynamics boundary value, and the maximum lateral acceleration allowed is defined as the second driving dynamics boundary value. The maximum vehicle speed allowed is not necessarily the speed at which the vehicle becomes unstable immediately once it is exceeded by the vehicle. On the contrary, instability will only occur when a corresponding excitation occurs, for example, when an evasive action is required. Preferably, the maximum vehicle speed allowed is selected as follows, that is, it is ensured that the vehicle still drives stably at this vehicle speed even when an evasive action is suddenly performed and / or when turning.

[0019] Preferably, the second control unit is configured to detect a change in a characteristic on which at least one driving dynamics boundary value is defined from a signal and to adjust the driving dynamics boundary value according to the change. The adjustment of the driving dynamics boundary value can also be a redefinition of the driving dynamics boundary value or a definition of another driving dynamics boundary value. Adjusting at least one driving dynamics boundary value ensures that the driving dynamics boundary value is always adapted to the current vehicle configuration. Therefore, when the vehicle is loaded or unloaded, the dynamic behavior of the vehicle changes significantly. However, as a result of the loading, at least one load characteristic also changes, which is the basis for defining the driving dynamics boundary value, so that the driving dynamics boundary value is adjusted or redefined according to the specific circumstances of the change. In this way, the safety gain that can be achieved with the help of the vehicle control system is further increased. The detection of the change in the characteristic on which at least one driving dynamics boundary value is defined is preferably carried out during vehicle operation. The adjustment is preferably carried out by re-predicting the stability behavior and re-defining the driving dynamics boundary value. The change in the characteristic on which at least one driving dynamics boundary value is based can also be detected from the signal when the vehicle is stationary. Preferably, the second control unit is configured to store the driving dynamics boundary value in a non-volatile memory. When the vehicle is restarted, the second control unit can therefore provide the driving dynamics limit value as a starting value.

[0020] In a preferred improvement of the vehicle control system, the first control unit is a virtual driver for autonomously controlling the vehicle, and the virtual driver is configured to plan a trajectory to achieve the driving task of the vehicle. The virtual driver is a unit that at least undertakes a subtask of autonomous vehicle control. At least one subtask of autonomous vehicle control includes trajectory planning. The virtual driver performs trajectory planning and obtains a trajectory that is set to complete the driving task (e.g., an autonomous journey from point A to point B). The trajectory includes at least one planned route (target route) on which the vehicle will travel to complete the driving task. In addition, the trajectory also includes at least one driving dynamics reservation. The driving dynamics reservation is preferably or includes a predetermined speed when driving along the route or a predetermined speed change curve when driving along the route.

[0021] Preferably, the first control unit is configured to provide a trajectory on the control system network, wherein the second control unit is configured to determine whether the trajectory violates a driving dynamics boundary value. The trajectory includes at least one driving dynamics preset, such as a vehicle speed for a driving task. Preferably, the second control unit is configured to check and determine whether the dynamic preset covered by the trajectory violates a driving dynamics boundary value. Depending on the type of driving dynamics boundary value, the violation may occur due to exceeding or falling below the driving dynamics boundary value. For example, if the driving dynamics boundary value is the maximum allowed vehicle speed, then the driving dynamics boundary value is violated when the target vehicle speed covered by the trajectory exceeds the maximum allowed vehicle speed. On the contrary, if the driving dynamics boundary value is the minimum allowed turning radius of the vehicle, then the driving dynamics boundary value is violated when the trajectory covers a route with a smaller turning radius. In a preferred improvement, redundancy is provided, which further increases the safety gain achieved by the vehicle control system. In general, the first control unit uses the driving dynamics boundary value when planning the trajectory. However, if the first control unit does not use the driving dynamics boundary value or uses it improperly when planning the trajectory in the event of a fault, the second control unit can identify the impending instability of the vehicle in the following way, that is, the second control unit learns that the trajectory violates the driving dynamics boundary value. In addition, it may also be necessary to update the driving dynamics boundary value based on environmental information. This is the case, for example, when there is a risk of the vehicle tipping over or the risk increases due to the inclination of the lane transverse to the direction of travel while the vehicle is turning. During trajectory planning, environmental information that takes into account the inclination of the lane may not yet be available, so that following the pre-planned trajectory may result in an unstable vehicle state. The second control unit can be configured to learn whether the trajectory violates the driving dynamics boundary value based on environmental information that is preferably provided on the vehicle network and / or a dedicated network.

[0022] Preferably, the geometrical features include at least the number of axles of the vehicle and the axle distances between the axles of the vehicle. Particularly preferably, the geometrical features include all axle distances between the axles of the vehicle. The wheels of the axles of the vehicle form the contact points of the vehicle with the roadway. The axle distances, which reflect the distances between these contact points, therefore have a significant influence on the dynamic behavior of the vehicle and thus form geometrical features that are particularly suitable for representing the current vehicle configuration. If the known geometrical features include at least the number of axles of the vehicle and the axle distances, the dynamic behavior of the vehicle can be predicted with high accuracy and relatively low computational effort. Additional or alternative preferred geometrical features are, for example, the position of the coupling point of the traction vehicle, the position of the center point of the axle group formed by a plurality of axles, the wheelbase of the vehicle and / or the wheelbase of the vehicle or of a sub-vehicle of the vehicle. However, the method can also be performed when only some axle distances are known or when no axle distances are known. Thus, preferably, the axle distances of the vehicle can also be approximately calculated when the vehicle length is known.

[0023] In one embodiment, the second control unit is configured to receive a signal representing the real driving state of the vehicle and to determine whether at least one driving dynamics boundary value is violated in the real driving state. The real driving state may also be referred to as the actual driving state. The signal representing the real driving state of the vehicle is preferably provided on the vehicle network and / or the dedicated network. Preferably, the second control unit is configured to receive a signal representing the real driving state of the vehicle from the vehicle network and / or the dedicated network.

[0024] In an improved solution, the second control unit is also configured to provide a warning signal in the case of a violation of the driving dynamics boundary value. The warning signal can prompt the driver of the vehicle to pay attention to the impending instability. The warning signal can be configured as a simple prompt. However, preferably, the warning signal can also include information about the violation of the driving dynamics boundary value. Preferably, the vehicle control system is configured to output a brake control signal as a warning signal to the actuator interface in the case of a violation of the driving dynamics boundary value. The brake control signal is particularly preferably a time-limited brake control signal, and the time period for providing the brake control signal is 5 s or less, preferably 2 s or less, and particularly preferably 1 s or less. The warning signal configured as a brake control signal can achieve a short braking of the vehicle, thereby reliably warning the driver of the vehicle. Therefore, a tactile warning to the driver of the vehicle can be achieved. Preferably, a short braking is performed to generate a tactile warning when a deceleration value of a driver assistance system of the vehicle, especially a deceleration value of an emergency brake system of the vehicle, is used.

[0025] Preferably, the vehicle control system has a human-machine interface for outputting the provided warning signal. The human-machine interface is preferably or comprises a warning light, a loudspeaker, a head-up display, a vibration motor and / or a screen. The human-machine interface for outputting the warning signal is operated so that the warning signal is easily perceived by the human driver, so that the human driver takes the driving dynamics boundary value or the violation of the driving dynamics boundary value into account when controlling the vehicle. For example, the maximum permissible vehicle speed can be displayed on the speedometer of the vehicle as a warning signal.

[0026] In particular, the second control unit is configured to provide a warning signal on the control system network. Therefore, the warning signal can also be known to the first control unit or provided to the first control unit. Preferably, the first control unit is configured to re-plan the trajectory to achieve the driving task of the vehicle when the warning signal is provided on the control system network.

[0027] Preferably, the dedicated network is a braking system network of the vehicle. The braking system network is preferably a braking bus system. Particularly preferably, the dedicated network is a braking CAN. During operation of the vehicle, the braking bus system provides a signal representing the state of motion of one or more wheels of the vehicle. For example, a speed signal representing the speed of the wheels of the vehicle can be provided on the braking bus system. These signals can be advantageously used by the second control unit to define driving dynamics boundary values ​​and / or to determine whether at least one driving dynamics boundary value is violated in the actual driving state. In addition to or as an alternative to the vehicle speed signal, sensor signals of the stability control system of the vehicle can be provided on the braking system network (and / or preferably the vehicle network). These sensor signals preferably represent the yaw rate, steering wheel angle and / or lateral acceleration of the vehicle.

[0028] In addition, the signals provided on the brake bus system usually include geometric characteristics of the vehicle (wheelbase, number / position of axles, steering ratio), which are used by the brake system, for example, in a stability control system, especially an anti-lock braking system (ABS). Within the scope of the present disclosure, a stability control system is a system configured to at least partially control the driving stability of the vehicle. As an alternative or supplement to ABS, the stability control system can preferably also be or include a traction control system (ASR) and / or an electronic stability control system (ESC). The second control unit can be connected to the brake bus system so that the vehicle control system can obtain the signals provided on the brake bus system. This facilitates the acquisition of geometric characteristics and / or the acquisition of load characteristics.

[0029] In a preferred embodiment, the second control unit is designed to detect interventions of a stability control system during vehicle operation and to define driving dynamics limits using dynamic limits of the vehicle that can be inferred from the interventions of the stability control system. Such stability control systems are preferably anti-lock braking systems (ABS), traction control systems (ASR) and / or electronic stability control systems (ESC). Preferably, the stability control system can also be an electronic brake force distributor or include an electronic brake force distributor. The second control unit is preferably designed to detect interventions of multiple stability control systems and to take them into account when defining driving dynamics limits. Thus, the second control unit can take into account both interventions of the anti-lock braking system and interventions of the electronic stability control system. Excessively high drive torques at the wheels, especially on wet or slippery road surfaces, can lead to severe tire slip (wheel spin). The traction control system prevents or minimizes this tire slip by selectively braking the slipping wheels and by regulating the motor torque of the vehicle's drive. In particular, in unloaded or light vehicles, the above-mentioned tire slip occurs due to low wheel loads. If the ASR has already intervened (historical control intervention), this can also be advantageously taken into account when defining the driving dynamics limit value. From the intervention of the ASR, it can be determined which maximum drive torque just does not lead to tire slip that violates the predefined tire slip limit value. Since tire slip always occurs when force is transmitted (the vehicle is moving), the ASR only intervenes when the predefined tire slip limit value is exceeded and the wheels (almost) slip. The maximum drive torque can then be inferred from the intervention as a dynamic limit and used by the second control unit when defining the driving dynamics limit value. Thus, for example, the maximum acceleration of the vehicle following the maximum achievable drive torque can be defined as the driving dynamics limit value.

[0030] Preferably, the second control unit is configured to determine the height of the center of gravity of the vehicle taking into account a signal representing the rolling behavior of the vehicle and to define the driving dynamics limit value using the determined center of gravity height. Roll is a rotational movement of the vehicle about the longitudinal axis of the vehicle. The signal representing the rolling behavior of the vehicle is preferably a signal provided by an electronically controllable air spring system of the vehicle. Preferably, these signals represent axle loads on axles of the vehicle and / or wheel loads on wheels. Given a known lateral acceleration, the height of the center of gravity of the vehicle can be inferred from the change in the load acting on the wheels of the vehicle. Thus, for a vehicle with a higher center of gravity, the load on the wheels on the outside of the curve will be stronger than for a vehicle with a lower center of gravity at the same lateral acceleration. Preferably, the signal representing the rolling behavior of the vehicle is a signal representing the actual lateral acceleration of the vehicle and the actual yaw rate of the vehicle. Preferably, the second control unit is configured to determine the target lateral acceleration from the actual yaw rate of the vehicle and to determine the roll angle of the vehicle from the target lateral acceleration and the actual lateral acceleration. The portion of the actual lateral acceleration measured that results in a stable turn (target lateral acceleration) can therefore be calculated. The remaining portion of the actual lateral acceleration is caused by the gravitational effect due to the tilting of the measuring device (preferably the ESC), so that the roll angle can be determined. Preferably, the second control unit is designed to take into account the inclination of the roadway when determining the height of the center of gravity. The height of the center of gravity influences the tendency of the vehicle to tip over. The height of the center of gravity can preferably be used to limit the maximum permissible lateral acceleration of the vehicle as a driving dynamics limit value.

[0031] In a preferred embodiment, the vehicle is a towing vehicle and at least one trailer vehicle, wherein the second control unit can be connected to the trailer network of the vehicle to receive trailer signals, which include geometric characteristics and / or load characteristics of the current vehicle configuration of the vehicle. In a preferred improvement, at least two or more geometric characteristics and two or more load characteristics can be provided to the second control unit via the vehicle network, the dedicated network, and when the vehicle is a towing vehicle, additionally via the trailer network. The trailer network connects the towing vehicle with the trailer vehicle. Preferably, the trailer network is a trailer bus system, particularly preferably a trailer CAN. The trailer vehicle and the towing vehicle exchange trailer signals on the trailer network. These signals are, for example, trailer signals of the trailer brake system of the vehicle, which include manipulated variables for the brake actuator of the trailer vehicle. The trailer signals include geometric characteristics and / or load characteristics, which can be advantageously used by the vehicle control system when defining driving dynamics boundary values. It should be understood that even when the vehicle is a towing vehicle, two geometric characteristics and two load characteristics may be sufficient. It is then possible that the signal on the trailer network, the vehicle network and / or the dedicated network already encompasses these features.

[0032] Preferably, the second control unit is a control unit different from the first control unit. It can also be provided that the second control unit and the first control unit are subunits of a control unit that are functionally different from each other.

[0033] In a second aspect, the invention achieves the object stated at the outset with a vehicle having one or more vehicle actuators, a vehicle network, a private network and a vehicle control system according to one of the above-described embodiments of the first aspect of the invention. Particularly preferably, the vehicle is a commercial vehicle.

[0034] In a third aspect, the object stated at the outset is achieved by a vehicle control method for controlling a vehicle, the vehicle control method comprising the following steps: providing a signal comprising two or more geometric characteristics and two or more load characteristics of the current vehicle configuration of the vehicle on a vehicle network and / or a dedicated network; defining at least one driving dynamics limit value for the vehicle by a second control unit using the two or more geometric characteristics and the two or more load characteristics; providing at least one driving dynamics limit value on a control system network connecting the second control unit to the first control unit; determining the driving dynamics limit value provided on the control system network by the first control unit; and determining a manipulated variable of a vehicle actuator by the first control unit using the driving dynamics limit value. The vehicle control method is particularly preferably provided for controlling a commercial vehicle.

[0035] In a first preferred improvement of the vehicle control method, defining at least one driving dynamics boundary value for the vehicle by the second control unit using two or more geometrical features and two or more load features comprises: predicting the dynamic characteristics of the current vehicle configuration by the second control unit using the two or more geometrical features and two or more load features; and defining at least one driving dynamics boundary value by the second control unit based on the predicted dynamic characteristics. It should be understood that the vehicle control method according to the third aspect of the present invention has the same and similar sub-aspects as those reflected in the dependent claims of the vehicle control system according to the first aspect of the present invention.

[0036] The following describes the embodiments of the present invention with the aid of the drawings. These drawings do not necessarily show the embodiments with exact dimensions, but rather the drawings used for explanation are implemented in a schematic and / or slightly distorted form. For additional information on the teachings that can be directly derived from the drawings, reference is made to the relevant prior art. It should be taken into account that various modifications and changes can be made to the manner and details of the embodiments without departing from the general idea of ​​the present invention. The features of the present invention disclosed in the specification, drawings and claims are of great significance to the improvement scheme of the present invention, whether individually or in any combination. In addition, all combinations of at least two features disclosed in the specification, drawings and / or claims fall within the scope of the present invention. The general idea of ​​the present invention is not limited to the exact form or details of the preferred embodiments shown and described below, or to the subject matter that is limited compared to the subject matter claimed in the claims. With regard to the set measuring range, the values ​​within the mentioned boundary range should also be disclosed as boundary values ​​and can be used arbitrarily and protected by rights. For the sake of clarity, the same figure marks are used below for the same or detailed parts or parts with the same or similar functions. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0037] Further advantages, features and details of the present invention can be derived from the following description of preferred embodiments and based on the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0038] Figure 1 shows a top view of a commercial vehicle according to one embodiment;

[0039] Figure 2 A schematic diagram of a vehicle control system is shown;

[0040] Figure 3 shows a side view of a commercial vehicle according to this embodiment; and

[0041] Figure 4 A schematic flow chart diagram of a vehicle control system is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0042] Figure 1A vehicle 200 is shown, which is a commercial vehicle 200 configured as a towing vehicle combination 202. The towing vehicle combination 202 comprises a tractor vehicle 204, to which a trailer vehicle 206 is hooked. The tractor vehicle 204 and the trailer vehicle 206 are connected via a drawbar 208 of the trailer vehicle 206, which is fastened at a coupling point 210 of the tractor vehicle 204. The commercial vehicle 200 comprises a plurality of vehicle subsystems 212. A brake system 214 of the commercial vehicle 200 forms a first vehicle subsystem 212. The brake system 214 comprises a tractor vehicle brake system 216 for braking the tractor vehicle 204 and a trailer vehicle brake system 218 for braking the trailer vehicle 206. The brake system 214 comprises a brake control unit 220, a brake modulator 222 and a brake cylinder 224. The brake cylinders 224 are assigned to the front wheels 226 of the front axle 228 of the tractor vehicle 204, the rear wheels 229 of the rear axle 230 and the lift axle 232 of the tractor vehicle 204, and the trailer wheels 234 of the trailer axle 235 of the trailer vehicle 206. The brake control unit 220 and the brake modulator 222 are connected via a brake system network 221. The brake modulator 222 is pneumatically connected to the brake cylinder 224 of the tractor vehicle 204 and provides the brake cylinder with a brake pressure p B It should be understood that the brake pressure p assigned to wheels 226, 229, 234 B can be the same or different. Thus, for example, the brake pressure p at the front wheel 226 can be adjusted to be the same as the brake pressure p at the rear wheel 229. B Different brake pressures p B In the event of a braking intervention by stability control system 276 (preferably ESC 278 ), the brake pressure p within axles 228 , 230 , 235 or between wheels 226 , 229 , 234 of axles 228 , 230 , 235 is B In the case of an intervention of the anti-slip control (not shown in the figure), for example, when braking the slipping wheel 229, different brake pressures p may also exist at the wheels 229 of the rear axle 230 when the drive torque is reduced at the same time. B .

[0043] The trailer brake modulator 231 is connected to the trailer brake control unit 233 of the trailer brake system 218 via the trailer brake system network 237. The trailer brake modulator 231 provides the trailer brake pressure p to the brake cylinder 224 of the trailer vehicle 206. BT Trailer brake pressure p BT All brake cylinders 224 for trailer vehicle 206 may also be identical or different.

[0044] A steering system 236 of the commercial vehicle 200 forms a further vehicle subsystem 212. The steering system 236 is an electronically controllable steering system 238, which comprises a steering control unit 240 and an actuator motor 242 for presetting a steering angle δ of the front wheels 226 of the commercial vehicle 200. A steering system network 241 connects the steering control unit 240 to the actuator motor 242. The steering control unit 240 receives the manipulated variable 11 and drives the actuator motor 242 so that the actuator motor adjusts a steering angle δ corresponding to the manipulated variable 11 at the front wheels 226 of the commercial vehicle 200.

[0045] As a further vehicle subsystem 212, commercial vehicle 200 comprises an electronically controllable air suspension system 244. Electronically controllable air suspension system 244 has an air suspension control unit 246 and air springs 248 which are associated with wheels 226, 228, 234 of axles 228, 230, 235. Figure 1 Only one of the air springs 248 is shown in the figure for exemplary purposes, but it should be understood that air springs 248 are provided on all axles 228, 230, 235. The air spring 248 is provided with a pressure sensor 250 to detect the air spring pressure p acting in the air spring. AS . Air spring pressure p AS Corresponding to the load acting on the air spring 248, it is possible to calculate the pressure p of the air spring 248 based on the air spring pressure p AS The axle loads acting on the axles 228, 230, 235 are determined. The pressure sensor 250 provides information on the currently existing air spring pressure p respectively on a spring system network 252 which connects the pressure sensor 250 and the air spring 248 to the air spring control unit 246. AS The corresponding spring pressure signal S AS .

[0046] In the present embodiment, the brake system 214, the steering system 238 and the electronically controllable air spring system 244 are vehicle actuators 254 of the commercial vehicle 200. The vehicle actuator 254 receives the manipulated variable 11 and performs a driving dynamics intervention on the commercial vehicle 200 corresponding to the manipulated variable 11. Therefore, the brake cylinder 224 of the brake system 214 can cause the front wheels 226 of the commercial vehicle 200 to be regulated based on the manipulated variable 11. B .

[0047] The brake system network 221, the steering system network 241 and the spring system network 252 are dedicated networks 256 of the commercial vehicle 200. The commercial vehicle 200 also includes a vehicle network 258 and a trailer network 260. The vehicle network 258 connects the brake control unit 220, the steering control unit 240 and the air spring control unit 246 to each other, and to the main control unit 262 of the commercial vehicle 200. The trailer network 260 connects different units or subsystems of the trailer vehicle 206 to the units or subsystems of the tractor vehicle 204. Here, the trailer network 260 connects the trailer brake control unit 233 to the main control unit 262 and the vehicle network 258. It is also possible to connect other vehicle subsystems 212 of the trailer vehicle 206 to the tractor vehicle 204 or the vehicle subsystems 212 of the tractor vehicle with the help of the trailer network 260, but in this case, Figure 1 This point is omitted.

[0048] The vehicle subsystem 212 provides signals on networks 256, 258, and 260. Thus, a trailer signal S is provided on trailer network 260. T , providing a vehicle signal S on the vehicle network 258 V , providing a turn signal S on the steering system network 241 S , providing a brake signal S on the brake system network 221 B , providing a spring pressure signal S on the spring system network 252 AS The vehicle subsystem 212 may also be configured to provide a signal S of the dedicated network 256 over the vehicle network 258. S , S B , S AS There, signal S S , S B , S AS If necessary, also form a vehicle signal S V However, the vehicle signal S V It may also be a signal S provided by another vehicle subsystem 212 or by the main control unit 262 on the vehicle network 258 .

[0049] The commercial vehicle 200 also has a vehicle control system 1, which has a first control unit 3 and a second control unit 5. The first control unit 3 and the second control unit 5 are connected via a control system network 7. The first control unit 3 is a virtual driver 9, which is designed to plan a trajectory T for the commercial vehicle 200 (see Figure 3 ). In addition, the virtual driver 9 also receives the manipulated variable 11 for the vehicle actuator 254 and provides it to the actuator interface 13. The actuator interface 13 is preferably designed as a CAN interface.

[0050] The virtual driver controls the vehicle actuator 254 by means of the signal provided to the actuator interface 13, so that the commercial vehicle 200 follows the trajectory T known by the virtual driver 9. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the virtual driver 9 performs both the planning of the trajectory T and the learning of the manipulated variables 11 predetermined for driving along the trajectory T. However, in an alternative design, it can also be provided that the virtual driver 9 learns the trajectory T and only learns one or more manipulated variables 11. In this case, the virtual driver 9 will be designed primarily as a positioning controller.

[0051] Figure 1 It is shown that the actuator interface 13 of the vehicle control system 1 is connected to the brake system 214, the steering system 238 and the electronically controllable air spring system 244 via the vehicle network 258. However, it can also be provided that the first control unit 3 can be connected to these vehicle actuators 254 individually or via a separate network. The first control unit 3 provides the vehicle actuators 254 with manipulated variables 11 via the actuator interface 13 and the vehicle network 258, and the vehicle actuators then perform driving dynamics interventions on the commercial vehicle 200 based on the manipulated variables 11. The driving dynamics intervention causes the commercial vehicle 200 to follow the trajectory T.

[0052] The second control unit 5 is connected to the vehicle network 258, the dedicated network 256 and the trailer network 260. These connections are Figure 2 In this embodiment, the first dedicated network 256 connected to the second control unit 5 is a brake system network 221. The brake system network 221 is constructed as a CAN bus system and provides a brake signal S B , so that the second control unit 5 can read these brake signals S B . Braking signal S B The axle distance L between the front axle 228 and the rear axle 230 of the towing vehicle 204 is represented by 11 , the lifting axle distance L between the rear axle 230 of the tractor vehicle 204 and the lifting axle 232 12 and the coupling distance L between the rear axle 230 and the coupling point 210 13 data (see Figure 3 ). These distances L 11 , L 12 , L 13 is stored in the brake control unit 220 in order to enable conventional brake control of the commercial vehicle 200 . In this case, the conventional brake control is, for example, an anti-lock brake system (ABS) of the commercial vehicle 200 . The second control unit 5 receives the brake signal S B And from it we know the distance L 11 , L 12 , L 13These distances form geometrical characteristics 15 of the current vehicle configuration 17 of the commercial vehicle, which are determined by the second control unit 5 using the brake signal S B To be informed under the circumstances.

[0053] In addition, the second control unit 5 is connected to the vehicle network 258 and receives the vehicle signal S provided on the vehicle network 258. V Here, the vehicle signal S V The lifting state 19 includes the lifting axle 232. In the current vehicle configuration 17, the lifting axle 232 is raised (see Figure 3 ), so that the lifting state 19 represents the raised lifting axle 232. The second control unit 5 receives the lifting state 232 as a further geometric feature 15. In addition, the second control unit 5 is also configured to further process the geometric feature 15. Therefore, the second control unit 5 is configured to determine the lifting state 232 and the axle distance L based on the lifting state 232. 11 The wheelbase of the towing vehicle 204 is known as a further geometric feature 15. Figure 3 Show, if the lifting axle 232 is raised (such as Figure 2 ), the wheelbase of the tractor vehicle 204 is equivalent to the axle distance L 11 , or if the lifting axle 232 is lowered, the wheelbase of the tractor vehicle 204 is equivalent to the distance between the front axle 228 and the lifting axle 232. When the lifting axle 232 is lowered, the wheelbase of the tractor vehicle 204 is equivalent to the axle distance L 11 and half the lift bridge distance L 13 The second control unit 5 is based on the trailer signal S provided on the trailer network 260 T A further geometrical characteristic 15 is known. In the present exemplary embodiment, the geometrical characteristic 15 of the trailer vehicle 206 is the drawbar length L between the coupling point 210 and the front axle 235 of the trailer vehicle 206. 21 and trailer wheelbase L 22 , the trailer wheelbase is obtained by the axle 235 of the trailer vehicle 206. At present, the drawbar length L 21 and trailer wheelbase L 22 is pre-stored in the trailer brake control unit 233 and is controlled by the trailer brake control unit with the corresponding trailer signal S T The form of is provided on the trailer network 260.

[0054] Preferably, all length dimensions of the axles 228, 230, 232 of the tractor vehicle 204 and / or further axle characteristics of the axles 228, 230, 232 (driven axle, steerability, liftability, tire type) are pre-stored in the brake control unit 220 of the brake system 214 and provided by the brake control unit 220 on the brake system network 221 so that the second control unit 5 can know these characteristics. In addition, the trailer brake control unit 233 provides these pre-stored data by means of the trailer network 260, in particular by means of the ISO 11992 CAN bus, which represent the type of trailer vehicle 206, the number of trailer axles 235, the wheelbase of the trailer vehicle 206 and / or the distance between the coupling point 210 and the center point of the axle group (not shown). These data can then be known to the second control unit 5.

[0055] In addition, the second control unit 5 is also connected to the second dedicated network 256, that is, connected to the spring system network 252. Based on the spring pressure signal S provided on the spring system network 252 AS , so that the second control unit 5 can know the axle load 23 acting on the axles 228, 230 and 235. At present, the second control unit 5 is based on the spring pressure signal S AS Represents the spring pressure p AS The air spring force provided by the air spring 248 is calculated from the corresponding pressure area of ​​the air spring 248. This air spring force counteracts the weight force of the vehicle 200 and the load and therefore corresponds essentially to the axle load acting on the axle 228, 230, 235 associated with the air spring 248. The axle load 23 represents the load characteristic 21 of the current vehicle configuration 17 of the commercial vehicle 200. However, the axle load 23 can also be directly determined by the electronically controllable air spring system 244 and is represented by an axle load signal S L The form of is provided on the spring system network 252. In addition, the axle load 23 acting on the trailer axle 235 can also be provided on the trailer network 260.

[0056] The load characteristic 21 represents the current vehicle configuration 17 with respect to the loads acting on the utility vehicle 200. These loads are caused on the one hand by the deadweight of the utility vehicle 200, which is preferably known and provided as the load characteristic 21 on the vehicle network 258, and on the other hand by a first load 264 on a first load surface 266 of the tractor vehicle 204 and a second load 268 on a second load surface 270 of the trailer vehicle 206.

[0057] Figure 3It is shown that in the current vehicle configuration 17, the commercial vehicle 200 is unevenly loaded. The second load 268 on the second loading surface 270 of the trailer vehicle 206 is much heavier than the first load 264 on the first loading surface 266 of the tractor vehicle 204. In the current vehicle configuration 17, the commercial vehicle 200 tends to become unstable when turning because the heavily loaded trailer vehicle 206 will sway due to high-frequency steering excitations. Such high-frequency steering excitations may occur, for example, when the commercial vehicle 200 needs to perform evasive maneuvers to avoid a collision.

[0058] Second control unit 5 is designed to determine driving dynamics limit values ​​25 for current vehicle configuration 17 using determined geometrical characteristic 15 and load characteristic 21 . Figure 4 In the form of a schematic flow chart, a vehicle control method 300 is shown which is carried out by a vehicle control system 1 for defining a driving dynamics limit value 25. In the flow chart, as a first step of the vehicle control method 300, a signal S is provided 302 which includes two or more geometrical characteristics 15 and two or more load characteristics 21, and the geometrical characteristics 15 of the current vehicle configuration 17 and the load characteristics 21 of the current vehicle configuration 17 are ascertained 304 and ascertained 306 by the second control unit 5.

[0059] In a subsequent step, the second control unit 5 firstly calculates approximately the mass distribution 27 ( ) of the current vehicle configuration 21 in the vehicle longitudinal direction R1 using the geometrical characteristics 15 and the load characteristics 21 . Figure 4 It should be understood that the approximate calculation of the mass distribution 27 may have a certain approximate calculation error. The mass distribution 27 includes the position of the first center of gravity 29 of the tractor vehicle 204 in the vehicle longitudinal direction R1 and the position of the second center of gravity 31 of the trailer vehicle 206 in the vehicle longitudinal direction R1 (see Figure 3 ). In addition, the mass distribution 27 in this embodiment also includes the position of the center of gravity 29, 31 in the vehicle height direction R2, wherein the position of the center of gravity in the vehicle height direction R2 is known from the rolling behavior 38 of the commercial vehicle 200. Therefore, the mass distribution 27 includes the center of gravity height H1 of the first center of gravity 29. In addition, the mass distribution 27 also includes the first mass m1 of the tractor vehicle 204 acting on the first center of gravity 29 and the second mass m2 of the trailer vehicle 206 acting on the second center of gravity 31.

[0060] Then, the second control unit 5 generates a uniquely processed vehicle model 33 ( Figure 4310 ). Thereafter, the second control unit 5 uses the individualized vehicle model 33 to predict 312 the dynamic behavior of the current vehicle configuration 17 of the commercial vehicle 200 .

[0061] When predicting 312 the dynamic behavior, second control unit 5 uses, in addition to geometric features 15 and mass distribution 27, current friction value 34 between commercial vehicle 200 and roadway 271 on which commercial vehicle 200 is traveling. Second control unit 5 is designed to approximately calculate current friction value 34 ( Figure 4 The quality of the prediction 312 of the dynamic behavior of the current vehicle configuration 17 is further improved by knowing the current friction value 34 for the commercial vehicle 200. In reality, the current friction value 34 often fluctuates. Therefore, the friction value 34 between the commercial vehicle 200 and the roadway 271 may be reduced in wet or icy conditions compared to dry conditions. This leads to a significant influence on the dynamic behavior of the commercial vehicle 200. If the current friction value 34 is taken into account when predicting 312 the dynamic behavior, this may have an impact on the defined driving dynamics limit value 25 and improve the safety during the operation of the commercial vehicle 200. In the present embodiment, the second control unit 5 uses the weather signal S provided on the onboard network 258 to predict the dynamic behavior. W The current weather conditions are known. Subsequently, the second control unit 5 selects a predefined friction value 34 corresponding to the known weather conditions and mass distribution 27 from a database.

[0062] In the present exemplary embodiment, the dynamic characteristics determined within the scope of the prediction 312 are the natural angular frequencies and the damping of the eigenvalues ​​of the individualized vehicle model. The second control unit 5 then defines at least one driving dynamics limit value 25 ( Figure 4 The second control unit 5 then provides the defined driving dynamics limit value 25 ( Figure 4 316).

[0063] like Figure 3The trajectory T shown shows that the commercial vehicle 200 is traveling in a straight line and is stable. However, due to the load being loaded at the rear, the commercial vehicle 200 is susceptible to instability in the event of a sudden evasive maneuver characterized by a high steering angle frequency. Depending on the current vehicle speed V, the trailer vehicle 206 may not be able to adequately damp the excitation of the commercial vehicle 200 due to the evasive maneuver and may deviate. The second control unit 5 is configured to determine, based on the determined dynamic characteristics, the current vehicle speed V from which the commercial vehicle 200 becomes unstable in the event of a steering excitation of a typical evasive maneuver. The second control unit 5 sets this speed to the maximum permissible vehicle speed V. 最大 The second control unit 5 defines the maximum steering angle gradient allowed as the driving dynamics limit value 25. , the maximum allowable steering angle frequency 35, the minimum allowable curve radius R 最小 , a maximum permissible vehicle acceleration 37 and a maximum permissible vehicle deceleration 39 are defined as further driving dynamics limit values ​​25. Based on the rolling behavior 38 of the commercial vehicle covered by these dynamic characteristics and on the position of the center of gravity 29, 31 in the vehicle height direction R2, the second control unit 5 also needs to comply with a maximum permissible lateral acceleration 41 of the commercial vehicle 200 as a further driving dynamics limit value 25 in order to prevent the commercial vehicle 200 from rolling over.

[0064] The first control unit 3 is connected to the control system network 7 and is designed to determine the driving dynamics limit value 25 ( Figure 4 As described above, the first control unit 3 is a virtual driver 9, which plans a trajectory T for the commercial vehicle 200 and learns the manipulated variables 11. The commercial vehicle 200 has an environmental sensor 272, which is a radar sensor 274. The radar sensor 274 detects the environment in front of the vehicle and provides the virtual driver 9 with a corresponding environmental signal S E Based on the environmental signal S E , the virtual driver 9 performs trajectory planning 320 (see Figure 4 ), in order to obtain the trajectory T. In the present embodiment, the virtual driver 9 first determines the route that the commercial vehicle 200 is to travel during the trajectory planning 320 .

[0065] Then, the virtual driver 9 obtains the manipulated variables 11 ( Figure 4The first control unit 3 thus learns the manipulated variable 11 that must be provided to the vehicle actuator 254 in order to drive the commercial vehicle 200 along the route covered by the trajectory T. The first control unit 3 thus learns the steering angle δ required when driving on a curve as the manipulated variable 11. When learning 222 the manipulated variable 11, the virtual driver 9 uses the driving dynamics limit value 25. The manipulated variable 11 is selected in this case such that neither the manipulated variable 11 nor the vehicle behavior of the commercial vehicle 200 caused by the manipulated variable 11 violates the driving dynamics limit value 25. For example, the first control unit 3 confirms the speed manipulated variable 43 learned for driving along the path for the motor control unit of the motor (not shown in the figure) so that the maximum permissible vehicle speed V is not exceeded when driving along the trajectory T. 最大 .

[0066] Immediately after the determination 22 , the first control unit 3 provides the manipulated variable 11 to the actuator interface 13 ( Figure 4 324 is provided in the vehicle network). In this embodiment, the actuator interface 13 is connected to the vehicle network 258, so that the manipulated variable 11 is provided on the vehicle network 258. The vehicle actuator 254 obtains the manipulated variable 11 from the vehicle network 258 and controls the commercial vehicle 200 according to the manipulated variable 11 ( Figure 4 Therefore, the steering control unit 240 obtains the steering angle δ or the manipulated variable signal representing the steering angle δ from the vehicle network 258 as the manipulated variable 11. The steering control unit 240 processes the manipulated variable 11 and regulates the corresponding actuating current to the actuating motor 242, which then causes the front wheels 226 to turn according to the steering angle δ.

[0067] It should be understood that the trajectory T in the present embodiment includes not only the route but also driving dynamics parameters and / or manipulated variables 11 characterizing the driving dynamics parameters. In contrast, when the vehicle control system 1 provides a driver assistance function, trajectory planning 320 is not required. Therefore, when the vehicle control system 1 is an adaptive cruise control system that only regulates the vehicle speed V of the commercial vehicle 200, the manipulated variables 11 can preferably also be known without planning a route. In this case, when the prescribed minimum distance to the vehicle traveling ahead is below, the first control unit 3 can, for example, provide the manipulated variables 11 for the brake system 214 to the actuator interface 13.

[0068] The second control unit 5 is designed to monitor the signal S on the vehicle network 258, the trailer network 260 and the dedicated network 256. During this monitoring 328 of the signal S, the second control unit 5 detects a change 330 in the characteristics 15, 21 on which the driving dynamics limit value 25 is based. Figure 4312 , in order to ascertain the dynamic characteristics of the current vehicle configuration 17 which has now been modified. Using the newly ascertained dynamic characteristics, the second control unit 5 adjusts the driving dynamics limit value 25 and again makes it available on the control system network 7 so that the virtual driver 9 can take the adjusted driving dynamics limit value 25 into account when performing trajectory planning 320 . In the present case, monitoring 328 ensures that the latest driving dynamics limit value 25 is always available to the virtual driver 9 .

[0069] The virtual driver 9 provides the trajectory T ( Figure 4 The second control unit 5 receives the trajectory T from the control system network 7 and learns whether the trajectory T violates any of the driving dynamics boundary values ​​25 defined by the second control unit 5 ( Figure 4 If the trajectory T including the vehicle speed V planned by the virtual driver 9 due to an error is greater than the permissible maximum vehicle speed V defined by the second control unit 5 as the driving dynamics limit value 25, 最大 , the second control unit 5 is informed of this situation. In this case, the trajectory T violates the driving dynamics boundary value 25, and there is a risk of the commercial vehicle 200 becoming unstable. However, since the second control unit 5 recognizes that the trajectory T violates the driving dynamics boundary value 25, appropriate countermeasures can be taken. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the second control unit 5 is configured to prompt the virtual driver 9 to perform trajectory planning 320 again using the driving dynamics boundary value 25. Therefore, in addition to limiting the boundary value, the second control unit 5 also assumes an additional safety function in the following way, that is, before the wrong trajectory T occurs, the violation of the driving dynamics boundary value 25 caused by the wrong trajectory is known.

[0070] The second control unit 5 is also designed to detect violations of the driving dynamics limit value 25 that occur during the operation of the commercial vehicle 200. To this end, the second control unit 5 receives a signal S ( Figure 4 In the present embodiment, the brake signal S provided on the brake system network 221 is B The wheel speed signal S represents the rotation speed of the front wheels 226 of the towing vehicle 204. RPMThe second control unit 5 receives the wheel speed signal S from the brake system network 221 RPM , and thereby the current vehicle speed V is known. Therefore, here, the signal S representing the actual driving state 45 of the commercial vehicle 200 is the wheel speed signal S RPM However, in other embodiments, the vehicle speed V can also be provided directly on one of the networks 256, 258 and 260 connected to the second control unit 5. The second control unit 5 then learns whether the current vehicle speed V violates the permissible maximum vehicle speed V defined as the driving dynamics limit value 25. 最大 .exist Figure 4 In the embodiment, this step of vehicle control method 300 is described as determining 338 whether at least one driving dynamics limit value 25 is violated in the actual driving state 45. In the present exemplary embodiment, if the current vehicle speed V is greater than the permissible maximum vehicle speed V 最大 , then there is a violation of the driving dynamics limit value 25.

[0071] Signal S representing actual driving state 45 of commercial vehicle 200 also includes stability control signal S of stability control system 276. SC , which stability control signals represent, for example, the yaw rate, the steering angle and / or the lateral acceleration of the commercial vehicle 200. The second control unit 5 is based on the stability control signal S SC It is determined whether a further driving dynamics limit value 25 is violated in actual driving state 45. This is the case, for example, when a steering angle δ of commercial vehicle 200 violates a maximum permissible steering angle of commercial vehicle 200 defined as driving dynamics limit value 25 or would result in a lateral acceleration of commercial vehicle 200 violating driving dynamics limit value 25.

[0072] If one or more driving dynamics limit values ​​25 are violated in the actual driving state 45, the second control unit 5 outputs a warning signal 47 ( Figure 4336 in the output). The warning signal 47 is hereby outputted by the second control unit 5 not only on the control system network 7 but also on the human-machine interface 49 of the vehicle control system 1. Therefore, the virtual driver 9 can receive the warning signal 47 from the control system network 7 and re-execute the trajectory planning 320 or adjust at least one manipulated variable 11 corresponding to the violated driving dynamics boundary value 25. In addition, the warning signal 47 provided to the human-machine interface 49 of the vehicle control system 1 can also be perceived by the human driver or passenger of the commercial vehicle 200. The human-machine interface 49 is preferably a warning light 51, which lights up if the driving dynamics boundary value 25 is violated in the real driving state 45. This makes it possible for the human driver or passenger to take over the control of the commercial vehicle 200 from the virtual driver 9 when the driving dynamics boundary value 25 is exceeded in the real driving state 45 and the virtual driver 9 has not adjusted the trajectory T or the manipulated variable 11.

[0073] The commercial vehicle 200 also has a stability control system 276. The stability control system 276 is a conventional electronic stability control 278 (Electronic Stability Control, abbreviated: ESC), which is also called Elektronische Stabilitätskontrolle in German. However, in other designs, the stability control system 276 can also be an anti-lock braking system or a traction control system. ESC 278 monitors the actual driving state 45 of the commercial vehicle 200 and performs stabilization intervention in extreme cases. The intervention threshold of ESC 278 is selected to be high, so that ESC 278 only intervenes reactively when the commercial vehicle 200 is seriously unstable. For this purpose, ESC 278 provides an ESC signal S on the vehicle network 258. ESC The ESC signal is then used by the vehicle actuator 254 to stabilize the commercial vehicle 200. The second control unit 5 is configured to detect the ESC signal S ESC , and use the ESC signal S ESC In such cases, ESC 278 is identified and intervention is carried out. Figure 4 In the example, this aspect is shown as detection 342 of an intervention in stability control system 276 , which can be performed independently of the remaining steps of vehicle control method 1 . Based on the detection of ESC 278 or the detection of ESC signal S ESC, the second control unit 5 can infer the dynamic limit of the commercial vehicle 200 that caused the ESC 278 to intervene. For example, the second control unit 5 can be aware of the steering excitation (or the associated steering angle frequency) that caused the commercial vehicle 200 to be overcontrolled and / or of the braking intervention on the rear axle 230 of the commercial vehicle 200. The second control unit 5 uses the result of the inference 344 when defining 314 the driving dynamics limit value 25. Therefore, the second control unit 5 limits the maximum permissible steering angle frequency 35 to at least less than the steering angle frequency that caused the overcontrol.

[0074] List of reference numerals (part of the description):

[0075] 1 Vehicle Control System

[0076] 3. First control unit

[0077] 5 Second control unit

[0078] 7 Control system network

[0079] 9 Virtual Driver

[0080] 11 Manipulated variables

[0081] 13 Actuator interface

[0082] 15 Geometric features

[0083] 17 Current vehicle configuration

[0084] 19 Lifting state

[0085] 21 Load characteristics

[0086] 23 Axle load

[0087] 25 Driving dynamics limit values

[0088] 27 Mass distribution

[0089] 29 First Center of Mass

[0090] 31 Second Center of Gravity

[0091] 33 unique vehicle types

[0092] 34 Current friction value

[0093] 35 Maximum allowed steering angle frequency

[0094] 37 Maximum permitted vehicle acceleration

[0095] 38 Shaking behavior

[0096] 39 Maximum permitted vehicle deceleration

[0097] 41 Maximum permissible lateral acceleration

[0098] 43 Speed ​​manipulated variable

[0099] 45 Real driving status

[0100] 47 warning signs

[0101] 49 Human Machine Interface

[0102] 51 Warning lights

[0103] 200 Vehicles; Commercial vehicles

[0104] 202 Trailer Group

[0105] 204 Towing vehicle

[0106] 206 Trailer Vehicles

[0107] 208 Tow bar

[0108] 210 Coupling point

[0109] 212 Vehicle Subsystems

[0110] 214 Braking system

[0111] 216 Towing vehicle braking system

[0112] 218 Trailer Vehicle Braking System

[0113] 220 Brake control unit

[0114] 221 Braking system network

[0115] 222 Brake modulator

[0116] 224 Brake Cylinder

[0117] 226 Front wheel

[0118] 228 Front axle

[0119] 229 rear wheel

[0120] 230 rear axle

[0121] 231 Trailer brake modulator

[0122] 232 Lifting Axle

[0123] 233 Trailer brake control unit

[0124] 234 trailer wheels

[0125] 235 Trailer Axle

[0126] 236 Steering system

[0127] 237 Trailer Braking System Network

[0128] 238 Electronically controlled steering system

[0129] 240 Steering control unit

[0130] 241 Steering System Network

[0131] 242 Actuator Motor

[0132] 244 Electronically controlled air spring system

[0133] 246 Air spring control unit

[0134] 248 Air Spring

[0135] 250 Pressure Sensor

[0136] 252 Spring System Network

[0137] 254 Vehicle Actuator

[0138] 256 Private Network

[0139] 258 Vehicle Network

[0140] 260 Trailer Network

[0141] 262 Main control unit

[0142] 264 First Load

[0143] 266 First loading surface

[0144] 268 Second Load

[0145] 270 Second loading surface

[0146] 271 Lane

[0147] 272 Environmental Sensors

[0148] 274 Radar Sensor

[0149] 276 Stability Control System

[0150] 278 ESC

[0151] 300 Vehicle Control Method

[0152] 302 Provide signal

[0153] 304 Get the geometric features

[0154] 306 Obtaining Load Characteristics

[0155] 308 Approximate mass distribution

[0156] 310 Generate a unique vehicle model

[0157] 312 Predicting Dynamic Characteristics

[0158] 313 Approximately calculate the current friction value

[0159] 314 Define at least one driving dynamics limit value

[0160] 316 Provide driving dynamics boundary values

[0161] 318 Driving dynamics limit value determined by first control unit

[0162] 320 Trajectory Planning

[0163] 322 At least one manipulated variable is known

[0164] 324 Provide manipulated variables to the actuator interface

[0165] 326 Controlling a Commercial Vehicle Based on Manipulated Variables

[0166] 328 Monitoring Signal

[0167] 330 Change characteristics

[0168] 332 Provides traces on the control system network

[0169] 334 Determine whether the trajectory violates the driving dynamics boundary value

[0170] 336 Receive data representing the actual driving status

[0171] 338 Detection of driving dynamics limit value violation

[0172] 340 Output warning signal

[0173] 342 Identification

[0174] 344 Inferred dynamic limits

[0175] F B Braking force

[0176] L 11 Bridge distance

[0177] L 12 Lifting axle distance

[0178] L 13Coupling distance

[0179] L 21 Drawbar length

[0180] L 22 Trailer wheelbase

[0181] m1 first mass

[0182] m2 Second mass

[0183] p AS Air spring pressure

[0184] p B Brake pressure

[0185] p BT Trailer brake pressure

[0186] R 最小 Minimum turning radius allowed

[0187] R1 Vehicle longitudinal direction

[0188] R2 Vehicle height direction

[0189] S signal

[0190] S AS Spring pressure signal

[0191] S B Brake signal

[0192] S E Environmental Signals

[0193] S ESC ESC signal

[0194] S L Axle load signal

[0195] S S Turn Signal

[0196] S SC Stability adjustment signal

[0197] S T Trailer signal

[0198] S V Vehicle signal

[0199] S W Weather Signals

[0200] T track

[0201] V Current vehicle speed

[0202] V最大 Maximum permitted vehicle speed

[0203] δ Steering angle

[0204] Maximum allowed steering angle gradient

Claims

1. A vehicle control system (1) for a vehicle (200), wherein: The vehicle (200) has a vehicle network (258) and at least one private network (256), The vehicle control system (1) comprises: a first control unit (3) which is designed to determine at least one manipulated variable (11) of a vehicle actuator (254) of the vehicle (200) and to output it to an actuator interface (13), a second control unit (5), which is connectable to the vehicle network (258) and the dedicated network (256) for receiving a signal (S) comprising two or more geometric characteristics (15) and two or more load characteristics (21) of a current vehicle configuration (17) of the vehicle (200), and a control system network (7) connecting the first control unit (3) and the second control unit (5), wherein the second control unit (5) is designed to define a driving dynamics limit value (25) of a current vehicle configuration (17) using the two or more geometric characteristics (15) and the two or more load characteristics (21) and to provide the driving dynamics limit value (25) on the control system network (7), Therein, the first control unit (3) is designed to determine the manipulated variable (11) using the driving dynamics limit value (25).

2. The vehicle control system (1) according to claim 1, wherein: The second control unit (5) is further configured to predict a dynamic behavior of a current vehicle configuration (17) using the two or more geometric characteristics (15) and the two or more load characteristics (21) and to define at least one driving dynamics limit value (25) based on the predicted dynamic behavior.

3. The vehicle control system (1) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: The driving dynamics limit value (25) is a maximum permissible vehicle speed (V 最大 ), maximum permissible lateral acceleration (41), maximum permissible vehicle acceleration (37), maximum permissible vehicle deceleration (39), maximum permissible steering angle gradient ( ), the maximum allowable steering angle frequency (35) or the minimum allowable turning radius (R 最小 ).

4. The vehicle control system (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein: The second control unit (5) is designed to detect a change in a characteristic (15, 21) on the basis of which at least one driving dynamics limit value (25) is defined for the signal (S) and to adjust the driving dynamics limit value (25) as a function of the change.

5. The vehicle control system (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein: The first control unit (3) is a virtual driver (9) for autonomously controlling a vehicle (200), wherein the virtual driver is configured to plan a trajectory (T) for achieving a driving task of the vehicle (200).

6. The vehicle control system (1) according to claim 5, wherein: The first control unit (3) is designed to provide the trajectory (T) on the control system network (7), wherein the second control unit (5) is designed to determine whether the trajectory (T) violates the driving dynamics limit value (25).

7. The vehicle control system (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein: The geometrical characteristics (15) include at least the number of axles (228, 230, 232, 235) of the vehicle (200) and the axle distances (L) between the axles (228, 230, 232, 235) of the vehicle (200). 11 , L 12 ).

8. The vehicle control system (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein: The second control unit (5) is designed to receive a signal (S) representing a real driving state (45) of the vehicle (200) and to determine whether at least one driving dynamics limit value (25) is violated in the real driving state (45).

9. The vehicle control system (1) according to claim 8, wherein: The second control unit (5) is also designed to provide a warning signal (47) if the driving dynamics limit value (25) is violated.

10. The vehicle control system (1) according to claim 9, further comprising a human-machine interface (49) for outputting the provided warning signal (47).

11. The vehicle control system according to claim 9 or 10, wherein: The second control unit (5) is designed to provide the warning signal (47) on the control system network (7).

12. The vehicle control system (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein: The dedicated network (7) is a brake system network (221).

13. The vehicle control system (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein: The second control unit (5) is designed to detect interventions of a stability control system (276) during operation of the vehicle (200) and to limit the driving dynamics limit value (25) using dynamic limitations of the vehicle (200) that can be inferred from the interventions of the stability control system (276).

14. The vehicle control system (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein: The second control unit (5) is designed to approximately calculate a current friction value (34) of the vehicle (200) and to define the driving dynamics limit value (25) using the current friction value (34).

15. The vehicle control system (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein: The second control unit (5) is designed to determine the height (H1) of the center of gravity of the vehicle (200) by taking into account a signal representing the rolling behavior (38) of the vehicle (200) and to define the driving dynamics limit value (25) by using the determined height (H1) of the center of gravity.

16. The vehicle control system (1) according to any one of claims 1 to 15, wherein: The vehicle (200) is a tow vehicle group (202) having a tractor vehicle (204) and at least one trailer vehicle (206), and wherein the second control unit (5) is connectable to a trailer network (260) of the vehicle (200) for receiving a trailer signal (S) including geometric characteristics (15) and / or load characteristics (21) of a current vehicle configuration (17) of the vehicle (200). T ).

17. A vehicle (200) having one or more vehicle actuators (254), a vehicle network (258), a dedicated network (256) and a vehicle control system (1) according to any one of the preceding claims 1 to 16.

18. A vehicle control method (300) for controlling a vehicle (200), the vehicle control method comprising the following steps: - providing (302) a signal (S) comprising two or more geometric characteristics (15) and two or more load characteristics (21) of a current vehicle configuration (17) of the vehicle (200) over a vehicle network (258) and / or a dedicated network (256); - defining (314) at least one driving dynamics limit value (25) for the vehicle (200) by means of a second control unit (5) using the two or more geometric characteristics (15) and the two or more load characteristics (21); - providing (316) the at least one driving dynamics limit value (25) on a control system network (7) which connects at least the second control unit (5) and the first control unit (3); - determining (318) the driving dynamics limit value (25) provided on the control system network (7) via the first control unit (3); and - determining (322) a manipulated variable (11) of a vehicle actuator (254) of the vehicle (200) by means of the first control unit (3) using the driving dynamics limit value (25).

19. The vehicle control method (300) according to claim 18, wherein: Defining (314) at least one driving dynamics limit value (25) for the vehicle (200) by the second control unit (5) using the two or more geometric characteristics (15) and the two or more load characteristics (21) comprises: - predicting (312) by the second control unit (5) a dynamic behavior of the current vehicle configuration (17) using the two or more geometric characteristics (15) and the two or more load characteristics (21); and - defining (314) the at least one driving dynamics limit value (25) by the second control unit (5) based on the predicted driving dynamics.

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