IP Library Granted Patent US 12,296,829
Granted Patent B2
US 12,296,829 · App. 17/452,908 · Granted May 13, 2025

Control unit and a method for controlling a wheel on a vehicle

Inventors: Adithya Arikere (Gothenburg, SE); Niklas Fröjd (Mölnlycke, SE); Leo Laine (Härryda, SE); Leon Henderson (Härryda, SE); Sidhant Ray (Gothenburg, SE)
Assignee: VOLVO TRUCK CORPORATION
B60W30/18172B60T8/175B60T8/1761B60T8/1763B60W2520/10B60W2520/12B60W2520/26B60W2520/28B60W2520/30B60W2530/10B60W2530/20B60W2555/20B60W2720/28B60W2720/30
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,296,829
App. No.
17/452,908
Granted
May 13, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

The invention relates to a control unit for controlling torque applied to a vehicle wheel provided with a tyre, wherein the control unit comprises or is operatively connected to a data storage, which data storage has a stored tyre model for the tyre, wherein, in the tyre model, longitudinal tyre force is represented as at least a function of longitudinal wheel slip, longitudinal wheel slip being dependent on rotational speed of the wheel and velocity of the vehicle. The control unit is configured to correct said function based on a tyre parameter input and to convert a wheel torque request to a wheel rotational speed request based on the corrected function, and to send the wheel rotational speed request to an actuator for providing a rotational speed of the wheel corresponding to said wheel rotational speed request. The invention also relates to a method and to a kit.

Claims (104)

1. A control unit for controlling a vehicle wheel provided with a tire, wherein the control unit comprises or is operatively connected to a data storage, which data storage has a stored tire model for the tire,

wherein the control unit is configured to:

representing a longitudinal tire force, in the tire model, as at least a function of a longitudinal wheel slip, wherein the longitudinal wheel slip is dependent on a rotational speed of the wheel and a velocity of a vehicle,

receiving at least one tire parameter input, which tire parameter input includes a measured value of at least one parameter which affects a longitudinal slip stiffness of the tire,

correct said function in the stored tire model by applying a slip stiffness correction factor on said function based on the received tire parameter input, wherein the correction occurs at the same or at different intervals dependent on the received tire parameter input;

establishing a relation between the slip stiffness correction factor and the received tire parameter input is established by identifying properties of the tire at different conditions,

obtaining or generating a wheel torque request,

converting the obtained or generated wheel torque request to a wheel rotational speed request based on the corrected function, and

sending the wheel rotational speed request to an actuator for providing the rotational speed of the wheel corresponding to said wheel rotational speed request.

2. The control unit according to claim 1 , wherein said at least one parameter is selected from the group consisting of:

age of the tire,

ambient temperature,

inflation pressure of the tire,

normal load on the tire, and

wear of the tire.

3. The control unit according to claim 1 , wherein the slip stiffness correction factor has a variation with respect to the parameter.

4. The control unit according to claim 1 , wherein the control unit is configured to receive a plurality of different tire parameter inputs, each tire parameter input including a measured value of a respective one of a plurality of parameters which affect the longitudinal slip stiffness of the tire, wherein the control unit is configured to correct said function in the stored tire model by applying a combined correction factor on said function, the combined correction factor being a function of a plurality of slip stiffness correction factors, wherein each slip stiffness correction factor has a variation relative to a respective one of said plurality of parameters.

5. The control unit according to claim 1 , wherein said at least one tire parameter input is a primary tire parameter input and said at least one parameter is a primary parameter, wherein the control unit is further configured to correct said function in the stored tire model based on at least one secondary tire parameter input which secondary tire parameter input includes a measured value of at least one secondary parameter, the at least one secondary parameter being selected from the group consisting of:

rolling radius,

nominal peak friction, and

rolling resistance coefficient.

6. The control unit according to claim 1 , wherein in its conversion of the wheel torque request to the wheel rotational speed request, the control unit is configured to calculate a slip request based on the corrected function and to transform the slip request to the wheel rotational speed request using the slip formula:

λ

=

R

ω

-

v

x

max

(

R

ω

,

v

x

)

where λ is the longitudinal wheel slip, where Rω is the rotational speed of the wheel, of which R is the wheel radius in meters and ω is the angular velocity of the wheel, and where v x , is the longitudinal speed of the wheel.

7. A vehicle comprising, a control unit including or operatively connected to a data storage, which data storage has a stored tire model for the tire, wherein the control unit is configured to:

representing a longitudinal tire force, in the tire model, as at least a function of a longitudinal wheel slip, wherein the longitudinal wheel slip is dependent on a rotational speed of the wheel and a velocity of a vehicle,

receiving at least one tire parameter input, which tire parameter input includes a measured value of at least one parameter which affects a longitudinal slip stiffness of the tire,

correct said function in the stored tire model by applying a slip stiffness correction factor on said function based on the received tire parameter input, wherein the correction occurs at the same or at different intervals dependent on the received tire parameter input;

establishing a relation between the slip stiffness correction factor and the received tire parameter input is established by identifying properties of the tire at different conditions,

obtaining or generating a wheel torque request,

converting the obtained or generated wheel torque request to a wheel rotational speed request based on the corrected function, and

sending the wheel rotational speed request to an actuator for providing the rotational speed of the wheel corresponding to said wheel rotational speed request.

8. A method for controlling torque applied to a vehicle wheel provided with a tire, comprising:

representing a longitudinal tire force, in a tire model, as at least a function of a longitudinal wheel slip, wherein the longitudinal wheel slip is dependent on a rotational speed of the wheel and a velocity of a vehicle,

receiving at least one tire parameter input, which tire parameter input includes a measured value of at least one parameter which affects a longitudinal slip stiffness of the tire,

correcting said function in the tire model for the tire at the same or at different intervals by applying a slip stiffness correction factor on said function based on the received tire parameter input;

establishing a relation between the slip stiffness correction factor and the received tire parameter input by identifying properties of the tire at different conditions,

obtaining or generating a wheel torque request,

converting the obtained or generated wheel torque request to a wheel rotational speed request based on the corrected function, and

sending the wheel rotational speed request to an actuator for providing the rotational speed of the wheel corresponding to said wheel rotational speed request.

9. The method according to claim 8 , wherein said at least one parameter is selected from the group consisting of:

age of the tire,

ambient temperature,

inflation pressure of the tire,

normal load on the tire, and

wear of the tire.

10. The method according to claim 8 , wherein the slip stiffness correction factor has a variation with respect to the parameter.

11. The method according to claim 8 , comprising:

receiving a plurality of different tire parameter inputs, each tire parameter input including a measured value of a respective one of a plurality of parameters which affect the longitudinal slip stiffness of the tire, wherein said step of correcting comprises applying a combined correction factor on said function, the combined correction factor being a function of a plurality of slip stiffness correction factors, wherein each slip stiffness correction factor has a variation relative to a respective one of said plurality of parameters.

12. The method according to claim 8 , wherein said at least one tire parameter input is a primary tire parameter input and said at least one parameter is a primary parameter, wherein the act of correcting comprises correcting said function in the stored tire model based on at least one secondary tire parameter input which secondary tire parameter input includes a measured value of at least one secondary parameter, the at least one secondary parameter being selected from the group consisting of:

rolling radius,

nominal peak friction, and

rolling resistance coefficient.

13. The method according to claim 8 , wherein the act of converting comprises calculating a slip request based on the corrected function and to transform the slip request to the wheel rotational speed request using the slip formula:

λ

=

R

ω

-

v

x

max

(

R

ω

,

v

x

)

where λ is the longitudinal wheel slip, where Rω is the rotational speed of the wheel, of which R is the wheel radius in meters and ω is the angular velocity of the wheel, and where v x , is the longitudinal speed of the wheel.

14. A non-transitory computer readable medium carrying a computer program comprising program code for performing the steps of claim 8 when said program code is run on a computer.

15. A kit, comprising: a tire and a tire model signal, the tire model signal being adapted to generate a value of a longitudinal tire force as a function of longitudinal wheel slip of the tire, wherein said function is corrected by applying a slip stiffness correction factor based on a received tire parameter input and wherein a relation between the slip stiffness correction factor and the received tire parameter input is established by identifying properties of the tire at different conditions, wherein the value of longitudinal force is generated at a predetermined interval, when mounted on a vehicle.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Apr 27, 2022
From: ARIKERE, ADITHYA; FRÖJD, NIKLAS; LAINE, LEO; HENDERSON, LEON; RAY, SIDHANT
To: VOLVO TRUCK CORPORATION
Reel/Frame 059742/0548 →
Priority Claims (1)
EP 20206187 · Nov 6, 2020 · regional
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20220144279A1 · May 12, 2022
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