Vehicle Hill Holder Slope Detection with Steering Angle

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing automatic slope maintenance systems for vehicles fail to accurately detect and estimate the slope in certain situations, leading to potential vehicle movement and handling issues, especially when wheels are turned against the slope, resulting in critical situations.

Innovation Solution

Incorporating the steering wheel angle into the slope detection algorithm, which can be hosted in the ESP computer or a communicating vehicle computer, to improve slope calculation and estimation, using either the main hydraulic or decoupled braking system.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If the slope detection algorithm does not consider steering wheel angle, then the system is simple, but the slope detection accuracy deteriorates when wheels are turned against the slope

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveslope detection accuracyVSAvoidalgorithm complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent changes the parameters considered in the slope detection algorithm by incorporating the steering wheel angle in addition to acceleration data. This allows the system to distinguish between vehicle movement due to slope and movement due to steering actions, significantly improving slope detection accuracy when wheels are turned against the slope without requiring additional sensors or complex hardware modifications

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

2Measurement precision

If the slope detection algorithm considers steering wheel angle, then the slope detection accuracy improves, but the calculation complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveslope estimation accuracyVSAvoidcalculation complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Measurement precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The algorithm incorporates steering wheel angle as an additional parameter to the existing acceleration-based slope detection. By analyzing the relationship between steering angle and acceleration data, the system achieves more accurate slope estimation while keeping the computational burden manageable through efficient data processing methods

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

3Reliability

If the braking system acts based on inaccurate slope detection, then the response time is fast, but the vehicle stability deteriorates on slopes

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvevehicle stabilityVSAvoidbrake response time
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements a feedback mechanism where the slope detection algorithm continuously monitors both acceleration and steering wheel angle, and adjusts the braking control accordingly. This feedback loop ensures that the braking system responds appropriately to actual slope conditions while accounting for steering actions, maintaining both vehicle stability and timely response

Inventive Principle:
Principle #23Feedback

Data Source

PatentEP2033867B1Automatic hill holder for a vehicle
Publication Date: 2012.10.31 PEUGEOT CITROEN AUTOMOBILES SA
  • EP2033867B1 patent drawingFigure 1A~1E
  • EP2033867B1 patent drawingFigure 2~4

AI summary

The system has an electronic stability program calculator (200) including a slope calculation unit (250) for calculating a slope of a path on which a vehicle is moved, and an action unit for acting on a braking system and for managing an engine based on a value of the slope, where the action unit is a main hydraulic braking system (310) or uncoupled braking system (330). The calculation unit considers a value of a flywheel angle measured by a flywheel angle sensor (103) to correct calculation of the slope so as to ensure detection and estimation of the slope along a slope direction.