IP Library › Granted Patent US 7,725,229
Granted Patent B2
US 7,725,229 · App. 11/596,133 · Granted May 25, 2010

Method and device for detecting a rollover situation of a motor vehicle

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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 7,725,229
App. No.
11/596,133
Granted
May 25, 2010
Kind
B2
Abstract

A rate of rotation around the longitudinal axis of a motor vehicle and the lateral inclination thereof are determined as state variables. A rollover situation is detected when the state variables are greater than the characteristic curve of a minimum triggering threshold in a surface plane defined by the state variables.

Claims (13)

1. A method of detecting a rollover situation of a vehicle, which comprises:

determining state variables including a rate of rotation about a longitudinal axis of the vehicle and a pitch angle of the vehicle in a lateral direction thereof;

predicting the rate of rotation as a function of at least one of a sensed lateral acceleration and a sensed vertical acceleration of the vehicle; and

detecting a rollover situation if the state variables exceed an activation threshold characteristic in a state space spanned by the state variables.

2. The method according to claim 1 , which comprises defining an activation threshold characteristic to run linearly between a dynamic roll point and a static roll point in the state space.

3. The method according to claim 2 , which comprises predicting the pitch angle of the vehicle.

4. The method according to claim 3 , which comprises predicting the pitch angle as a function of at least one of a sensed lateral acceleration and a sensed vertical acceleration of the vehicle.

5. The method according to claim 2 , which comprises, when performing the step of detecting a rollover situation, correcting one of the state variables such that the activation threshold characteristic is exceeded.

6. The method according to claim 2 , which comprises performing a plausibility check in dependence on at least one of a sensed lateral acceleration and a sensed vertical acceleration of the vehicle, and introducing the plausibility check as a further precondition that the rollover situation is finally detected.

7. The method according to claim 2 , which comprises determining the pitch angle as a function of the rate of rotation.

8. A device for detecting a rollover situation of a vehicle, the device comprising:

means for determining state variables of the vehicle including a rate of rotation of the vehicle about a longitudinal axis thereof and a pitch of the vehicle in a lateral direction, wherein the means for determining state variables predicts the rate of rotation as a function of at least one of a sensed lateral acceleration and a sensed vertical acceleration of the vehicle; and

means for detecting a rollover situation if the state variables of the vehicle exceed an activation threshold characteristic in a state space spanned by the state variables.