IP Library Granted Patent US 11,618,459
Granted Patent B1
US 11,618,459 · App. 17/721,017 · Granted Apr 4, 2023

Vehicle mass calculation and vehicle controls

Inventors: Yuji Fujii (Ann Arbor, MI); Ankit Saini (Novi, MI); Yijing Zhang (Canton, MI); Weitian Chen (Windsor, CA); Akshay Bichkar (Ann Arbor, MI); Conor Edward Sullivan (Canton, MI); Hong Jiang (Birmingham, MI); Thirumal Nagadi (Troy, MI); Jose Velazquez Alcantar (Canton, MI)
Assignee: Ford Global Technologies, LLC
B60W40/13B60W20/10B60W30/09B60W50/045B60W2050/0052B60W2530/10B60W2530/20B60W2530/203
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,618,459
App. No.
17/721,017
Granted
Apr 4, 2023
Kind
B1
Abstract

A vehicle includes a powertrain, an inertial measurement unit configured to measure inertial forces exerted onto the vehicle, and a controller. The controller is programmed to control the torque at the powertrain based on a mapped relationship between the inertial forces and a vehicle velocity, wherein the mapped relationship utilizes at least one mapping parameter. The controller is further programmed to estimate a mass of the vehicle based on the mapping parameter.

Claims (30)

1. A vehicle comprising:

a powertrain;

wheels powered by the powertrain and including tires; and

a controller programmed to command torque to the powertrain based on a computed vehicle mass that is derived from a non-measured mapping parameter of a powertrain torque map and a radius of one or more of the tires.

2. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the computed vehicle mass is further derived from a final drive ratio of the powertrain.

3. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the computed vehicle mass is further derived a from quotient of the mapping parameter and the radius.

4. The vehicle of claim 3 , wherein the computed vehicle mass is further derived from the quotient multiplied by a final drive ratio of the powertrain.

5. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the computed vehicle mass is equal to the quotient of the mapping parameter and the radius multiplied by a final drive ratio of the powertrain.

6. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the computed vehicle mass is inclusive of objects towed by the vehicle.

7. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the computed vehicle mass increases as the mapping parameter increases and decreases as the mapping parameter decreases.

8. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein the mapping parameter is derived utilizing a Kalman filter or a recursive least square method.

9. The vehicle of claim 1 further comprising an inertial measurement unit configured to measure inertial forces exerted onto the vehicle, wherein the mapping parameter is based on the measured inertial forces.

10. A vehicle comprising:

a powertrain;

an inertial measurement unit configured to measure inertial forces exerted onto the vehicle; and

a controller programmed to:

control the torque at the powertrain based on a mapped relationship between the inertial forces and a vehicle velocity, wherein the mapped relationship utilizes at least one mapping parameter, and

estimate a mass of the vehicle based on the mapping parameter.

11. The vehicle of claim 10 , wherein the controller is further programmed to control the torque at the powertrain further based on the estimated mass of the vehicle.

12. The vehicle of claim 10 further comprising a collision avoidance system, wherein the controller is further programmed to adjust activation of the collision avoidance system based on the estimated mass of the vehicle.

13. The vehicle of claim 10 , where the estimated mass of the vehicle is further based on a tire radius.

14. The vehicle of claim 10 , wherein the estimated mass of the vehicle is further based on a final drive ratio of the powertrain.

15. The vehicle of claim 14 , wherein the estimated mass of the vehicle is further based on a quotient of the mapping parameter and the radius.

16. The vehicle of claim 15 , wherein the estimated mass of the vehicle is further based on the quotient multiplied by a final drive ratio of the powertrain.

17. The vehicle of claim 10 , wherein the estimated mass of the vehicle increases as the mapping parameter increases and decreases as the mapping parameter decreases.

18. The vehicle of claim 10 , wherein the mapped relationship utilizes four mapping parameters.

19. A method comprising:

controlling torque of a vehicle powertrain based on a mapped relationship between inertial forces and a vehicle velocity, wherein the mapped relationship utilizes at least one non-measured mapping parameter; and

estimating a mass of the vehicle based on the non-measured mapping parameter and a radius of a tire associated with the powertrain.

20. The method of claim 19 further comprising controlling a collision-avoidance system based on the estimated vehicle mass.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Apr 29, 2022
From: FUJII, YUJI; SAINI, ANKIT; ZHANG, YIJING; CHEN, WEITIAN; BICHKAR, AKSHAY; SULLIVAN, CONOR EDWARD; JIANG, HONG; NAGADI, THIRUMAL; VELAZQUEZ ALCANTAR, JOSE
To: FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC
Reel/Frame 059771/0811 →
Cited By (1)
US 12,545,266