Traction control considering wheel slip, pitch and heave

1. A traction control system for a motor vehicle, the traction control system comprising an electronic controller configured to identify a wheelslip condition and initiate a traction control intervention at one or more vehicle wheels in dependence on the wheelslip condition, wherein the electronic controller is configured to modify the traction control intervention at said one or more wheels in dependence on a reduced wheel load condition in said one or more wheels, the reduced wheel load condition being identified based on at least one of: a signal indicative of vehicle pitch; or a signal indicative of vehicle heave, wherein one or more of the signal indicative of vehicle pitch comprises vehicle pitch data and the signal indicative of vehicle heave comprises vehicle heave data, and wherein one or more of the vehicle pitch data comprise a pitch profile over time associated with the reduced wheel load condition, the pitch data comprise an inertial pitch sensor signal, the heave data comprise a heave profile over time associated with the reduced wheel load condition, and the heave data comprise an inertial heave sensor signal, and further wherein the controller is configured to modify the traction control intervention by reducing or eliminating the traction control intervention at said one or more wheels.

2. The traction control system of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to reduce the traction control intervention such that a severity of the traction control intervention is reduced based on the reduced wheel load condition.

3. The traction control system of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to eliminate the traction control intervention such that the traction control intervention is eliminated based on the reduced wheel load condition.

4. The traction control system of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to scale or customize the reducing or eliminating of the traction control intervention in dependence on the identified reduced wheel load condition.

5. The traction control system of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to carry out at least one of: omit the reducing or eliminating of the traction control intervention in an off-road mode of the vehicle; and modify the traction control intervention by enhancing the traction control intervention in an off-road mode of the vehicle.

6. The traction control system of claim 1 , wherein the reduced wheel load condition is an airborne wheel condition.

7. The traction control system of claim 1 , wherein the traction control intervention comprises one or more of: braking said one or more wheels; and a reduction in an engine torque driving said one or more wheels.

8. The traction control system of claim 1 , wherein the reduced wheel load condition is also identified based on additional data selected from one or more of yaw data, roll data, longitudinal acceleration, lateral acceleration, and speed data of the vehicle.

9. The traction control system of claim 1 , wherein the controller is configured to initiate a plurality of distinct traction control interventions in a plurality of wheels and to modify each intervention in dependence on an identified wheel load condition in the associated wheel or wheels.

10. A vehicle comprising a plurality of wheels, a powertrain, a brake system, sensing means for sensing at least one of vehicle pitch data and vehicle heave data, and a traction control system according to claim 1 , the traction control system being configured to initiate traction control intervention in at least one of the plurality of wheels.

11. A traction control system for a motor vehicle, the traction control system comprising an electronic controller configured to identify a wheelslip condition and initiate a traction control intervention at one or more vehicle wheels in dependence on the wheelslip condition, wherein the electronic controller is configured to modify the traction control intervention at said one or more wheels in dependence on a reduced wheel load condition in said one or more wheels, the reduced wheel load condition being identified based on at least one of: a signal indicative of vehicle pitch; or a signal indicative of vehicle heave, wherein one or more of the signal indicative of vehicle pitch comprises vehicle pitch data and the signal indicative of vehicle heave comprises vehicle heave data, and the controller is configured to one or more of: receive at least one of the pitch data and the heave data and to identify the reduced wheel load condition based on the received data; identify the reduced wheel load condition by comparing the received data with reference data; and compare a profile over time associated with the received data with a reference profile to identify the reduced wheel load condition, and further wherein the controller is configured to modify the traction control intervention by reducing or eliminating the traction control intervention at said one or more wheels.

12. A method of controlling traction at one or more wheels of a motor vehicle, the method comprising: identifying a wheelslip condition in said one or more wheels, identifying a reduced wheel load condition in said one or more wheels based on at least one of vehicle pitch data or vehicle heave data, wherein one or more of the vehicle pitch data comprise a pitch profile over time associated with the reduced wheel load condition, the pitch data comprise an inertial pitch sensor signal, the heave data comprise a heave profile over time associated with the reduced wheel load condition, and the heave data comprise an inertial heave sensor signal; and determining a modified traction control intervention at said one or more wheels in dependence on the wheelslip condition and the reduced wheel load condition, wherein determining a modified traction control intervention comprises reducing or eliminating the traction control intervention at said one or more wheels.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the reduced traction control intervention comprises at least one of braking said one or more wheels and a reduction in an engine torque driving said one or more wheels.

14. The method of claim 12 , comprising identifying the reduced wheel load condition based on additional data selected from one or more of yaw data, roll data, longitudinal acceleration, lateral acceleration, and speed data of the vehicle.

15. The method of claim 12 , wherein the reduced wheel load condition is an airborne wheel condition.

16. A non-transitory carrier medium carrying computer readable code for controlling a vehicle to carry out the method according to claim 12 .

17. An electronic controller for a vehicle having a storage medium associated therewith storing instructions that when executed by the controller cause the determination of a modified traction control intervention in accordance with a method comprising: identifying a wheelslip condition in one or more wheels, identifying a reduced wheel load condition in said one or more wheels based on at least one of vehicle pitch data or vehicle heave data, wherein one or more of the vehicle pitch data comprise a pitch profile over time associated with the reduced wheel load condition, the pitch data comprise an inertial pitch sensor signal, the heave data comprise a heave profile over time associated with the reduced wheel load condition, and the heave data comprise an inertial heave sensor signal; and determining a modified traction control intervention at said one or more wheels in dependence on the wheelslip condition and the reduced wheel load condition, wherein the controller is configured to modify the traction control intervention by reducing or eliminating the traction control intervention at said one or more wheels.