Patent Application
20150066307
The present disclosure generally relates to the field of vehicles and, more specifically, to methods and systems for mitigating shallow offset events for vehicles.
Many vehicles today, such as automobiles, have various features that include crumple zones, seat belts, airbags, and other features for mitigating vehicle events. One particular type of event, commonly referred to as a “shallow offset” event, occurs when there is a relatively small overlap between a surface of the vehicle and a surface of a barrier in contact with the vehicle during an impact event. Generally, a shallow offset event is considered to occur when less than a predetermined percentage (e.g., twenty five percent) of the front surface of the vehicle comes into contact with the barrier during the event. During a shallow offset event, the force or energy of the event is spread out among a relatively smaller amount of surface area on the vehicle, and the interaction between the wheels (or tires) and the barrier can cause intrusion to the body structure.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide improved methods for mitigating shallow offset events for vehicles. It is also desirable to provide systems for mitigating shallow offset events, and to provide vehicles that include such methods and systems. Furthermore, other desirable features and characteristics of the present invention will be apparent from the subsequent detailed description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the foregoing technical field and background.
In accordance with an exemplary embodiment, a method is provided. The method includes the steps of determining whether a vehicle is experiencing a shallow offset event, and initiating rotation of one of a plurality of wheels of the vehicle via instructions provided by a processor if the vehicle is experiencing a shallow offset event.
In accordance with another exemplary embodiment, a system is provided. The system includes a sensor and a processor. The sensor is onboard a vehicle, and is configured to provide sensor data. The processor is onboard the vehicle, and is coupled to the sensor. The processor is configured to determine, using the sensor data, whether the vehicle is experiencing a shallow offset event using the sensor data, and initiate rotation of one of a plurality of wheels of the vehicle if the vehicle is experiencing a shallow offset event.
In accordance with a further exemplary embodiment, a vehicle is provided. The vehicle includes a plurality of wheels and a drive system. The drive system comprises a sensor and a processor. The sensor is configured to provide sensor data. The processor is coupled to the sensor, and is configured to determine, using the sensor data, whether the vehicle is experiencing a shallow offset event using the sensor data, and initiate rotation of one of the plurality of wheels of the vehicle if the vehicle is experiencing a shallow offset event.
The present disclosure will hereinafter be described in conjunction with the following drawing figures, wherein like numerals denote like elements, and wherein:
The following detailed description is merely exemplary in nature and is not intended to limit the disclosure or the application and uses thereof. Furthermore, there is no intention to be bound by any theory presented in the preceding background or the following detailed description.
As depicted in
The wheels 116 are each rotationally coupled to the chassis 112 near a respective corner of the body 114. In the depicted embodiment, the wheels 116 include a driver side front wheel 196, a passenger side front wheel 197, a driver side rear wheel 198, and a passenger side rear wheel 199.
The vehicle 100 (as well as each of the target vehicles and third vehicles) may be any one of a number of different types of automobiles, such as, for example, a sedan, a wagon, a truck, or a sport utility vehicle (SUV), and may be two-wheel drive (2WD) (i.e., rear-wheel drive or front-wheel drive), four-wheel drive (4WD) or all-wheel drive (AWD). The vehicle 100 may also incorporate any one of, or combination of, a number of different types of propulsion systems, such as, for example, a gasoline or diesel fueled combustion engine, a “flex fuel vehicle” (FFV) engine (i.e., using a mixture of gasoline and ethanol), a gaseous compound (e.g., hydrogen or natural gas) fueled engine, a combustion/electric motor hybrid engine, and an electric motor.
While the vehicle 100 may comprise any number of different types of vehicles in various embodiments, in one exemplary embodiment illustrated in
Still referring to
The ESS 122 is mounted on the chassis 112, and is electrically connected to the inverter 126. The ESS 122 preferably comprises a battery having a pack of battery cells. In one embodiment, the ESS 122 comprises a lithium iron phosphate battery, such as a nanophosphate lithium ion battery. Together the ESS 122 and electric propulsion system(s) 129 provide a drive system to propel the vehicle 100.
The radiator 128 is connected to the frame at an outer portion thereof and although not illustrated in detail, includes multiple cooling channels therein that contain a cooling fluid (i.e., coolant) such as water and/or ethylene glycol (i.e., “antifreeze”) and is coupled to the combustion engine 130 and the inverter 126.
The steering system 150 is mounted on the chassis 112, and controls steering of the wheels 116. The steering system 150 includes a steering wheel and a steering column (not depicted). The steering wheel receives inputs from a driver of the vehicle. The steering column results in desired steering angles for the wheels 116 via the drive shafts 134 based on the inputs from the driver.
The braking system 160 is mounted on the chassis 112, and provides braking for the vehicle 100. The braking system 160 receives inputs from the driver via a brake pedal (not depicted), and provides appropriate braking via brake units (also not depicted). The driver also provides inputs via an accelerator pedal (not depicted) as to a desired speed or acceleration of the vehicle, as well as various other inputs for various vehicle devices and/or systems, such as one or more vehicle radios, other entertainment systems, environmental control systems, lightning units, navigation systems, and the like (also not depicted).
The control system 170 is mounted on the chassis 112. The control system 170 may be coupled to various other vehicle devices and systems, such as, among others, the actuator assembly 120, the steering system 150, the braking system 160, and the electronic control system 118. The control system 170 provides features for the vehicle, including mitigation of shallow offset events involving the vehicle 100 by initiating rotation of one or more of the wheels 116 when a shallow offset event occurs, in accordance with the process described further below in connection with
In certain embodiments, the control system 170 includes or is coupled to one or more actuators 180 that are coupled to one or more of the wheels 116 for initiating rotation of one or more of the wheels 116 via instructions provided by the control system 170 when a shallow offset event occurs. In certain other embodiments, the control system 170 includes or is coupled to one or more actuators 180 that are coupled to the axle 134 for initiating rotation of one or more of the wheels 116 via instructions provided by the control system 170 when a shallow offset event occurs. In certain other embodiments, the control system 170 includes or is coupled to one or more airbags 182 that are disposed proximate one or more of the wheels 116 for initiating rotation of one or more of the wheels 116 via instructions provided by the control system 170 when a shallow offset event occurs.
In addition, although not illustrated as such, the control system 170 (and/or one or more components thereof) may be integral with the electronic control system 118 and may also include one or more power sources. The control system 170 preferably conducts various steps of the process 300 and the steps and sub-processes thereof of
With reference to
The sensor unit 202 includes an electronic frontal sensor (EFS) 210 and/or one or more additional sensors 212. The EFS 210 is disposed on a front surface of the vehicle 100 of
The additional sensors 212 (all preferably disposed onboard the vehicle 100) include one or more cameras 214, radar devices 216 (such as long and short range radar detection devices, lasers, and/or ultrasound devices), and/or other detection devices 218 (such as, by way of example, light detection and ranging (LIDAR) and/or vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communications). The cameras 214 provide camera data pertaining to the barrier and its positioning respect to the vehicle 100 prior to impact for subsequent use in determining whether an event is a shallow offset event. The radar devices 216 provide radar data pertaining to the barrier and its positioning respect to the vehicle 100 prior to impact for subsequent use in determining whether an event is a shallow offset event, and the other detection devices 218 (if any) utilize their respective technologies in providing similar data.
It will be appreciated that the specific sensors of the sensor unit 202 may vary in different embodiments. For example, in certain embodiments there may be an EFS 210 without any additional sensors 212, or vice versa. By way of further example, the additional sensors 212 may vary, and so on. In each of these embodiments, the sensor unit 202 preferably provides data pertaining to these various types of information to the controller 208 for processing and for mitigating shallow offset vehicle events.
The actuator unit 204 is also coupled to the controller 208. In one embodiment, the actuator unit 204 includes one or more wheel actuators 220 that are connected to one or more of the wheels 116 (preferably to one or more of the front wheels 196, 197) of the vehicle 100 that implement instructions from the controller 208 to initiate rotation of one or more of the wheels 116 during a shallow offset event. In another embodiment, the actuator unit 204 includes one or more axle actuators 222 that are connected to an axle of the vehicle (preferably to the front axle 134) that implement instructions from the controller 208 to initiate movement of the axle, to thereby initiate rotation of one or more of the wheels 116.
The airbag unit 206 is also coupled to the controller 208. In one embodiment, the airbag unit 206 comprises one or more airbags that are disposed proximate (and preferably adjacent to) one or more of the wheels 116 (preferably one or more of the front wheels 196, 197) of the vehicle 100. In one such embodiment, the airbag unit 206 is disposed directly behind, or rearward, of one of the wheels 116. However, this may vary in other embodiments. The airbags are inflated in accordance with instructions provided by the controller 208 to initiate rotation of one or more of the wheels 116 during a shallow offset event.
The controller 208 (preferably disposed onboard the vehicle 100) is coupled to the sensor unit 202, as well as to the actuator unit 204 and/or airbag unit 206. The controller 208 processes the data and information received from the sensor unit 202, makes determinations as to the type of event between the vehicle 100 and a barrier (including whether the event is a shallow offset event, and a side of the vehicle 100 in which the event is occurring), and takes action to mitigate shallow offset events through selective rotation of one or more of the wheels 116 of the vehicle 100 (preferably, via instructions provided to the steering system 150, the actuator unit 204, and/or the airbag unit 206), in accordance with the steps of the process described further below in connection with
As depicted in
In the depicted embodiment, the computer system of the controller 208 includes a processor 224, a memory 226, an interface 228, a storage device 230, and a bus 232. The processor 224 performs the computation and control functions of the controller 208, and may comprise any type of processor or multiple processors, single integrated circuits such as a microprocessor, or any suitable number of integrated circuit devices and/or circuit boards working in cooperation to accomplish the functions of a processing unit. During operation, the processor 224 executes one or more programs 234 contained within the memory 226 and, as such, controls the general operation of the controller 208 and the computer system of the controller 208, preferably in executing the steps of the processes described herein, such as the steps of the process 300 (and any sub-processes thereof) in connection with
The memory 226 can be any type of suitable memory. This would include the various types of dynamic random access memory (DRAM) such as SDRAM, the various types of static RAM (SRAM), and the various types of non-volatile memory (PROM, EPROM, and flash). In certain examples, the memory 226 is located on and/or co-located on the same computer chip as the processor 224. In the depicted embodiment, the memory 226 stores the above-referenced program 234 along with one or more stored values 236 for mitigating shallow offset events (for example, threshold values for determining whether an event is a shallow offset event, and the like).
The bus 232 serves to transmit programs, data, status and other information or signals between the various components of the computer system of the controller 208. The interface 228 allows communication to the computer system of the controller 208, for example from a system driver and/or another computer system, and can be implemented using any suitable method and apparatus. It can include one or more network interfaces to communicate with other systems or components. The interface 228 may also include one or more network interfaces to communicate with technicians, and/or one or more storage interfaces to connect to storage apparatuses, such as the storage device 230.
The storage device 230 can be any suitable type of storage apparatus, including direct access storage devices such as hard disk drives, flash systems, floppy disk drives and optical disk drives. In one exemplary embodiment, the storage device 230 comprises a program product from which memory 226 can receive a program 234 that executes one or more embodiments of one or more processes of the present disclosure, such as the steps of the process 300 (and any sub-processes thereof) of
The bus 232 can be any suitable physical or logical means of connecting computer systems and components. This includes, but is not limited to, direct hard-wired connections, fiber optics, infrared and wireless bus technologies. During operation, the program 234 is stored in the memory 226 and executed by the processor 224.
It will be appreciated that while this exemplary embodiment is described in the context of a fully functioning computer system, those skilled in the art will recognize that the mechanisms of the present disclosure are capable of being distributed as a program product with one or more types of non-transitory computer-readable signal bearing media used to store the program and the instructions thereof and carry out the distribution thereof, such as a non-transitory computer readable medium bearing the program and containing computer instructions stored therein for causing a computer processor (such as the processor 224) to perform and execute the program. Such a program product may take a variety of forms, and the present disclosure applies equally regardless of the particular type of computer-readable signal bearing media used to carry out the distribution. Examples of signal bearing media include: recordable media such as floppy disks, hard drives, memory cards and optical disks, and transmission media such as digital and analog communication links. It will similarly be appreciated that the computer system of the controller 208 may also otherwise differ from the embodiment depicted in
The process 300 includes the step of obtaining first sensor data (step 302). The first sensor data preferably includes data from one or more of the additional sensors 212 of the sensor unit 202 of
Second sensor data is also obtained (step 304). The second sensor data preferably includes data from the EFS 210 of the sensor unit 202 of
A determination is made as to whether the vehicle is experiencing an event (step 306). As used throughout this application, an “event” refers to contact between the vehicle and the barrier as the vehicle encounters the barrier. The determination is preferably made by the processor 224 of
If it is determined in step 306 that the vehicle is not experiencing an event, then the process returns to step 302. Steps 302-306 then repeat, preferably continuously, with updated first sensor data and second sensor data until a determination is made in an iteration of step 306 that the vehicle is experiencing an event in which the.
Once it is determined in an iteration of step 306 that the vehicle is experiencing an event, third sensor data is obtained (step 308). The third sensor data preferably includes data from the EFS 210 of the sensor unit 202 of
A determination is made as to whether the event is a shallow offset event (step 310). As mentioned above, a shallow offset event is considered to occur when less than a predetermined percentage of the front surface of the vehicle comes into contact with the barrier during the event. In one such example, this predetermined percentage is equal to twenty five percent. This determination is preferably made by the processor 224 of
In one embodiment, a determination is made that the event between the vehicle and the barrier is a shallow offset based on the third sensor data of step 308 that is measured immediately or very shortly after (e.g., a few milliseconds after) the beginning of the event. In one such example, the event is determined to be a shallow offset event if an absolute value of a rate of change in velocity of the vehicle from the third sensor data of step 308 (preferably, generated by the EFS 210 very shortly after the event begins) is greater than a second predetermined threshold. The second predetermined threshold is preferably stored in the memory 226 of
In certain other embodiments, a determination is made as to whether the event between the vehicle and the barrier is a shallow offset based on the first sensor data of step 302 that is generated prior to the beginning of the event. In one such example, the event is determined to be a shallow offset event if camera data from step 302 taken prior to the event indicates that less than twenty five percent of the front surface of the vehicle is about to come into contact with the barrier during the event. In another such example, the event is determined to be a shallow offset event if radar data from step 302 taken prior to the event indicates that less than twenty five percent of the front surface of the vehicle is about to come into contact with the barrier during the event. In certain other such examples, the event is determined to be a shallow offset event if other data (e.g., from a LIDAR device) from step 302 taken prior to the event indicates that less than twenty five percent of the front surface of the vehicle is about to come into contact with the barrier during the event. In certain embodiments, one or more of the cameras 214 and/or radar devices 216 of
In certain embodiments, the first sensor data of step 302 and the third sensor data of step 308 are used together for the determination of step 310 as to whether a shallow offset event is occurring. In other embodiments, the first sensor data of step 302 may be used without the third sensor data of step 308, or vice versa, for determining whether a shallow offset event is occurring. Accordingly, in certain embodiments, one of steps 302 or 308 may not be necessary, and so on.
If it is determined in step 310 that a shallow offset event is not occurring, then standard procedures are implemented for events that are not shallow offset events step (312). For example, in certain embodiments, airbags inside the cabin of the vehicle may be deployed, a fuel pump of the vehicle may be shut down, high voltage electrical vehicle components may be shut down, and so, based on instructions provided by the processor 224 of
Conversely, if it is determined in step 310 that a shallow offset event is occurring, then a determination is made as to a side of the vehicle in which the shallow offset event is predominantly occurring (step 314). During step 314, a determination is preferably made as to whether the shallow offset event is occurring predominantly on the driver side 194 or the passenger side 195 of
In addition, during the shallow offset event, rotation of one or more of the wheels is initiated (step 316). In one embodiment, during step 316, the rotation of the one or more wheels (discussed in greater detail below) is initiated in addition to other standard event procedures, such as the above described deployment of airbags inside the cabin of the vehicle, shutting down of the fuel pump of the vehicle, shutting down high voltage vehicle electrical components, and so on. The actions of step 316 are preferably performed via instructions provided by the processor 224 of
Similar to the discussion above with respect to
The direction of the wheel rotation initiated in step 316 is based on the side of the vehicle in which the shallow offset event is determined to be occurring, as determined in step 314. Specifically, if it is determined in step 314 that the shallow offset event is occurring predominantly on the driver side 194 of
The magnitude of rotation of step 316 may vary in different embodiments. In one embodiment, the wheels are rotated approximately ten degrees, for example, for an average sedan. However, the magnitude of the rotation may vary in different embodiments, and may vary based on the type of vehicle (for example, certain relatively larger vehicles may require a larger magnitude of rotation). For example, for full size trucks, the wheel rotation may be in the range of 15-17 degrees in certain embodiments, and so on.
With reference to
The shallow offset mitigation illustrated in
While
Accordingly, methods and systems, and vehicles are provided for mitigating shallow offset vehicle events. While a shallow offset event is occurring, one or more of the wheels of the vehicle or selectively rotated during the event to help mitigate the effects of the event.
It will be appreciated that the disclosed methods, systems, and vehicles may vary from those depicted in the Figures and described herein. For example, the vehicle 100, control system 170, and/or various components thereof may vary from that depicted in
While at least one exemplary embodiment has been presented in the foregoing detailed description, it should be appreciated that a vast number of variations exist. It should also be appreciated that the exemplary embodiment or exemplary embodiments are only examples, and are not intended to limit the scope, applicability, or configuration of the invention in any way. Rather, the foregoing detailed description will provide those skilled in the art with a convenient road map for implementing the exemplary embodiment or exemplary embodiments. It should be understood that various changes can be made in the function and arrangement of elements without departing from the scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claims and the legal equivalents thereof.
