Method for estimating tire forces from CAN-bus accessible sensor inputs

1. A method for estimating a tire state including normal force, lateral force, and longitudinal force on a tire mounted to a wheel and supporting a vehicle that includes a CAN-bus, comprising:

equipping the vehicle with a plurality of CAN-bus accessible, vehicle mounted sensors which provide CAN-bus input sensor data, the input sensor data including acceleration and angular velocities, steering wheel angle measurement, angular wheel speed of the wheel, roll rate, pitch rate, and yaw rate;

accessing the CAN-bus to obtain the input sensor data;

deploying a normal force estimator operable to estimate in real time a normal force on the tire from a summation of longitudinal load transfer, lateral load transfer and static normal force using as inputs lateral acceleration, longitudinal acceleration and roll angle derived from the input sensor data;

deploying a lateral force estimator operable to estimate in real time a lateral force on the tire from a planar vehicle model using as inputs measured lateral acceleration, longitudinal acceleration and yaw rate derived from the input sensor data;

deploying a longitudinal force estimator operable to estimate in real time a longitudinal force on the tire from a wheel rotational dynamics model using as inputs wheel angular speed and drive/brake torque derived from the input sensor data; and

outputting the estimation of normal force on the tire, the estimation of lateral force on the tire, and the longitudinal force on the tire to an operating system of the vehicle.

2. The method for estimating a tire state of claim 1 , further comprising:

deploying a roll and pitch angle estimator operable to generate a roll angle estimation and a pitch angle estimation from the input sensor data;

deploying an acceleration bias compensation estimator operable to generate bias-compensated acceleration data from the roll estimation, the pitch estimation and the input sensor data;

deploying a center of gravity estimator operable to generate a center of gravity height estimation from the roll angle estimation, the pitch angle estimation and the input sensor data;

deploying a tire rolling radius estimator operable to generate a tire rolling radius estimation from the input sensor data;

deploying a mass estimator operable to generate a vehicle mass estimation from the tire longitudinal force estimation and a road grade angle input;

deploying a center of gravity longitudinal position estimator operable to generate a vehicle longitudinal center of gravity estimation; and

deploying a yaw inertia adaptation model operable to generate a yaw inertia output from the vehicle mass estimation.

3. The method for estimating a tire state of claim 2 , further comprising configuring the longitudinal force estimator to generate the tire longitudinal force estimation from the tire rolling radius estimation, an engine torque input and a braking torque input.

4. The method for estimating a tire state of claim 2 , further comprising configuring the normal force estimator to generate the normal force on the tire estimation from the center of gravity height estimation, the center of gravity longitudinal position estimation and the vehicle mass estimation.

5. The method for estimating a tire state of claim 2 , further comprising configuring the lateral force estimator to generate the lateral force on the tire from the input sensor data including a measured lateral acceleration, a measured longitudinal acceleration and the yaw rate.

6. The method for estimating a tire state of claim 5 , further comprising:

deploying a yaw inertia adaptation model operable to generate a yaw inertia output from the vehicle mass estimation; and

deploying an axle force estimator operable to generate a lateral force estimation from the vehicle mass estimation, the yaw inertia output, the tire dynamic load estimation, the center of gravity longitudinal position estimation, the bias-compensated acceleration data, a steering wheel angle input, a yaw rate input and the tire dynamic load estimation.

7. The method for estimating a tire state of claim 2 , further comprising generating the acceleration and angular velocities, the pitch rate, the yaw rate and the roll rate from a six degree inertial measuring unit mounted to the vehicle.

8. The method for estimating a tire state of claim 2 , further comprising configuring the roll and pitch angle estimator upon a kinematics model of the vehicle.

9. The method for estimating a tire state of claim 2 , further comprising configuring the center of gravity estimator upon a one degree of freedom roll model employing a recursive least squares algorithm.

10. The method for estimating a tire state of claim 2 , further comprising configuring the tire longitudinal force estimator upon an application of a wheel dynamics model using as model inputs the wheel angular speed and a measured drive and brake torque.

11. The method for estimating a tire state of claim 2 , further comprising configuring the input sensor data to exclude use of data from a global positioning system or data from a suspension displacement sensor.

12. A method for estimating a tire state including normal force, lateral force and longitudinal force on a tire mounted to a wheel and supporting a vehicle that includes a CAN-bus, comprising:

equipping the vehicle with a plurality of CAN-bus accessible, vehicle mounted sensors which provide CAN-bus input sensor data, the input sensor data including acceleration and angular velocities, steering wheel angle measurement, angular wheel speed of the wheel, roll rate, pitch rate, and yaw rate;

accessing the CAN-bus to obtain the input sensor data;

configuring the input sensor data to exclude use of data from a global positioning system or data from a suspension displacement sensor;

deploying a normal force estimator operable to estimate in real time a normal force on the tire from a summation of longitudinal load transfer, lateral load transfer and static normal force using as inputs lateral acceleration, longitudinal acceleration and roll angle derived from the input sensor data;

deploying a lateral force estimator operable to estimate in real time a lateral force on the tire from a planar vehicle model using as inputs measured lateral acceleration, longitudinal acceleration and yaw rate derived from the input sensor data;

deploying a longitudinal force estimator operable to estimate in real time a longitudinal force on the tire from a wheel rotational dynamics model using as inputs wheel angular speed and drive/brake torque derived from the input sensor data; and

outputting the estimation of normal force on the tire, the estimation of lateral force on the tire, and the longitudinal force on the tire to an operating system of the vehicle.

13. The method for estimating a tire state of claim 12 , further comprising:

deploying a roll and pitch angle estimator operable to generate a roll angle estimation and a pitch angle estimation from the input sensor data;

deploying an acceleration bias compensation estimator operable to generate bias-compensated acceleration data from the roll estimation, the pitch estimation, and the input sensor data;

deploying a center of gravity estimator operable to generate a center of gravity height estimation from the roll angle estimation, the pitch angle estimation and the input sensor data;

deploying a tire rolling radius estimator operable to generate a tire rolling radius estimation from the input sensor data;

deploying a mass estimator operable to generate a vehicle mass estimation from the tire longitudinal force estimation and a road grade angle input;

deploying a center of gravity longitudinal position estimator operable to generate a vehicle longitudinal center of gravity estimation; and

deploying a yaw inertia adaptation model operable to generate a yaw inertia output from the vehicle mass estimation.

14. The method for estimating a tire state of claim 13 , further comprising configuring the longitudinal force estimator to generate the tire longitudinal force estimation from the tire rolling radius estimation, an engine torque input and a braking torque input.

15. The method for estimating a tire state of claim 13 , further comprising configuring the normal force estimator to generate the normal force on the tire estimation from the center of gravity height estimation, the center of gravity longitudinal position estimation and the vehicle mass estimation.

16. The method for estimating a tire state of claim 13 , further comprising configuring the lateral force estimator to generate the lateral force on the tire from the input sensor data including a measured lateral acceleration, a measured longitudinal acceleration and the yaw rate.

17. The method for estimating a tire state of claim 16 , further comprising:

deploying a yaw inertia adaptation model operable to generate a yaw inertia output from the vehicle mass estimation; and

deploying an axle force estimator operable to generate a lateral force estimation from the vehicle mass estimation, the yaw inertia output, the tire dynamic load estimation, the center of gravity longitudinal position estimation, the bias-compensated acceleration data, a steering wheel angle input, a yaw rate input and the tire dynamic load estimation.

18. The method for estimating a tire state of claim 13 , further comprising generating the acceleration and angular velocities, the pitch rate, the yaw rate and the roll rate from a six degree inertial measuring unit mounted to the vehicle.

19. The method for estimating a tire state of claim 13 , further comprising configuring the roll and pitch angle estimator upon a kinematics model of the vehicle.

20. The method for estimating a tire state of claim 13 , further comprising:

configuring the center of gravity estimator upon a one degree of freedom roll model employing a recursive least squares algorithm; and

configuring the tire longitudinal force estimator upon an application of a wheel dynamics model using as model inputs the wheel angular speed and a measured drive and brake torque.