A system and method for determining vehicle weight

Abstract

The present invention discloses a system and a method for determining vehicle (A) weight in at least one motorized land vehicle (A). Said system comprises at least one accelerometer (1) measuring the lateral and longitudinal acceleration of the vehicle (A) in a static state, as well as at least one control unit (2) in connection with said accelerometer (1), configured to determine the weight of the vehicle (A) in line with the lateral and longitudinal acceleration value detected by the accelerometer (1). Said method comprises the steps of conducting a detection using at least one accelerometer (1) measuring the lateral and longitudinal acceleration of the vehicle (A) in the static state (101) after the motorized land vehicle (A) is started (100); and determining the weight of the vehicle (A) in line with the lateral and longitudinal acceleration value detected by said accelerometer (1) (107).

Description

[0001] 8343.1165

[0002] DESCRIPTION

[0003] A SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR DETERMINING VEHICLE WEIGHT

[0004] Technical Field

[0005] The present invention relates to a system and a method for determining weight in motorized land vehicles.

[0006] Prior Art

[0007] Motorized land vehicles such as automobiles, trucks and lorries are used for the transportation of passengers and different loads. Said motorized land vehicles comprise at least one body in which passengers and / or loads are positioned and at least one movement system enabling the body to be moved. Said movement system comprises at least one motor and wheels moved by the motor. Here, depending on the type of vehicle, said motor may be an internal combustion engine or an electric motor.

[0008] In motorized land vehicles, vehicle weight is of great importance in order to ensure driving control and to make driving safer. Here, for example, the total weight of the vehicle must not exceed a maximum value for driving safety. If said maximum value is exceeded, the load-bearing components of the vehicle (such as the chassis, axle, wheels) may be damaged. In addition, since an increase in vehicle weight is a factor that increases the stopping distance of the vehicle, the maximum speed of the vehicle can also be controlled in line with the total weight of the vehicle. This control process can be performed automatically by a main control unit of the vehicle.

[0009] Especially in vehicles where usually different loads are carried, such as light commercial vehicles, the total weight of the vehicle varies according to the load 8343.1165 carried. For this reason, it is necessary to determine the total weight of the vehicle (or the load value carried in the vehicle), especially in such vehicles with load variability. In the embodiments of the prior art, different embodiments are used to determine the vehicle weight. Said embodiments enable weight determination to be made by adding different components such as weight sensors and height sensors to vehicles. However, in such embodiments, both the cost of the product increases and the system becomes more complex with the use of additional sensors. It is also inconvenient to apply such embodiments to vehicles which are already in use. For this reason, there is a need for an embodiment that does not increase the complexity of vehicles and can be applied to vehicles that are already in use.

[0010] Brief Description of Invention

[0011] The present invention discloses a system and a method for determining vehicle weight in at least one motorized land vehicle. Said system comprises at least one accelerometer measuring the lateral and longitudinal acceleration of the vehicle in a static state, as well as at least one control unit in connection with said accelerometer, configured to determine the weight of the vehicle in line with the lateral and longitudinal acceleration value detected by the accelerometer. Said method comprises the steps of conducting a detection using at least one accelerometer measuring the lateral and longitudinal acceleration of the vehicle in the static state after the motorized land vehicle is started; and determining the weight of the vehicle in line with the lateral and longitudinal acceleration value detected by said accelerometer.

[0012] Thanks to the system and method developed by the present invention, vehicle weight is determined based on estimation using the accelerometer already available in motorized land vehicles. Thus, weight detection can be conducted without increasing the complexity of the vehicle. Here, the vehicles in use can 8343.1165 also be provided with a weight detection feature, for example by making a software update.

[0013] Object of Invention

[0014] The object of the present invention is to develop a system and a method for determining weight in motorized land vehicles.

[0015] Another object of the present invention is to develop a system and a method for determining weight in motorized land vehicles without the need for use of an additional sensor.

[0016] A further object of the present invention is to develop a practical and reliable system and method.

[0017] Description of Figures

[0018] Exemplary embodiments of the system and method developed according to the present invention are illustrated in the accompanying figures, wherein from these figures;

[0019] Figure l is a block diagram of the developed system.

[0020] Figure 2 is an internal view of a vehicle in which the developed system is used.

[0021] Figure 3 is a flow diagram of the developed method.

[0022] The parts in the figures are individually designated and referenced as following.

[0023] Vehicle (A)

[0024] Driver (S)

[0025] Accelerometer (1) 8343.1165

[0026] Control unit (2)

[0027] Display (3)

[0028] Starting the motorized land vehicle (100)

[0029] Detection by the accelerometer (101)

[0030] Determining whether at least one prerequisite is met (102)

[0031] Calculating the average of data obtained from the accelerometer (103) Determining the initial weight of the vehicle (104)

[0032] Storing the average value in a memory (105)

[0033] Passing the acceleration value through a low-pass filter (106)

[0034] Determining the weight of the vehicle (107)

[0035] Displaying weight information to users on a display (108)

[0036] Description of Invention

[0037] In order to use motorized land vehicles safely, the vehicle weight must be below a maximum value. In said vehicles, it is also ensured that the vehicle is controlled according to the weight value of the vehicle. Therefore, determining the weight of the vehicle is especially important in vehicles that carry loads and accordingly vary in weight. For this reason, a system and a method for determining weight in motorized land vehicles have been developed with the present invention.

[0038] The system developed by the present invention is suitable for use in determining weight in a motorized land vehicle (A) and comprises at least one accelerometer (1) measuring the lateral and longitudinal acceleration of the vehicle (A) in a static state, as well as at least one control unit (2) in connection with said accelerometer (1), configured to determine the weight of the vehicle (A) in line with the lateral and longitudinal acceleration value detected by the accelerometer (1).

[0039] The method developed by the present invention is suitable for use in determining the weight in a motor land vehicle (A), and includes the steps of conducting a detection using at least one accelerometer (1) measuring the lateral and 8343.1165 longitudinal acceleration of the vehicle (A) in the static state (101) after the motorized land vehicle (A) is started (100); and determining the weight of the vehicle (A) in line with the lateral and longitudinal acceleration value detected by said accelerometer (1) (107).

[0040] In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, said system and method are used in a motorized land vehicle (A), which may be a light commercial vehicle (A). Said motorized land vehicles (A) already comprise an accelerometer (1) (yaw rate and acceleration sensor) that detects lateral and longitudinal acceleration. Such accelerometers (1) are generally used for controlling the operation of the airbags. The lateral and longitudinal acceleration of the vehicle (A) in a static state varies according to the weight and center of gravity of the vehicle (A). For this reason, in the system and method developed with the present invention, the weight of the vehicle (A) is determined based on estimation by using the lateral and longitudinal acceleration value detected by the accelerometer (1). Here, since a component (accelerometer (1)) that is already present in the vehicle (A) is used to determine the weight of the vehicle (A), both the complexity of the vehicle (A) is not increased and a weight detection feature is provided to vehicles (A) which are already in use with only a software update, for example.

[0041] In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, said method comprises the steps of, with the motorized land vehicle (A) being started (100), determining whether at least one precondition is met (102) after the step of conducting a detection using at least one accelerometer (1) measuring the lateral and longitudinal acceleration of the vehicle (A) in the static state (101); and if said precondition is met, proceeding to the step of determining the weight of the vehicle (A) in line with the lateral and longitudinal acceleration value detected by said accelerometer (1) (107). The prerequisite mentioned here is used to confirm that the vehicle (A) is static and stable. In an exemplary embodiment, the prerequisite comprises the conditions that the steering wheel is straight; the vehicle (A) speed is 0 km / h; the handbrake is applied; if the vehicle (A) is 8343.1165 automatic, the gear is in the parking position; if the vehicle (A) is manual, the gear is in neutral position; the tire pressure is at an appropriate value. Here, if at least one precondition is not met, the lateral and longitudinal acceleration value taken from the accelerometer (1) will not be reliable enough, so this value will not be used for weight determination. Therefore, if at least one prerequisite is not met, the step of determining the weight of the vehicle (A)(107) based on the lateral and longitudinal acceleration values detected by said accelerometer (1) is not executed.

[0042] In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, it comprises the step of calculating the average of data received from the accelerometer (1) for a predetermined period of time (e.g. 30 seconds) (103) before the step of determining the weight of the vehicle (A) in line with the lateral and longitudinal acceleration value detected by said accelerometer (1) (107). Here, the average value obtained is used in the step of determining the weight of the vehicle (A) in line with the lateral and longitudinal acceleration value detected by the accelerometer (1) (107) for determining the initial weight of the vehicle (A) (104). In this embodiment, said method also comprises the step of storing in a memory the average value obtained (105) in the step of calculating the average of data received from the accelerometer (1) for a predetermined period of time (103). In this embodiment, the average value stored in the memory is used as a reference for the next weight detection process. For example, by comparing (taking the difference of) the average value calculated in the next weight detection process to the average value stored in the memory, the change in the weight of the vehicle (A) is calculated according to the average value change.

[0043] In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the step of determining the weight of the vehicle (A) in line with the lateral and longitudinal acceleration value detected by said accelerometer (1) (107) comprises determining the weight value of the vehicle (A) according to the lateral and longitudinal acceleration value detected by the accelerometer (1) using the following formula, 8343.1165 where W is the weight of the vehicle (A); aiong is the lateral and longitudinal acceleration value detected by the accelerometer (1); ai, a2, bi, b2 are constant coefficients determined by a calibration process; athreshoid is a threshold value determined by a calibration process. In this embodiment, the parameters ai, a2, bi, b2 are determined by testing the loading status of the vehicle (A) according to different user habits. For this, the vehicle (A) is first placed on a flat surface, then a weight sensor (scale) is placed under the wheels to determine the load on each wheel. Loads are added to the vehicle (A) according to different loading information received from users (for example, in which region of the vehicle (A) is the load positioned mostly). For each case, the parameters ai, a2, bi, b2 are determined by comparing the weight information obtained from the weight sensors to the lateral and longitudinal acceleration values obtained from the accelerometer (1). In the studies conducted, it was observed that the parameters a and b changed when the acceleration value was below and above a threshold value (athreshoid). For this reason, the formula is determined according to whether the lateral and longitudinal acceleration value detected by the accelerometer (1) is below the threshold value or not. With said parameters ai, a2, bi, b2, said threshold value (athreshoid) is determined separately for different vehicle (A) models and stored in a memory of each vehicle (A). In newly produced vehicles (A), these values can be stored directly in the memory, and in vehicles already in use (A), they can be stored in the memory with a software update. In an alternative embodiment of the present invention, said threshold value (athreshoid) is determined using the parameters ai, a2, bi, b2 for the values of the vehicle (A) not on a straight level, but on different slopes separately and recorded in the memory for each slope value. Here, said method comprises the step of detecting the inclination of the ground on which the vehicle (A) is located by means of at least one inclination sensor. In this embodiment, during the determination of the weight value of the vehicle (A) according to the lateral and longitudinal acceleration value detected by 8343.1165 the accelerometer (1) using said formula, the parameters ai, a2, bi, b2 and the threshold value (athreshoid) corresponding to the detected inclination value are used. The inclination sensor used to determine the inclination of the ground on which the vehicle (A) is located may be height sensors located in different parts of the vehicle (A), a lighting switch or an image sensor (such as a camera used for lane tracking).

[0044] In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the step of determining the weight of the vehicle (A) in line with the lateral and longitudinal acceleration value detected by said accelerometer (1) (107) comprises the step of obtaining synthesized acceleration data by passing the lateral and longitudinal acceleration value detected by the accelerometer (1) through a low-pass filter (e.g. 1 Hz) (106). In this embodiment, said synthesized acceleration data can be used as the lateral and longitudinal acceleration value detected by the accelerometer (1). Thus, it is ensured that the weight determination process is carried out in a more reliable manner.

[0045] In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, said method comprises the steps of showing the weight information obtained in the step of determining the weight of the vehicle (A) in line with the lateral and longitudinal acceleration value detected by said accelerometer (1) (107) to users (driver (S)) on a display (3) (108). In this embodiment, said system comprises at least one display (3) located in the vehicle (A). The display (3) may be the display (3) of a multimedia system of the vehicle (A), or it may be a dashboard of the vehicle (A).

[0046] In another preferred embodiment of the present invention, said method comprises comparing the weight information obtained in the step of determining the weight of the vehicle (A) in line with the lateral and longitudinal acceleration value detected by said accelerometer (1) (107) with a maximum value; and giving a warning to the user if said weight information is higher than the maximum value. Here, the warning to be given to the user may be a visual warning or an audible 8343.1165 warning. In this embodiment, thanks to giving a warning to the user when the weight of the vehicle (A) is higher than said maximum value, it is ensured that the user can use the vehicle (A) more reliably by unloading the vehicle when necessary.

[0047] Thanks to the system and method developed by the present invention, the weight of the vehicle (A) is determined based on estimation using the accelerometer (1) already available in motorized land vehicles (A). Thus, weight detection can be performed without increasing the complexity of the vehicle (A). Here, the vehicles (A) in use can also be provided with a weight detection feature, for example by performing a software update.

Claims

8343.1165CLAIMS1. A system for determining vehicle (A) weight in at least one motorized land vehicle (A), characterized by comprising at least one accelerometer (1) measuring the lateral and longitudinal acceleration of the vehicle (A) in a static state and at least one control unit (2) in connection with said accelerometer (1), configured to determine the weight of the vehicle (A) in line with the lateral and longitudinal acceleration value detected by said accelerometer (1).

2. The system according to Claim 1, characterized by comprising at least one display (3) located in said vehicle (A).

3. A method for determining vehicle (A) weight in at least one motorized land vehicle (A), characterized by comprising the steps of conducting a detection using at least one accelerometer (1) measuring the lateral and longitudinal acceleration of the vehicle (A) in the static state (101) after the motorized land vehicle (A) is started (100); determining the weight of the vehicle (A) in line with the lateral and longitudinal acceleration value detected by said accelerometer (1) (107).

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized by comprising the steps of determining whether at least one precondition is met (102) after the step of conducting a detection using at least one accelerometer (1) measuring the lateral and longitudinal acceleration of the vehicle (A) in the static state (101) after the motorized land vehicle (A) is started (100); if said precondition is met, proceeding to the step of determining the weight of the vehicle (A) in line with the lateral and longitudinal acceleration value detected by said accelerometer (1) (107).8343.11655. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that said prerequisite comprises the conditions that the steering wheel is straight; the vehicle (A) speed is 0 km / h; the handbrake is applied; if the vehicle (A) is automatic, the gear is in the parking position; if the vehicle (A) is manual, the gear is in neutral position; the tire pressure is at an appropriate value.

6. The method according to any one of claims 3 to 5, characterized by comprising the step of calculating the average of data received from the accelerometer (1) for a predetermined period of time (103) before the step of determining the weight of the vehicle (A) in line with the lateral and longitudinal acceleration value detected by said accelerometer (1) (107).

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized by comprising the step of storing in a memory the average value obtained (105) in the step of calculating the average of data received from the accelerometer (1) for a predetermined period of time (103).

8. The method according to any one of claims 3 to 7, characterized in that the step of determining the weight of the vehicle (A) in line with the lateral and longitudinal acceleration value detected by said accelerometer (1) (107) comprises determining the weight value of the vehicle (A) according to the lateral and longitudinal acceleration value detected by the accelerometer (1) using the following formula,where W is the weight of the vehicle (A); aiong is the lateral and longitudinal acceleration value detected by the accelerometer (1); ai, a2, bi,8343.1165 b2 are constant coefficients determined by a calibration process; athreshoid is a threshold value determined by a calibration process.

9. The method according to Claim 8, characterized by comprising the step of detecting the inclination of the ground where the vehicle (A) is located by means of at least one inclination sensor.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that during the determination of the weight value of the vehicle (A) according to the lateral and longitudinal acceleration value detected by the accelerometer (1) using said formula, the parameters ai, a2, bi, b2 and the threshold value corresponding to the detected inclination value are used.

11. The method according to any one of claims 3 to 10, characterized in that the step of determining the weight of the vehicle (A) according to the lateral and longitudinal acceleration value detected by the accelerometer (1) (107) comprises the step of obtaining a synthesized acceleration data by passing the lateral and longitudinal acceleration value detected by the accelerometer (1) through a low-pass filter (106).

12. The method according to any one of claims 3 to 11, characterized by comprising the steps of showing the weight information obtained in the step of determining the weight of the vehicle (A) in line with the lateral and longitudinal acceleration value detected by the accelerometer (1) (107) to the users on a display (3) (108).

13. The method according to any one of claims 3 to 12, characterized by comprising the steps of comparing the weight information obtained in the step of determining the weight of the vehicle (A) in line with the lateral and longitudinal acceleration value detected by the accelerometer (1) (107) with a8343.1165 maximum value; and giving the user a warning if the weight information is higher than the maximum value.

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