Towing Vehicle Stability Control via Hitch Force Estimation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing control systems for vehicles towing trailers are unreliable in maintaining stability, especially at high speeds or during turns, due to their heuristic approaches that only consider vehicle dynamics and not specific trailer dynamics, leading to delayed and ineffective brake or engine control responses.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that estimate hitch force based on vehicle dynamics models using parameters like steering angle, yaw rate, and lateral acceleration, generating compensation signals to adjust wheel torque and steering angles, thereby improving stability without requiring additional trailer-specific sensors.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If heuristic approaches are used to detect trailer oscillation based on vehicle dynamics only, then the control system can operate with existing sensors, but the stability control becomes unreliable and delayed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces an intermediary disturbance estimation module that processes existing sensor data (steering angle, yaw rate, lateral acceleration) to infer trailer hitch forces. This intermediary computation layer translates available vehicle dynamics data into meaningful trailer disturbance indicators, enabling reliable stability control without direct trailer sensors or additional hardware.
2Measurement precision
If additional hardware sensors are installed to detect trailer behavior, then trailer dynamics can be directly measured, but the system complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system makes existing vehicle sensors serve dual purposes: they monitor both vehicle dynamics and infer trailer hitch forces. The disturbance estimation module processes data from steering angle sensors, yaw rate sensors, and lateral acceleration sensors already present in the vehicle, eliminating the need for separate trailer-specific sensors while maintaining measurement capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent enables existing vehicle sensors to perform multiple functions: traditional vehicle stability monitoring and new trailer hitch force estimation. The same steering angle, yaw rate, and lateral acceleration sensors that control vehicle stability now also provide data for detecting and responding to trailer oscillations, maximizing the utility of existing hardware.
3Productivity
If brake or engine control is applied after trailer oscillation is detected, then the control action can be taken, but the response is too late to be effective
Solution Approach 1:
The disturbance estimation module continuously computes trailer hitch forces in real-time using existing sensor data, maintaining a ready state that allows immediate control response. By preprocessing and continuously updating the disturbance estimation, the system eliminates detection delays and enables instantaneous brake or engine control actions when trailer oscillation is detected, rather than waiting for oscillation to fully develop.
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method of controlling a towing vehicle adapted to be connected to a trailer at a hitch. The method includes sensing a plurality of vehicle conditions indicative of at least a movement of the towing vehicle, and an angle of the towing vehicle, determining a disturbance at the hitch based on data including at least the movement of the vehicle and the angle of the vehicle, and generating a compensation signal based on the determined disturbance at the hitch.