US Patent No: 5,446,658

Number of patents in Portfolio can not be more than 2000

Method and apparatus for estimating incline and bank angles of a road surface

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Importance

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Abstract

The present invention is directed to a method and apparatus for estimating incline and bank angles of a road surface upon which a front wheel drive vehicle is travelling. Each nondriven rear wheel is equipped with a rotational speed sensor. The vehicle is further equipped with longitudinal and lateral accelerometers mounted to the vehicle chassis above the centerline of the rear axle. Outputs from the speed sensors and accelerometers are fed into a vehicle on-board controller and utilized in computing the incline and bank angles of the road surface. Updated incline and bank angles are maintained in the controller's memory for access by various control systems to alter vehicle attributes for improved handling and operation.

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First Claim

Related Publications

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Patent Owner(s)

Patent OwnerAddressTotal Patents
GENERAL MOTORS CORPORATIONDETROIT, MI5522

International Classification(s)

Inventor(s)

Inventor Name Address # of filed Patents Total Citations
Pastor, Stephen R Farmington Hills, MI 9 193
Tierney, Gordon L Washington, MI 7 214

Cited Art

Patent Info (Count) # Cites Year
 
VISTEON GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, INC. (2)
5,043,896 Vehicle braking system controller/road friction and hill slope tracking system 20 1990
5,132,906 Road surface friction and hill slope estimator 28 1990
 
GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS, INC. (1)
5,258,912 Wheel understeer speed control 44 1991
 
HITACHI, LTD. (1)
5,058,017 System for control of vehicle suspension 83 1988
 
MITSUBISHI JIDOSHA KOGYO K.K. (A.K.A. MITSUBISHI MOTORS CORPORATION) (1)
5,347,457 Method and apparatus for controlling vehicle suspension such that suspension characteristics are changed at a point in time when a vehicle wheel reaches a road surface irregularity detected in front of the vehicle 24 1991
 
TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA (1)
5,243,564 Doppler-effect vehicle ground-speed detecting apparatus having means for detecting vehicle body inclination 4 1992
 
OTHER [CHECK PATENT PROFILE FOR ASSIGNMENT INFORMATION] (1)
4,788,773 Apparatus for measuring lateral inclination of a roadway with error compensation 17 1985

Patent Citation Ranking

Forward Cites

Patent Info (Count) # Cites Year
 
FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, LLC (35)
6,799,092 Rollover stability control for an automotive vehicle using rear wheel steering and brake control 49 2001
6,529,803 Roll over stability control for an automotive vehicle having rear wheel steering 58 2001
6,804,584 Method for determining the roll angle of a vehicle using an estimation of road bank angle 15 2002
6,654,674 Enhanced system for yaw stability control system to include roll stability control function 57 2002
6,834,218 Roll over stability control for an automotive vehicle 36 2003
7,136,731 System for determining vehicular relative roll angle during a potential rollover event 4 2003
7,233,236 Passive wheel lift identification for an automotive vehicle using operating input torque to wheel 6 2003
7,132,937 Wheel lift identification for an automotive vehicle using passive and active detection 10 2003
7,109,856 Wheel lifted and grounded identification for an automotive vehicle 7 2003
6,904,350 System for dynamically determining the wheel grounding and wheel lifting conditions and their applications in roll stability control 13 2003
7,194,351 System and method for determining a wheel departure angle for a rollover control system 2 2003
7,085,639 System and method for characterizing the road bank for vehicle roll stability control 5 2003
7,003,389 System and method for characterizing vehicle body to road angle for vehicle roll stability control 3 2003
7,085,642 Method and system for correcting sensor offsets 6 2003
7,430,468 System and method for sensitizing the activation criteria of a rollover control system 2 2003
6,941,205 System and method for deteching roll rate sensor fault 2 2003
7,239,949 Integrated sensing system 21 2004
7,079,928 System and method for determining a wheel departure angle for a rollover control system with respect to road roll rate and loading misalignment 12 2004
7,653,471 Active driven wheel lift identification for an automotive vehicle 7 2004
7,027,903 Roll over stability control for an automotive vehicle 4 2004
RE40496 Attitude sensing system for an automotive vehicle relative to the road 0 2004
7,308,350 Method and apparatus for determining adaptive brake gain parameters for use in a safety system of an automotive vehicle 2 2004
7,451,032 System and method for determining desired yaw rate and lateral velocity for use in a vehicle dynamic control system 3 2004
7,640,081 Roll stability control using four-wheel drive 2 2004
7,668,645 System and method for dynamically determining vehicle loading and vertical loading distance for use in a vehicle dynamic control system 3 2004
7,715,965 System and method for qualitatively determining vehicle loading conditions 1 2004
7,660,654 System for dynamically determining vehicle rear/trunk loading for use in a vehicle control system 1 2004
RE40268 Wheel lift identification for an automotive vehicle 0 2004
7,130,735 Roll over stability control for an automotive vehicle 5 2005
7,480,547 Attitude sensing system for an automotive vehicle relative to the road 7 2005
7,120,528 System and method for operating a rollover control system in a transition to a rollover condition 8 2005
7,590,481 Integrated vehicle control system using dynamically determined vehicle conditions 29 2005
7,136,730 Enhanced system for yaw stability control system to include roll stability control function 9 2005
8,121,758 System for determining torque and tire forces using integrated sensing system 0 2005
7,600,826 System for dynamically determining axle loadings of a moving vehicle using integrated sensing system and its application in vehicle dynamics controls 3 2005
 
FORD GLOBAL TECHNOLOGIES, INC. (20)
6,073,065 Method for detecting a bank angle experienced by a moving vehicle 63 1998
6,202,009 Method for detecting fault of vehicle motion sensors 59 1998
6,332,104 Roll over detection for an automotive vehicle 82 1999
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6,263,261 Roll over stability control for an automotive vehicle 86 1999
6,397,127 Steering actuated wheel lift identification for an automotive vehicle 70 2000
6,496,758 Rollover stability control for an automotive vehicle using front wheel actuators 66 2001
8,352,143 Integrated vehicle control system using dynamically determined vehicle conditions 0 2009
8,346,452 Integrated vehicle control system using dynamically determined vehicle conditions 0 2009
8,311,706 Integrated vehicle control system using dynamically determined vehicle conditions 0 2009
8,005,592 System for dynamically determining axle loadings of a moving vehicle using integrated sensing system and its application in vehicle dynamics controls 0 2009
8,219,282 System for dynamically determining vehicle rear/trunk loading for use in a vehicle control system 0 2009
8,005,596 System for dynamically determining vehicle rear/trunk loading for use in a vehicle control system 0 2009
8,050,857 System and method for dynamically determining vehicle loading and vertical loading distance for use in a vehicle dynamic control system 0 2010
7,877,178 System and method for dynamically determining vehicle loading and vertical loading distance for use in a vehicle dynamic control system 1 2010
7,877,199 System and method for dynamically determining vehicle loading and vertical loading distance for use in a vehicle dynamic control system 0 2010
7,877,200 System and method for dynamically determining vehicle loading and vertical loading distance for use in a vehicle dynamic control system 1 2010
7,877,201 System and method for dynamically determining vehicle loading and vertical loading distance for use in a vehicle dynamic control system 1 2010
7,899,594 System and method for qualitatively determining vehicle loading conditions 2 2010
8,346,433 System for dynamically determining vehicle rear/trunk loading for use in a vehicle control system 0 2012
 
FORD MOTOR COMPANY (6)
6,351,694 Method for robust estimation of road bank angle 58 2001
6,338,012 Roll over stability control for an automotive vehicle 80 2001
6,961,648 System and method for desensitizing the activation criteria of a rollover control system 9 2003
7,302,331 Wheel lift identification for an automotive vehicle 10 2003
7,096,103 System and method for operating a rollover control system during an elevated condition 9 2005
7,277,787 System and method for desensitizing the activation criteria of a rollover control system 1 2005
 
ROBERT BOSCH GMBH (5)
6,427,130 Method and device for regulating a quantity of motion representing the movement of a vehicle 4 1999
6,321,141 Method and device for detecting motor vehicle tilt 61 1999
6,311,111 Method and device for detecting motor vehicle tilt 60 1999
6,272,420 Method and device for detecting motor vehicle tilt 59 1999
6,349,247 Method and device for stabilizing a motor vehicle in order to prevent it from rolling over 65 2000
 
GM GLOBAL TECHNOLOGY OPERATIONS LLC (3)
6,112,147 Vehicle yaw rate control with bank angle compensation 19 1998
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8,200,374 Methods of operating a control system of a vehicle and vehicle systems 0 2009
 
KEY SAFETY SYSTEMS, INC. (2)
5,890,084 Controller for vehicular safety device 116 1997
5,797,111 Fuel flow controller 12 1997
 
SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD. (2)
7,032,450 Method and apparatus for measuring speed of land vehicle using accelerometer 2 2004
7,289,898 Apparatus and method for measuring speed of a moving object 12 2006
 
TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA (2)
6,254,204 Device for measuring longitudinal acceleration of vehicle immune to static and dynamic errors 8 1999
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DAIMLER AG (1)
6,246,945 Process and system for controlling the longitudinal dynamics of a motor vehicle 2 1999
 
DAIMLERCHRYSLER AG (1)
6,332,353 Method and device for measuring the angle of inclination on laterally inclined bends 2 1999
 
DELPHI TECHNOLOGIES, INC. (1)
6,195,606 Vehicle active brake control with bank angle compensation 73 1998
 
FUJITSU TEN LIMITED (1)
8,396,623 Driver recorder and method for setting up the driver recorder 0 2008
 
HYUNDAI MOTOR COMPANY (1)
5,703,776 Method and device for measuring slope of driving road 67 1995
 
NATIONAL CHIAO TUNG UNIVERSITY (1)
8,170,726 System and method for road angle estimation 0 2009
 
NISSAN MOTOR CO., LTD. (1)
6,366,833 Yaw rate estimating apparatus 17 2000
 
TOMTOM GLOBAL CONTENT B.V. (1)
8,326,532 Arrangement for and method of two dimensional and three dimensional precision location and orientation determination 1 2006
 
TRIMBLE NAVIGATION LIMITED (1)
8,150,651 Acceleration compensated inclinometer 1 2008
 
VOLKSWAGEN AG (1)
7,194,341 Method and device for determining the geometric vehicle inclination of a motor vehicle 3 2002
 
VOLVO CAR CORPORATION (1)
6,963,797 System and method for determining an amount of control for operating a rollover control system 9 2003
 
WABCO GMBH (1)
5,797,109 Method for determining the gradient of a roadway 7 1995
 
ZF FRIEDRICHSHAFEN AG (1)
8,386,123 Method for calibrating a slope sensor 0 2010
 
OTHER [CHECK PATENT PROFILE FOR ASSIGNMENT INFORMATION] (2)
7,089,674 Angle-measuring gauge for motorcycles and the like 1 2005
8,442,720 Integrated vehicle control system using dynamically determined vehicle conditions 0 2009