Vehicle with rollover angle prediction on uneven surfaces

Abstract

A vehicle with rollover angle prediction on an uneven surface is provided. A vehicle, system, and method include receiving suspension data indicative of a current state of a suspension of the vehicle, and estimating, by at least one processor, a height of a current center of gravity of the vehicle using at least the suspension data. The method then determines, by at least one processor, a rollover limit angle prediction using the height of the current center of gravity. The method further includes performing, by the at least one processor, an action attempting to avoid rollover of the vehicle based on the rollover limit angle prediction.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to vehicles with off-road driving features, and more specifically, to automatic rollover prediction for driving on uneven, rough surfaces. Background Technology

[0002] When vehicles are driven off-road, they are often intentionally driven on uneven, rocky, or steeply angled dirt and unpaved trails. When one side of the vehicle traverses an obstacle (such as a boulder) that is much higher than the other side, or when driven on a severely inclined trail, the vehicle may travel at a banked angle. When this banked angle is too large for the vehicle, it may roll over or overturn completely. Therefore, automatic and accurate rollover angle prediction is needed to notify the driver before a rollover occurs. Summary of the Invention

[0003] In an example implementation, one method includes: receiving suspension data indicating the current state of a vehicle's suspension, and having at least one processor estimate the height of the vehicle's current center of gravity using at least the suspension data. The method then uses the height of the current center of gravity to determine a predicted rollover limit angle by the at least one processor. The method also includes having at least one processor perform actions to attempt to avoid vehicle rollover based on the predicted rollover limit angle.

[0004] In addition, according to another example implementation, the action includes displaying an alarm on the vehicle.

[0005] In addition, according to another example implementation, the action includes displaying the vehicle's current tilt angle and a predicted rollover limit angle.

[0006] In another example implementation, the method includes receiving data on the current absolute lateral angle, which indicates the vehicle's tilt state and is used to generate the current center of gravity height.

[0007] Furthermore, according to another example implementation, the method includes determining the corner load of each wheel of the vehicle, and includes suspension deflection and suspension stiffness indicating wheel height using suspension data.

[0008] In another example implementation, the method includes using corner loads to generate the vehicle weight and the height of the vehicle's current center of gravity.

[0009] In addition, according to another example implementation, the current center of gravity height is generated by using corner load, vehicle trajectory width, and vehicle current absolute lateral angle.

[0010] In addition, according to another example implementation, the method includes: generating the height of the center of gravity of the vehicle's sprung mass, including using the vehicle's weight and the weight of the unsprung mass to generate the weight of the sprung mass; and using the height of the center of gravity of the sprung mass to generate a rollover limit angle prediction.

[0011] Furthermore, according to another example implementation, the generation of the height of the center of gravity of the sprung mass includes using the weight of the vehicle, the current height of the center of gravity, the weight of the unsprung mass, and the weight of the sprung mass.

[0012] Furthermore, according to another example implementation, the vehicle includes a chassis and wheels rotatably connected to the chassis, and the wheels are arranged to apply forces to the suspension. The method includes: generating a roll gain indicating the roll between the wheels and the chassis caused by the suspension, and providing the roll gain to determine a predicted rollover limit angle.

[0013] In another example implementation, a system includes: a memory; and processor circuitry forming one or more processors communicatively coupled to the memory, the processors being arranged to operate by: receiving suspension data indicating the current state of the vehicle's suspension; using at least the suspension data to estimate the height of the vehicle's current center of gravity; using the height of the current center of gravity to determine a rollover limit angle prediction; and performing actions to attempt to avoid the vehicle rolling over based on the rollover limit angle prediction.

[0014] In addition, according to another example implementation, the determination includes generating the current roll angle, including suspension deflection using vehicle trajectory width and suspension data.

[0015] In another example implementation, the processor is configured to operate by generating an existing yaw angle, including using the vehicle’s current roll angle and existing absolute lateral angle.

[0016] In another example implementation, the vehicle includes a chassis and wheels rotatably connected to the chassis. The wheels are arranged to apply forces to the suspension, and a processor is arranged to operate by generating a roll gain using the current roll angle and road yaw angle, the roll gain indicating the roll between the wheels and the chassis caused by the suspension. The processor is also arranged to operate by providing the roll gain to determine a predicted rollover limit angle.

[0017] In addition, according to another example implementation, this determination includes using the vehicle's roll center height.

[0018] Furthermore, according to another example implementation, this determination includes the use of a safety factor.

[0019] In another example implementation, a vehicle includes one or more controllers, each controller including: a memory; and processor circuitry communicatively coupled to the memory. The processor operates by: receiving suspension data indicating the current state of the vehicle, and using at least the suspension data to estimate the current height of the vehicle's center of gravity. The processor also operates by: using the current height of the center of gravity to determine a predicted rollover limit angle, and performing actions to attempt to avoid vehicle rollover based on the predicted rollover limit angle.

[0020] In addition, according to another example implementation, the action includes a rollover meter that displays an image of the tilted vehicle at its current tilt angle.

[0021] In addition, according to another example implementation, the action is to display an alarm on the vehicle when the detected current tilt angle is within the predicted angle range of the rollover limit angle.

[0022] In addition, according to another example implementation, the actions include at least one of the following: autonomous steering, autonomous acceleration, and autonomous braking of the vehicle to avoid rollover. Attached Figure Description

[0023] The present disclosure will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The drawings are not drawn to scale, and the numbers in the drawings denote similar elements, and wherein:

[0024] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of an example vehicle that has a system for predicting vehicle rollover angle according to at least one of the implementation methods described in this paper;

[0025] Figure 2 It is based on at least one of the implementation methods described in this article. Figure 1 A schematic diagram of an example vehicle rollover angle prediction system program;

[0026] Figure 3 This is a flowchart of an example method for predicting the rollover angle of a vehicle based on at least one of the implementation methods described in this paper;

[0027] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the front of a vehicle in the angle setting used to calculate the rollover limit angle prediction according to at least one of the implementation methods in this paper;

[0028] Figure 5 It is based on at least one of the implementation methods described in this article. Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the front of the vehicle in the variable settings used to calculate the rollover limit angle prediction;

[0029] Figure 6 It is based on at least one of the implementation methods in this article. Figure 3The flowchart shows the example vehicle rollover angle prediction algorithm used in the method;

[0030] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of notifying the driver of a vehicle of its rollover angle according to at least one of the implementation methods described in this article;

[0031] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram showing another example of notifying the driver of a vehicle of its rollover angle according to at least one of the implementation methods described in this article;

[0032] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram showing yet another example of a vehicle's rollover angle being communicated to the driver of a vehicle, based on at least one of the implementation methods described in this article.

[0033] Figure 10 This is a schematic diagram showing yet another example of a vehicle's rollover angle being communicated to the driver of a vehicle, based on at least one of the implementation methods described in this article.

[0034] Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram showing yet another example of a vehicle's rollover angle being communicated to the driver of a vehicle, based on at least one of the implementations described herein. Detailed Implementation

[0035] The following detailed description presents only illustrative implementations and is not intended to limit this disclosure or its application and use. Furthermore, it is not intended to be bound by the foregoing background technology or any theories set forth in the following detailed description.

[0036] During off-road driving, a vehicle may roll over when its center of gravity shifts outside the wheel track due to lateral tilting and moves from the left to the right side. The rollover limit angle is difficult to predict because it varies based on factors such as: road lateral tilt angle, vehicle roll (or current lateral tilt) angle, vehicle center of gravity (CG) height, suspension characteristics, cargo load, number of passengers, end-user tire selection, and ride height. The current vehicle roll angle can affect both the height and lateral position of the vehicle's CG.

[0037] To address these issues, it has been found that this vehicle, system, and method accurately predicts the rollover limit angle (also known as a form of maximum road lateral tilt angle). The predicted rollover limit angle enables automated actions to notify the vehicle's driver or occupants to prevent rollover. This can take the form of an instrument display, warning light, and / or other safety information system used to notify the driver of the current vehicle rollover limit angle. For example, such a warning could include automatically filling the roll limit angle value into an onboard inclinometer.

[0038] To generate a prediction of the rollover angle limit, this can involve estimating the center of gravity (CG) for the vehicle's current roll (or yaw) state. In one form, this also involves using wheel position sensors (such as those that measure suspension travel at the suspension) to estimate the precise vehicle roll angle, roll gain, and corner load. The proposed method then uses this information, combined with the absolute lateral angle of the vehicle derived from a measurable inertial measurement unit (IMU), to adaptively predict the rollover limit angle. For clarity, the term 'roll' as used herein refers to a vehicle tilting from one side to the other or being in a yaw position, not a rollover position, which is when the vehicle is overturned or flipped over, making it generally impossible for the vehicle to move using its wheels.

[0039] refer to Figure 1 System 101 includes at least one vehicle 100, each for performing rollover limit angle prediction. In various implementations, according to the example implementation described herein, system 101 follows process 300 ( Figure 3 )as well as Figures 1-2 and Figures 4-11 The subprocesses and their implementations are used to perform these tasks. It should be noted that the terms road, path, or trail, in the general sense herein, refer to any path on which a vehicle will be driven, including unpaved rough roads or trails, dirt paths, or any ground or terrain on which a wheeled off-road vehicle can be driven. By way of one example, the vehicle's wheels are in contact with the ground; however, alternatively, the vehicle may include tracks (such as tracked tracks), as in military tanks or construction vehicles, which have wheels that move or guide the tracks and use suspension systems as described herein.

[0040] In one example form, vehicle 100 includes an automobile. Vehicle 100 can be any of several different types of automobiles, such as, for example, sedans, vans, trucks, jeeps, or sport utility vehicles (SUVs), and can be two-wheel drive (2WD) (i.e., rear-wheel drive or front-wheel drive), four-wheel drive (4WD), or all-wheel drive (AWD), and / or various other types of vehicles in some implementations, such as trucks with more than four wheels. Particularly for off-road applications, this can also include pickup trucks, all-terrain vehicles (ATVs), multi-purpose work vehicles (UTVs), large off-road vehicles, rock crawlers, desert trucks, lift trucks, and the aforementioned vehicles with tracks. In some implementations, vehicle 100 may also include any other motor vehicle with suspension sensors and an inertial measurement unit (IMU) (which can detect the state of the suspension and the absolute angle of the vehicle).

[0041] In some implementations, vehicle 100 may be operated wholly or partially by a human driver, or alternatively may include an autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicle, where vehicle control (including acceleration, deceleration, braking, and / or steering) is wholly or partially planned and executed automatically by the control system 102 of vehicle 100. Additionally, vehicle 100 may be operated by a human at some times and by automatic control at other times. Thus, for example, vehicle 100 includes one or more functions that can be automatically controlled via control system 102 to provide driver assistance features.

[0042] Specifically, as described in further detail below, in various implementations, vehicle 100 has a controller 140 (or computer system) having processor circuitry forming at least one processor 142 and a memory 144 storing a program 150 including software and / or firmware for a rollover limit angle prediction system and alarms as described in detail below.

[0043] Furthermore, the example vehicle 100 includes a body 104 disposed on a chassis 117 and having a longitudinal central axis 116. The body 104 substantially surrounds the other components of the vehicle 100. The body 104 and the chassis 117 may together form a frame. The vehicle 100 also includes a plurality of wheels, including a left front wheel 111, a right front wheel 112, a right rear wheel 113, and a left rear wheel 114, wherein the right and left are from the driver's viewpoint. The wheels 111-114 are each rotatably coupled to the chassis 117 near a corresponding corner of the body 104 to facilitate movement of the vehicle 100.

[0044] The drive system 110 is mounted on the chassis 117 and drives wheels 111, 112, 113 and / or 114, for example, via the front axle 118 and the rear axle 115, respectively. The lateral wheelbase T is defined from the right-side wheels 112 and 113 on one side to the left-side wheels 111 and 114 on the other side (see...). Figure 4 (Where left and right are relative to the driver's viewpoint). As an example, the wheelbase T can be the distance from the center to the center of the left and right tires. The drive system 110 preferably has a propulsion system. In some example implementations, the drive system 110 has an internal combustion engine and / or an electric motor / generator coupled to its transmission. In some implementations, the drive system 110 can vary, and / or two or more drive systems 110 can be used. For example, the vehicle 100 can also incorporate any one or a combination of several different types of propulsion systems, such as a combustion engine fueled by gasoline or diesel, a "flexible fuel vehicle" (FFV) engine (i.e., using a mixture of gasoline and alcohol), an engine fueled by gaseous compounds (e.g., hydrogen and / or natural gas), a combustion / electric motor hybrid engine, and an electric motor.

[0045] In some forms, vehicle 100 also includes braking system 106 and steering system 108, which in various implementations has steering wheel 109 and other components and can be manually or autonomously controlled by the driver.

[0046] In one manner, control system 102 is coupled to braking system 106, steering system 108, and drive system 110. In various implementations, control system 102 at least facilitates the generation and processing of observational or perceptual data from camera images or detected by other sensors for vehicle 100 and / or other vehicles. Additionally, in some implementations where vehicle 100 is an autonomous or semi-autonomous vehicle, control system 102, in certain circumstances, also provides control over automatic characteristics of vehicle 100 (including automatic operation of braking system 106, steering system 108, and / or drive system 110), including the use of one or more models trained using perceptual data.

[0047] like Figure 1 As depicted, in various implementations, the control system 102 includes a sensor array 120, a display 124, a transceiver 126, and a controller 140. By way of one example, the sensor array 120 acquires sensor data for generating observational or sensing data. In various implementations, the sensor array 120 includes one or more cameras (or camera units) 130, such as video cameras and / or still image cameras. Furthermore, in some examples, the sensor array 120 may also include one or more other detection sensors 132 (e.g., radar, sonar, light detection and ranging (LIDAR), infrared, etc.) and / or other sensors 134 (e.g., vehicle position sensors, speed sensors, accelerometers, gyroscopes, inertial sensors, brake sensors, steering sensors, suspension sensors, etc.). Relatedly, the suspension sensor 134 used herein may be a suspension height sensor or a rotational position sensor with a link connected to the suspension system.

[0048] In one example configuration, each wheel 111-114 has a suspension system (or collectively referred to as suspension) 170, which includes suspension components (or suspension only) that dampen impact loads from the wheel, such as cylinders, pistons, springs, hydraulic devices, etc. This can include any suitable suspension, as long as wheel travel sensors can be used to determine the wheel's position (e.g., the wheel's height relative to the chassis). This can include MacPherson strut suspension, double wishbone suspension, leaf spring suspension, multi-link suspension, air suspension, coil spring suspension, torsion beam suspension, solid axle suspension, active and adaptive suspension, and air-drive suspension. The suspension system 170 may also each have one or more suspension height sensors 134 that indicate changes in suspension height as the suspension expands or contracts due to changes in the slope of the road or trail. Therefore, this can in turn indicate the corresponding change in height of any individual wheel 111-114 relative to the chassis 117 and the other wheels 111-114, and thus indicate the slope change or tilt height from one wheel to another.

[0049] In various implementations, sensor 132 and / or other sensors 134 acquire additional information about the operation of the lane and / or the vehicle 100 itself (e.g., its position, speed, deceleration, and / or acceleration, etc.) for use, for example, in operating the vehicle 100 based on autonomous operation of the vehicle 100 and / or some of its components. This can include radar sensors, ultrasonic and other types of sensors, as well as an inertial measurement unit (IMU) that can detect the vehicle's motion and orientation, such as pitch angles and absolute lateral or roll angles. The IMU, combined with suspension measurements, can be used to determine the vehicle's current tilt, which is used to calculate a rollover limit angle prediction. However, as an alternative, as an addition to or replacement of a separate IMU, a camera-based system can be used to detect the tilt of the lane or path in which the wheels are located or being driven. In these cases, the camera can be positioned inside the wheel well or under the vehicle and facing the ground adjacent to the wheels.

[0050] In these various camera-assisted implementations, the camera 130 used to acquire images of road observation or perception data can include front, rear, side, and / or surround-view cameras, including wide-angle, 360-degree, and / or fisheye lenses, as well as monocular, stereo, infrared, time-of-flight, thermal, and LiDAR cameras. These cameras 130 can capture images that are subsequently processed by an object detection algorithm, which can be used to detect and measure the lane or path on which the vehicle 100 operates, and is capable of detecting the shape and size (e.g., dimensions) of the path surface (including boulders, rocks, and other non-flat objects on or near the lane, as well as other objects). Such imaging systems can also measure distances from the vehicle 100 to the path surface and other objects on the path on which it is driving. In various implementations, video camera images are acquired. Additionally or alternatively, still camera images can be acquired.

[0051] By way of some examples, the images captured by camera 130 are analyzed by one or more processors 142 to perform object detection and recognition algorithms, such as those based on any one or more of the following algorithms: machine learning, neural networks, convolutional neural networks (CNN), region-based convolutional neural networks (R-CNN), recurrent neural networks (RNN), masked R-CNN, You Only Look Once (YOLO), single-shot multi-box detector (SSD), semantic segmentation (e.g., such as fully convolutional networks (FCN) and U-Net), Haar cascade (Viola-Jones (VJ) detector), histogram of oriented gradients (HOG), MOG (Gaussian mixture model) background subtraction, scale-invariant feature transform (SIFT), accelerated robust feature transformation (SURF), template matching, DPM (deformable part model), GMM (Gaussian mixture model) background subtraction, LDA (linear discriminant analysis), and / or many other algorithms.

[0052] In this example, vehicle 100 also includes a transceiver 126 for communicating with remote systems, servers, devices, modules, or units. Therefore, any part or component (or unit) of the control system 102 and / or controller 140 that performs processing related to any operations described herein concerning rollover limit angle prediction can be performed remotely when needed. Specifically, in various implementations, controller 140 (and in some implementations, control system 102 itself) is housed within the body 104 of vehicle 100. In one implementation, control system 102 is mounted on chassis 117. In some implementations, controller 140 and / or control system 102 and / or one or more components thereof can be located outside the body 104, for example, on a remote server, in the cloud, or in other devices where image processing is performed remotely. It will be understood that control system 102 and / or controller 140 can otherwise differ from... Figure 1 The implementation described herein. For example, controller 140 may be coupled to or otherwise utilize one or more remote computer systems and / or other control systems, for example as part of one or more of the equipment and systems of vehicle 100 described above.

[0053] Furthermore, the control system 102 may have a display on the vehicle 100 that can provide messages to the occupants of the vehicle 100, such as warnings when the vehicle tilts or veers towards the rollover limit angle. The display 124 may be any display capable of providing a screen for occupants or users in the vehicle to view images on the display. Such displays may be digital displays, graphical user interfaces (GUIs), LED displays, plasma displays, LCD displays, organic light-emitting diode (OLED) displays, thin-film transistor (TFT) displays, head-up displays (HUDs), 3D displays, holographic displays, virtual or augmented reality displays, etc.

[0054] In various implementations, controller 140 is coupled to sensor array 120, as well as braking system 106, steering system 108, and drive system 110. In various implementations, controller 140 is also coupled to display 124 and transceiver 126.

[0055] In various implementations, controller 140 has a computer system or computer system and includes processor 142, memory 144, interface 146, storage device 148, and computer bus 149. In various implementations, controller (or computer system) 140 obtains sensor data from sensor array 120, and in some implementations obtains additional data via transceiver 126. In various implementations, controller 140 processes suspension data, IMU data, and, when provided with perception data, images of the lane or path ahead on the expected path of vehicle 100. In various implementations, controller 140... Figures 2-11 The process and implementation described herein will be used to provide these and other functions as further described below.

[0056] In the depicted implementation, controller 140 (or computer system) includes processor 142 for performing computational and control functions of controller 140, and may include circuitry or circuitry forming any type of processor or multiple processors, including a single integrated circuit such as a microprocessor, or any suitable number of integrated circuit devices and / or circuit boards that work together to perform the functions of a processing unit. This may include a system-on-a-chip (SOC) and one or more processor cores. During operation, processor 142 executes one or more programs 150 contained in memory 144, and thus controls the general operation of controller 140 and the computer system of controller 140, typically while performing the processes described herein, such as... Figures 2-11 The process and implementation described herein, and further described below.

[0057] Memory 144 can be any suitable type of memory. For example, memory 144 can include various types of dynamic random access memory (DRAM) (such as SDRAM), various types of static RAM (SRAM), and various types of non-volatile memory (PROM, EPROM, and flash memory). In some examples, memory 144 is located on and / or co-located with processor 142 on the same computer chip. In the depicted implementation, memory 144 stores the aforementioned program 150, as well as one or more databases 155 for storing map and perception data, and other stored values ​​156. As further described below, memory 144 may also store thresholds to be used for predicting rollover limit angles.

[0058] Bus 149 is used to transmit programs, data, status, and other information or signals between various components of the computer system of controller 140. Interface 146 allows communication, for example, from system drivers and / or another computer system to the computer system of controller 140, and can be implemented using any suitable methods and means. In one implementation, interface 146 obtains various data from sensor array 120 and / or navigation system 122. Interface 146 may include one or more network interfaces for communicating with other systems or components.

[0059] Storage device 148 can be any suitable type of storage device, including various types of direct-access memory and / or other memory devices. In one example implementation, storage device 148 includes a program product from which memory 144 can receive program 150, which executes. Figure 3 One or more of the processes and implementations are described below in conjunction with them. In another example implementation, the program product may be stored directly in memory 144 and / or secondary storage devices (e.g., disk 157) and / or otherwise accessed by memory 144 and / or secondary storage devices, as referenced below.

[0060] Bus 149 can be any suitable physical or logical arrangement for connecting computer systems and components. This includes, but is not limited to, direct hardwired connections, fiber optic, infrared, and wireless bus technologies. During operation, program 150 is stored in memory 144 and executed by processor 142.

[0061] It will be understood that although this example implementation is described in the context of a full-featured computer system, those skilled in the art will recognize that the mechanisms of this disclosure can be distributed as program products in which one or more types of non-transitory computer-readable signal-bearing media are used to store the program and its instructions and to perform its distribution, such as non-transitory computer-readable media carrying the program and containing computer instructions stored therein for causing a computer processor (such as processor 142) to execute and run the program. Such program products can take various forms, and this disclosure applies equally regardless of the specific type of computer-readable signal-bearing medium used for distribution. Examples of signal-bearing media include recordable media such as floppy disks, hard disks, memory cards, and optical disks, and transmission media such as digital and analog communication links. It will be understood that cloud-based storage and / or other technologies may also be utilized in some implementations. Similarly, it will be understood that the computer system of controller 140 may otherwise differ from... Figure 1The implementation described herein, for example, may involve the computer system of controller 140 being coupled to or otherwise utilizing one or more remote computer systems and / or other control systems.

[0062] refer to Figure 2 The rollover limit angle prediction (RLAP) system 200 can be a program 150 having units (also called modules or components) that can be formed by any combination of software and / or firmware, operated by a processor 142 formed by the aforementioned hardware circuitry. The hardware circuitry can be shared hardware such as having a central processing unit (CPU), a digital signal processor (DSP), etc. Alternatively, dedicated or function-specific processors can be provided, operating, for example, neural networks, machine learning, and other architectures for image processing, such as utilizing a graphics processing unit (GPU) or an image signal processor (ISP).

[0063] In this example, the RLAP system 200 includes an activation unit 202, a suspension deflection unit 204, an IMU unit 206, a corner load & center of gravity height estimation unit 208, an existing roll and yaw angle unit 210, and a rollover limit angle unit 618 (also in...). Figure 6 (as shown in the image) and rollover alarm unit 620 (as shown in the image) Figure 6 (As shown). Additionally, other sub-components and those in process 600 ( Figure 6 (and is correspondingly numbered) is the same, and is like process 300 ( Figure 3 As explained in the previous text. Therefore, the corner load & CG height estimation unit 208 may have a load estimation unit 602, a vehicle weight unit 606, a CG height estimation unit 608, a sprung mass weight unit 610, and a sprung CG height estimation unit 612. The existing roll and yaw angle unit 210 may have a roll angle unit 604, an existing road yaw angle unit 614, and a roll gain unit 616.

[0064] In operation, the corner load and CG height estimation unit 208 receives suspension deflection from the suspension deflection unit 204 and the vehicle's current absolute lateral angle from the IMU unit 206 (although, by one possible option, the absolute lateral angle may additionally or alternatively be generated using the aforementioned camera through image processing). The corner load and CG height estimation unit 208 also receives known vehicle / suspension parameters 216, including suspension stiffness, vehicle unsprung mass, vehicle track width, and unsprung CG height. The corner load and CG height estimation unit 208 uses these variables to generate the vehicle's CG height and sprung mass 220. The existing roll and yaw angle unit 210 also receives suspension deflection and absolute angle, as well as vehicle parameters 218 including the vehicle track width. The existing roll and yaw angle unit 210 then generates a roll gain (referred to as existing roll and road yaw) 222, which includes the additional vehicle rotation (or roll angle) caused by the suspension and explained below. The rollover limit angle unit 618 receives known vehicle parameters 224, such as roll center height and safety factor, as well as roll gain 222, vehicle CG height, and sprung mass 220, and then generates a rollover limit angle (or maximum road lateral angle) 226. The rollover limit angle 226 can then be displayed to the driver by the rollover alarm unit 620, or the unit 620 can take other automatic actions based on how close the rollover limit angle is to the actual tilt angle of the vehicle. The operation of these units and the factors and variables mentioned are described in detail below in conjunction with processes 300 and 600.

[0065] refer to Figure 3 According to at least one of the implementation methods described herein, a process 300 for generating a rollover limit angle prediction is provided. Process 300 is described using operations 302-322, which are generally uniformly numbered. Where relevant, reference may be made to... Figures 1-2 and Figures 6-11 Systems, processes, vehicles, equipment, vehicle displays, and components.

[0066] Process 300 may include "activating the rollover limit angle prediction system" 302. In one form, process 300 operates the RLAP system 200, and the RLAP system 200 is automatically activated once the vehicle is started. Alternatively, the driver can manually activate the RLAP system 200 by touching an activator in the vehicle (such as a physical switch, button, or a virtual activator on a graphical user interface (GUI) of a display). Upon receiving an activation signal from any of these events, activation unit 202 may immediately initiate RLAP monitoring and calculation, or the activation may simply wake up activation unit 202 to await additional triggering to begin RLAP calculation. In one example form, immediate monitoring of RLAP can be performed, and RLAP calculation is performed regardless of whether the vehicle is moving. Additionally, RLAP monitoring can be set to begin only when a non-zero minimum tilt of the vehicle is detected. In these cases, monitoring can begin when such tilt orientation is detected from the vehicle's sensors and / or IMU.

[0067] Once the RLAP system 200 is activated, it can perform continuous monitoring, such as calculating a rollover limit angle prediction every 10 milliseconds or at least every 10 milliseconds, and, in another example, every 25 milliseconds. Alternatively, monitoring can be less than 10 milliseconds or at least 25 milliseconds. In other forms, the driver or user can activate the RLAP system only when needed (such as on or entering a steep slope).

[0068] In this example, process 300 may include "detecting the tilted vehicle state" 304, which includes "detecting the absolute lateral angle" 306 performed by IMU unit 206 and "determining the suspension deflection" 308 performed by suspension deflection unit 204. Monitoring the tilted state of the vehicle may be performed by IMU unit 206 and / or camera unit 130 (which may also be an ADAS unit) or both.

[0069] refer to Figure 4 For example, vehicle setup 400 has a front 402 of vehicle 100, shown traveling or parked on an off-road trail or road, and specifically, wherein the left wheel 111 is raised on a boulder 420 on the trail. IMU unit 206 detects the total roll angle or absolute lateral angle α, which includes the current (or existing) trail or road yaw angle θ and the roll angle caused by the suspension. Specifically, the current (or existing) lateral angle θ of the path or road lies between the real horizontal plane (or ground) Hz and the lateral line B extending from the bottom of the wheels 111 and 112 of vehicle 100. Vehicle 100 has local xyz axes as shown, where the Z-axis passes through the vehicle's height dimension and the vehicle's lateral midline. The Z-axis differs from the real vehicle axis V relative to the real horizontal axis Hz. The lateral angle θ is the angle of the vehicle relative to the unsprung portion or mass of the wheels or the unsprung portion of vehicle 100 supported by wheels 111-114 and the ground (in the horizontal plane). Figure 5 Between USM (in the middle).

[0070] The unsprung mass (USM) of vehicle 100 may include tires, wheels including hubs and bearings, axles and differentials including drive shafts and half-shafts, and suspension components themselves not supported by the suspension, including control arms, shock absorbers, dampers, struts, stabilizer bars, and any other vehicle components supported by the wheels but not by the suspension. Therefore, the flexibility or stiffness of suspension 170 does not affect the yaw angle θ. Compared to unsprung mass, the sprung mass (USM) of the vehicle... Figure 5 The SM (Suspension Module) includes all other components supported by the suspension, such as the chassis and vehicle body, which can roll relative to the wheels due to the suspension, resulting in a roll angle.

[0071] Another way to determine the vehicle's current tilt is by using suspension deflection. Suspension deflection indicates the change in height of wheels 111-114 from the neutral position, and consequently, the change in chassis height. In this case, suspension deflection unit 204 can receive sensor readings and calculate the deflection at each wheel 111-114, which is denoted herein as left rear Δ. LR Left anterior Δ LF Right rear Δ RR Right anterior Δ RF The deflection and ALA indicators show the vehicle's current tilt state, and both are provided to other units of the RLAP system 200 for further calculations.

[0072] Process 300 may include "obtaining vehicle parameters" 310, and may be obtained from memory accessible on the vehicle or remotely from the vehicle. This may include obtaining vehicle parameters 216, 218, and / or 224, including the vehicle travel trajectory width T, which is as follows: Figure 4 The lateral width of the left and right wheels (here, front wheels 111 and 112) is measured center-to-center. Another known parameter of the vehicle is the suspension stiffness coefficient K, which is part of the suspension data. LR K LF K RR and KRF and unsprung center of gravity (CG) US The unsprung mass weight W US and CG US Unsprung height H US ( Figure 5 Another parameter to obtain is the roll center height H of vehicle 100. RC (also Figure 5 (Above). Parameters can be obtained from memory or other sources by the unit that uses the parameters or by different units of the RLAP system 200 or controller 140.

[0073] refer to Figure 6 The process 300 may include "determining the center of gravity height using the current deflection" 312, and is performed as by the corner load & CG height estimation unit 208. Specifically, this CG is referred to as the height H of the vehicle's current center of gravity (CG), to distinguish it from the height H of the unsprung mass CG. US The height H of the sprung mass CG s Here, the load estimation unit 602 receives the suspension deflection and stiffness coefficients, and then uses the following equations (1) and (2) to calculate the left and right impact or corner loads (or forces) F. L and F R ( Figure 4 This combines corner loads for each left and right side of the vehicle.

[0074] F L =K LR Δ LR +K LF Δ LF (1)

[0075] F R =K RR Δ RR +K RF Δ RF (2)

[0076] After that, as Figure 5 As shown, the CG height estimation unit 608 uses the impact load F L and F R The vehicle's center of gravity height H is calculated using the vehicle trajectory width T and the absolute lateral angle α. Height H is calculated as:

[0077]

[0078] The height H of the vehicle's center of gravity is then provided to the sprung CG height estimation unit 612 and the rollover limit angle unit 212. The vehicle weight unit 606 considers the weight component Wcosα along the vehicle's Z-axis. Figure 4) and the use of impact load F L and F R Determine the vehicle weight W( Figure 5 ), as shown below:

[0079]

[0080] Subsequently, the 'sprung mass' weight W s It can be composed of 'sprung mass' weight unit 610 and by using 'unsprung mass' weight W US To determine, as shown below:

[0081] W s =WW us (5)

[0082] Process 300 may include "determining the sprung center of gravity height using the current deflection" 314, and this is performed by the sprung CG height estimation unit 612. This involves obtaining the CG height H as described above. US ( Figure 5 ), and vehicle weight W, vehicle CG height H, unsprung mass W US and the weight on the spring W s Using these variables and / or factors, the sprung height of the sprung CG is calculated as follows:

[0083]

[0084] The height of the sprung CG is then provided to the rollover limit angle prediction unit 618.

[0085] Next, process 300 may include "determining roll gain based on absolute roll angle and current yaw" 316, which is performed by the existing roll and yaw angle unit 210. This includes having the roll angle unit 604 use suspension yaw and vehicle travel width T to generate the existing or current roll angle, as follows:

[0086]

[0087] refer to Figure 4 Lateral angle Between the vehicle's tilt Z-axis and the suspension roll line R. As mentioned above, the total lateral roll of vehicle 100 is the absolute lateral angle α detected by the IMU and / or camera. Roll angle It represents the portion of the absolute lateral angle α (or total camber) caused by the suspension, and specifically represents the flexibility or stiffness of the suspension that allows the vehicle body and chassis to roll relative to the wheels.

[0088] Once the roll angle is determined The existing road lateral angle unit 614 is obtained by subtracting the tilt angle from the absolute lateral angle α. To determine the existing road yaw angle θ, see the following:

[0089]

[0090] Road lateral angle θ and side tilt angle This is then used to determine the ratio or proportional roll gain G, which indicates the amount of suspension roll corresponding to each unit of road yaw angle, as shown below:

[0091]

[0092] Process 300 may include "determining the rollover limit angle estimate" 318, and is performed by a rollover limit angle unit 618, which receives the roll angle G and the height H of the vehicle's center of gravity and the height H of the sprung center of gravity. s Vehicle travel width T, roll center height H RC and safety factor S f Safety factor S f This is a predetermined margin used to better avoid rollovers, and may include 1.0. The rollover limit angle is then determined as:

[0093]

[0094] In one example form, this equation determines when the vehicle CG, represented by the vertical axis V, will shift laterally and meet the lateral position L at the center of the bottom of the lower tire (here, the right wheel 112). Once the CG and the vertical axis V shift further to the left and beyond the vehicle's travel width T, the vehicle is likely to roll over. As described above, the process via equation (10) can be repeated for continuous execution, or it can be performed at intervals or as needed, as described above.

[0095] Process 300 may further include "comparing the limit angle with the current angle" 320, wherein the rollover alarm unit 620 performs this comparison and determines whether the angle is close enough to trigger an alarm or other action. In one form, the angle difference may be compared to a threshold used for this determination. As an example, the rollover alarm unit 620 may provide a display to the driver, and process 300 may include "notifying the driver based on the comparison" 322. Additionally or alternatively, the rollover alarm unit may initiate autonomous driving commands to attempt to avoid a rollover, and may avoid a rollover by providing braking, steering, and / or accelerator (or propulsion) commands. Other alternatives may include controlling the airbag inflation until the current vehicle angle (or ALA) becomes greater than the predicted rollover limit angle. Many alternatives are envisioned.

[0096] refer to Figures 7-11 As an example of providing an alarm display, a rollover display 700 can be placed in a vehicle, such as on the vehicle's dashboard, and may include both a pitch gauge 702 and a roll gauge 704. The pitch gauge shows the side of the vehicle 706 along the y-axis with a current pitch angle of 0°. The pitch limit angle can be calculated similarly to the roll limit angle disclosed herein. In one form, the alarm unit 620 displays the rollover display once the RLAP system 200 is activated. Alternatively, the system 200 may display the display only when an alarm or warning is indicated.

[0097] The roll gauge 704 displays the rear of the vehicle 708 along the x-axis with a current roll angle of 0°. It indicates the generated left rollover limit angle of 28° and the right rollover limit angle of 29°, respectively, and displays a triangle warning or alert indicator 816 (an unfilled triangle) and a triangle maximum road lateral angle indicator 818 (a filled triangle). Utilizing... Figure 8 This better explains the indicator.

[0098] Therefore, display 800 has a rollover or tilt gauge 802, which has an image of the tilted vehicle 804 at the current tilt angle 806 on the x-axis. The current tilt angle is 22°. Dashed ellipses represent right tilt 808 and left tilt 810, where the left tilt maximum value 812 (28°) and left tilt 810 indicate a tilt to the left, while the right tilt maximum value 814 (29°) and right tilt 808 indicate a tilt to the right. In one form, these maximum tilt values ​​are calculated rollover limit angle predictions. Warning indicator 818 indicates the rollover limit of the maximum road lateral angle indicator 818. If the current angle is greater than the limit 818, the vehicle 804 is likely to rollover. Warning indicator 816 is set at a predetermined angle range from the maximum angle indicator 818. Therefore, when the detected current roll angle is within the predicted rollover limit angle range, or in other words, between the warning indicator 816 and the maximum angle indicator 818, a warning alarm can be displayed to the vehicle occupants. In one form, this range is set to three degrees.

[0099] refer to Figure 9 The diagram shows a tilt gauge 900, similar to tilt gauge 802, but here the vehicle 902 is tilted to the right to the maximum indicator 916, which is 26°, or three degrees different from the maximum value 918 of 29°. In this case, a further warning image 904, here a triangle with an exclamation mark, can be displayed, where the image fill or text can be, for example, red. Alternatively, the entire gauge fill or image (such as the vehicle itself) can be set to another color, such as yellow for warnings.

[0100] By another example, in the tilt gauge 1000 ( Figure 10 In the instrument cluster, when the current tilt angle reaches the maximum rollover angle 1018, the entire field of view can turn red, and a warning image 1002 with an exclamation mark and a triangle can replace the vehicle image. Here, the fill can also be another color, such as another shade of red, or any desired combination of colors or patterns. Warning text 1004 can also be placed within the instrument cluster and, through an example, state "Warning" and "Rollover Risk," although many other words and phrases can be used alternatively.

[0101] As another example, the tilt gauge 1100 ( Figure 11 The image shows a vehicle 1102 in an initial or non-tilted state, where the current tilt angle is 0° and no rollover limit angle prediction is shown. As described above, the RLAP system 200 may or may not be activated in this non-tilted state.

[0102] In this document, relational terms such as "first" and "second" may be used merely to distinguish one entity or action from another, without necessarily requiring or implying any actual such relationship or order between such entities or actions. Numerical ordinal numbers such as "first," "second," and "third" merely identify distinct individuals among a plurality and do not imply any order or sequence unless specifically defined by the language of the claims. The order of the text in any claim does not imply that the process steps must be performed in a temporal or logical order according to such an order, unless specifically defined by the language of the claims. Process steps may be interchanged in any order without departing from the scope of the invention, provided that such interchange does not contradict the language of the claims and is not logically meaningless.

[0103] Furthermore, depending on the context, unless otherwise stated, the use of terms such as “connected” or “coupled to” when describing the relationship between different elements or parts of a nozzle does not imply a direct physical connection between those elements. For example, two elements may be physically, electronically, logically, or in any other way connected to each other by one or more additional elements.

[0104] While at least one example implementation has been presented in the foregoing detailed description, it should be understood that numerous variations exist. It should also be understood that the example implementations are not intended to limit the scope, applicability, or configuration of this disclosure in any way. Rather, the foregoing detailed description will provide those skilled in the art with a convenient roadmap for implementing the example implementations. It should be understood that various changes can be made to the function and arrangement of the elements without departing from the scope of this disclosure as set forth in the appended claims and their legal equivalents.

Claims

1. A method comprising: Receive suspension data indicating the current state of the vehicle's suspension; The current height of the vehicle's center of gravity is estimated by at least one processor using at least the suspension data; The rollover limit angle prediction is determined by at least one processor using the height of the current center of gravity; as well as At least one processor performs actions to attempt to prevent the vehicle from overturning based on the predicted rollover limit angle.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the action includes displaying an alarm on the vehicle.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the action includes displaying the current tilt angle of the vehicle and the predicted rollover limit angle of the vehicle.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising receiving data of a current absolute lateral angle, the data indicating the tilt state of the vehicle and being used to generate the height of the current center of gravity.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining corner loads for each wheel of the vehicle, and including using the suspension data to indicate wheel height as suspension deflection and suspension stiffness; and using the corner loads to generate the vehicle weight and the height of the vehicle's current center of gravity.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein generating the height of the current center of gravity includes using the corner load, the vehicle's trajectory width, and the vehicle's current absolute lateral angle.

7. The method according to claim 1, comprising: The height of the center of gravity of the sprung mass of the vehicle is generated by using the weight of the vehicle and the weight of the unsprung mass to generate the weight of the sprung mass. And the predicted rollover limit angle is generated using the height of the center of gravity of the sprung mass.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the height of the center of gravity for generating the sprung mass includes using the weight of the vehicle, the height of the current center of gravity, the weight of the unsprung mass, and the weight of the sprung mass.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the vehicle includes a chassis and wheels rotatably connected to the chassis, wherein the wheels are arranged to apply forces to the suspension, and wherein the method includes generating a roll gain indicating the roll between the wheels and the chassis caused by the suspension, and providing the roll gain to determine the predicted rollover limit angle.

10. A system comprising: Memory; as well as Processor circuitry, the processor circuitry forming one or more processors communicatively coupled to the memory, the processors being arranged to operate by: Receive suspension data indicating the current state of the vehicle's suspension. At least the suspension data should be used to estimate the current height of the vehicle's center of gravity. The height of the current center of gravity is used to determine the predicted rollover limit angle, and Actions are taken to prevent the vehicle from overturning based on the predicted rollover limit angle.

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