A vehicle control system which can ensure high reliability, real-time processing, and expandability with a simplified ECU configuration and a low cost by backing up an error through coordination in the entire system without increasing a degree of redundancy of individual controllers beyond the least necessary level. The vehicle control system comprises a sensor controller for taking in sensor signals indicating a status variable of a vehicle and an operation amount applied from a driver, a command controller for generating a control target value based on the sensor signals taken in by the sensor controller, and an actuator controller for receiving the control target value from the command controller and operating an actuator to control the vehicle, those three controller being interconnected via a network. The actuator controller includes a control target value generating unit for generating a control target value based on the sensor signals taken in by the sensor controller and received by the actuator controller via the network when the control target value generated by the command controller is abnormal, and controls the actuator in accordance with the control target value generated by the control target value generating unit.

Vehicle Control System

In the vehicle of the invention, when the driver releases a depressed accelerator pedal, the drive control sets a vehicle speed V at the moment to a target vehicle speed V* (step S440). An engine and a motor for outputting driving power are controlled to drive the vehicle at the target vehicle speed V*. When the driver steps on a released brake pedal, the drive control stores the target vehicle speed V* set before the driver's depression of the brake pedal as a previous target vehicle speed Vpre and cancels the setting of the target vehicle speed V* (steps S470 and S480). In response to the driver's subsequent release of the brake pedal, the drive control sets the vehicle speed V at the moment to the target vehicle speed V* (step S510) and restarts constant-speed drive (cruise drive). When the driver turns a steering wheel to or over a preset degree for a left turn or a right turn, the drive control sets the previous target vehicle speed Vpre to the target vehicle speed V* (step S520) and restarts the constant-speed drive. This arrangement ensures easy and quick start of the constant-speed drive (cruise drive) and enables the constant-speed drive (cruise drive) according to the variation of the driving state.

Vehicle and control method of vehicle

A rollover sensing apparatus and method are provided for predicting rollover or pitchover conditions of a vehicle. The apparatus and method sense angular roll rate, angular pitch rate, longitudinal acceleration, lateral acceleration, and vertical acceleration of the vehicle and produce output signals indicative thereof. A non-linear filter, such as an extended Kalman filter, estimates a current roll angle and a current pitch angle as a function of the sensed signals. A predictor predicts a future roll angle as a function of the estimated current roll angle and the sensed roll rate, and further predicts a future pitch angle as a function of the estimated current pitch angle and the sensed pitch rate. The predicted roll and pitch attitude angles are compared to a threshold value and a vehicle overturn condition signal is output to indicate a predicted vehicle rollover or pitchover condition.

Vehicle rollover sensing using extended kalman filter

A rollover sensing apparatus and method are provided for predicting rollover and/or pitchover conditions of a vehicle. An angular rate sensor senses attitude rate of the vehicle, a first accelerometer measures horizontal acceleration of the vehicle, and a second accelerometer measures vertical acceleration of the vehicle. A current attitude angle is estimated with Kalman filtering and a future attitude angle is predicted at an advance time. The predicted attitude angle is compared to a threshold and an output is produced for indicating a predicted vehicle rollover condition based on the comparison. A vehicle rollover condition about the longitudinal axis of the vehicle is predicted by comparing a future roll angle to a rollover angle threshold, while a pitchover condition about the lateral axis of a vehicle is predicted by comparing a future pitch angle to a pitch angle threshold.

Vehicle rollover sensing

A coordinated brake control system is for a hybrid brake system including a regenerative brake unit and a friction brake unit for a vehicle and is arranged to generate a total braking torque which is a combination of a regenerative braking torque generated by the regenerative brake unit and a friction braking torque generated by the friction brake unit, so as to bring the total braking-torque closer to a target braking torque, and to limit a rate of change of the regenerative braking torque according to a response delay of the friction braking torque when a first distribution ratio of the generative braking torque relative to the total braking torque is decreased and when a second distribution ratio of the friction braking torque relative to the total braking torque is increased

Coordinated brake control system

The present invention is directed to a brake control system for an electrically operated vehicle which is adapted to add a hydraulic braking operation to a regenerative braking operation, or change the former for the latter, rapidly and smoothly. An electric motor is operatively connected to a wheel for rotating the wheel, and a motor control unit for controlling the electric motor to apply a rotating force and a regenerative braking force to the wheel. In a main passage for connecting a master cylinder with a wheel brake cylinder, a pressure limit changeover device is disposed. The changeover device includes a first pressure limit device which is adapted to close the main passage when a master cylinder pressure is lower than a first predetermined pressure, and open the main passage when the master cylinder pressure exceeds the first predetermined pressure, and a second pressure limit device which is adapted to close the main passage when the master cylinder pressure is lower than a second predetermined pressure which is lower than the first predetermined pressure, and open the main passage when the master cylinder pressure exceeds the second predetermined pressure. First and second valve devices for opening or closing the main passage are connected to the main passage in parallel with the first pressure limit device, and the second valve device is connected in series of the second pressure limit device.

Brake control system for an electrically operated vehicle

In a stabilizer control apparatus for a vehicle, a stabilizer includes a pair of stabilizer bars disposed between a right wheel and a left wheel of the vehicle, and an actuator having an electric motor disposed between the stabilizer bars. A turning determination device is provided for determining a turning operation of the vehicle. And, a controller is provided for controlling the electric motor in response to the result determined by the turning determination device. The electric motor is substantially prohibited from being fed with electric current, when the turning operation of the vehicle is being decreased.

Stabilizer control apparatus

A vehicle braking system including a frictional braking device for applying a frictional braking torque to each of a plurality of wheels of the vehicle, a regenerative braking device including at least one electric motor for applying a regenerative braking torque to at least one drive wheel of the vehicle, and a total braking torque control device for controlling a total braking torque including one or both of the regenerative braking torque and the frictional braking torque which are applied to each of the wheels. When the total braking torque of at least one of the wheels has exceeded an upper limit corresponding to a friction coefficient of a road surface on which the motor vehicle is running, the total braking torque control device operates to zero the regenerative braking torque of each of the above-indicated at least one wheel and control the frictional braking torque of this wheel while reducing an influence of the zeroing of the regenerative braking torque.

Vehicle braking system having frictional and regenerative braking devices

A tire-state obtaining apparatus operable to detect the states of tires of wheels (10-18) and including (a) wheel-side devices (20-28) each including a transmitter device (42), and (b) a body-side device (30) including a receiver device (70, 200) operable to receive tire information (50) from the wheel-side devices, wherein the positions of the wheels from which sets of the tire information have been transmitted are determined on the basis of the condition in which the receiver device receives the tire information. The receiver device includes a plurality of antennas (80-88) oriented to receive the tire information from the respective wheel-side devices, and the wheel corresponding to the antenna having the highest intensity of reception of the tire information can be determined as the wheel from which the tire information has been transmitted, so that the antennas need not be located near the respective wheels, to identify the wheels.

Tire-state obtaining apparatus

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent the maloperation of a parking brake due to abnormality, and also to detect the abnormality of an operating switch indicating the operation and release of the parking brake. SOLUTION: When the operation of the operation switch indicating the operation and release of the parking brake is detected (S132), whether or not the operation or release of the parking brake by means of the operation of the operation switch is determined on the basis of an abnormality judging flag F whose value is made to be 1 when the abnormality of the operation switch is detected (S134 to S138). The abnormality of the operation switch is judged when the disagreement of the values of the respective systems is detected, if the continuous operation of the switch exceeding a prescribed time is detected, or if the switch is constituted as a duplex system switch. Even when the value of the abnormality judging flag F is 1, and when the treatment based on the operation of the operation switch is not carried out, the control treatment of the automatic parking brake is carried out (step S140).

Shingo Urababa

Papers

Brake control system for an electrically operated vehicle

Stabilizer control apparatus

Vehicle braking system having frictional and regenerative braking devices

Tire-state obtaining apparatus

Electric parking brake device