KR102601168B1 - Vehicle and method for determining overturning of vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

A vehicle rollover determination method applied to a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention includes calculating a rollover angle, which is the angle at which the vehicle is tilted with respect to the direction of gravity, based on the side distance measured by an ultrasonic distance sensor; Comparing the rollover angle with a critical angle indicating that the vehicle is in a rollover state; And it may include determining whether the vehicle rolls over based on a result of comparing the rollover angle and the critical angle.

Description

Vehicle and method for determining rollover of said vehicle {VEHICLE AND METHOD FOR DETERMINING OVERTURNING OF VEHICLE}

The present invention relates to a vehicle and a method for determining whether the vehicle has rolled over, and more specifically, to a vehicle that can accurately determine whether the vehicle has rolled over even in situations where a false detection may occur in determining whether the vehicle has rolled over, and a method for determining whether the vehicle has rolled over.

In general, the airbag device is an auxiliary device for the seat belt and is a safety device to protect the driver or passengers. When the impact energy from the front of the vehicle exceeds the specified value, the airbag is inflated between the passenger and the steering wheel to reduce the shock transmitted to the passenger. It plays a role in protecting the driver and passengers in the event of a vehicle collision by mitigating the risk.

Airbag devices installed in vehicles include frontal airbags to reduce damage to occupants in the event of a frontal collision, and curtain airbags and side airbags to protect occupants in the event of a side collision or vehicle roll over.

Recently, SUVs (Sports Utility Vehicles), which have a higher ride height than ordinary passenger cars, have become increasingly popular due to the spread of leisure culture. The center of gravity of these SUVs is higher than that of general passenger cars, so the possibility of rollover due to uneven road conditions or rapid turning of the vehicle is higher than that of passenger cars. Accidents caused by vehicle overturns have a high fatality rate and are critical to the safety of vehicle occupants, so measures are being taken to detect whether the vehicle is overturning and protect vehicle occupants when the vehicle overturns.

Typically, a roll-rate sensor mounted on a vehicle detects the angular velocity at which the vehicle rolls relative to a reference direction, and an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) mounted on the vehicle integrates the detected angular velocity over a certain period of time. It is possible to determine whether the vehicle has overturned by calculating the tilt angle of the vehicle with respect to the reference axis.

However, since the roll rate sensor may malfunction depending on the vehicle's driving situation, technology that can compensate for this is required.

The present invention is intended to provide a vehicle capable of accurately determining whether the vehicle has overturned even in situations where the roll rate sensor malfunctions, and a method for determining whether the vehicle has overturned.

The technical problems to be achieved in the present invention are not limited to the technical problems mentioned above, and other technical problems not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description below. You will be able to.

In order to solve the above technical problem, a vehicle rollover determination method applied to a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention is an angle at which the vehicle is inclined with respect to the direction of gravity based on the side distance measured by an ultrasonic distance sensor. calculating a rollover angle; Comparing the rollover angle with a critical angle indicating that the vehicle is in a rollover state; And it may include determining whether the vehicle rolls over based on a result of comparing the rollover angle and the critical angle.

A vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention includes an ultrasonic distance sensor installed on the side of the vehicle to measure a side distance, which is the distance between the vehicle and an object; And based on the side distance, a rollover angle, which is the angle at which the vehicle is inclined with respect to the direction of gravity, is calculated, and based on the result of comparing the rollover angle with a critical angle indicating that the vehicle is in a rollover state, whether the vehicle rolls over. It may include an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) that determines.

According to the vehicle and the method for determining the vehicle's rollover according to an embodiment of the present invention configured as described above, the vehicle rollover is determined by using the result of measuring the side distance using a distance sensor, thereby determining the vehicle rollover in a general method. Even in difficult situations, it is possible to accurately determine whether the vehicle will roll over, effectively protecting the occupants of the vehicle.

1 is a diagram showing a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention.
Figure 2 is a diagram for explaining the operation of determining whether a vehicle has overturned by the ECU in the process of overturning a vehicle traveling on the ground perpendicular to the direction of gravity.
FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating the operation of the ECU to determine whether a vehicle has overturned in the process of overturning a vehicle running on a surface that is not perpendicular to the direction of gravity.
Figure 4 is a flowchart specifically showing how the ECU determines whether the vehicle will roll over using the side distance.
Figure 5 is a diagram for comparing the detection pattern of the side distance when a general side object is present and the detection pattern of the side distance when the vehicle overturns.

Hereinafter, at least one embodiment related to the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the drawings. The suffixes “module” and “part” for components used in the following description are given or used interchangeably only for the ease of preparing the specification, and do not have distinct meanings or roles in themselves.

1 is a diagram briefly showing a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, the vehicle 10 is a vehicle that can detect a rollover situation in advance while the vehicle is driving and deploy airbags, which are essential for ensuring the safety of the driver and passengers.

The vehicle 10 may include an Electronic Control Unit (ECU) 100, a roll-rate sensor 200, an ultrasonic distance sensor 300, and an Airbag Control Unit (ACU) 400.

The ECU 100 is a device that generally controls electronic devices mounted on the vehicle 10, and can perform controls related to driving, air conditioning, safety, etc. of the vehicle 10. In particular, the ECU 100 can detect whether the vehicle 10 is overturned based on information (angular velocity, lateral distance) provided from the roll rate sensor 200 and/or the ultrasonic distance sensor 300, and the ECU ( When it is determined that the vehicle 10 is overturning, 100) may generate an airbag deployment signal and transmit it to the ACU 400.

The roll rate sensor 200 is an angular velocity sensor and can detect the angular velocity at which the vehicle 10 is rolling with respect to a reference direction and provide the detected angular velocity to the ECU 100. For example, when the right wheel of the vehicle 10 passes by stepping on an uneven surface while the vehicle 10 is running, the ECU detects that the vehicle 10 is rolled by a certain angle with respect to the center direction of the vehicle 10, and detects the angular velocity according to the time interval and the specific angle. It can be provided at (100).

The ECU 100 can calculate the rollover angle at which the vehicle is tilted with respect to the reference axis by integrating the angular velocity provided from the roll rate sensor 200 for a certain period of time, and determine whether the vehicle rolls over based on the rollover angle. You can. The reference axis may be an axis perpendicular to the ground, and may be reset to a new axis according to the amount of change in angular velocity detected for a certain period of time (e.g., 1 minute) (e.g., change in angular velocity for 1 minute) If there is no, the reference axis is corrected so that the current rollover angle is 0). For example, the reference axis for the vehicle 10 running on the ground perpendicular to the direction of gravity may coincide with the direction of gravity, but the reference axis for the vehicle 10 running on the inclined ground not perpendicular to the direction of gravity is the direction of gravity. The difference can be as much as the inclination angle of the ground.

At least one ultrasonic distance sensor 300 may be installed on each of the left and right sides of the vehicle 10, and each ultrasonic distance sensor 300 radiates ultrasonic waves having a specific phase and calculates the time until reflection to detect the object. The side distance, which is the distance between the vehicle 10 and the object, can be calculated using the ToF (Time of Flight) method that detects the distance to. In this specification, for convenience of explanation, the operation by any one of the ultrasonic distance sensors 300 installed in the vehicle 10 is described, but the technical idea of the present invention can be applied independently to each ultrasonic distance sensor 300. is natural. The ultrasonic distance sensor 300 may provide the calculated side distance to the ECU 100.

The ECU 100 may calculate the rollover angle based on the side distance provided from the ultrasonic distance sensor 300. At this time, the ECU 100 can calculate the rollover angle (e.g., tanθ (rollover angle)=sensor height/side distance) based on the sensor height and side distance, which are the distance between the predetermined ultrasonic distance sensor 300 and the ground. there is. Depending on the embodiment, the ECU (100) may store a table that maps the side distance and rollover angle, and when the side distance is received without a separate calculation process, the rollover angle corresponding to the side distance is entered into the table. It can be obtained by referring to .

The ACU 400 controls the airbags (front, side, knee, curtain airbags, etc.) installed in the vehicle 10, and when receiving an airbag deployment signal from the ECU 100, the airbags inflate the occupants of the vehicle 10. It can be controlled so that it can be deployed for protection.

Transmission of the airbag deployment signal, the angular velocity of the roll rate sensor 200, and the lateral distance of the ultrasonic distance sensor 300 may be transmitted through CAN communication within the vehicle 10. For communication between the ECU (100), roll rate sensor (200), ultrasonic distance sensor (300), and ACU (400), it performs a function of matching speeds between communication lines with different speeds, such as body can and chassis can. A CAN GateWay (CGW) exchanger or cluster may further be included.

In this specification, only the method of controlling the operation of the ACU 400 by the airbag deployment signal is described, but it is also possible to control the belt pretensioner, etc., which secures the belt worn by the occupant in the event of a vehicle accident, by the airbag deployment signal. am.

Figure 2 is a diagram for explaining the operation of determining whether a vehicle has overturned by the ECU in the process of overturning a vehicle traveling on the ground perpendicular to the direction of gravity.

Referring to FIG. 2, it is assumed in (a) that the vehicle 10 is traveling on the ground perpendicular to the direction of gravity. As the vehicle 10 drives on the ground, the ECU 100 sets the reference axis in a direction consistent with the direction of gravity, and the rollover calculated by accumulating the angular velocity detected by the roll rate sensor 200. The angle (hereinafter referred to as 'first rollover angle') corresponds to 0 degrees because the angular velocity will continue to correspond to 0. And, the rollover angle (hereinafter referred to as 'second rollover angle') calculated by the ECU 100 based on the side distance detected by the ultrasonic distance sensor 300 corresponds to 0 degrees because the side distance is close to infinity. .

In (b), it is assumed that the right wheel of the vehicle 10 is overturned by about 30 degrees due to an obstacle on the road. The first rollover angle corresponds to 30 degrees because the accumulated angular velocity of the roll rate sensor 200 will be 30 degrees. And, the second rollover angle corresponds to 30 degrees according to the calculation of the side distance and sensor height of the ultrasonic distance sensor 300.

In (c), it is assumed that the vehicle 10 continues from (b) and overturns by about 60 degrees. The first rollover angle corresponds to 60 degrees because the accumulated angular velocity of the roll rate sensor 200 will be 60 degrees. And, the second rollover angle corresponds to 60 degrees according to the calculation of the side distance and sensor height of the ultrasonic distance sensor 300.

In (d), it is assumed that the vehicle 10 continues from (c) and overturns by about 70 degrees. The first rollover angle corresponds to 70 degrees because the accumulated angular velocity of the roll rate sensor 200 will be 70 degrees. And, the second rollover angle corresponds to 70 degrees according to the calculation of the side distance and sensor height of the ultrasonic distance sensor 300.

Here, assuming that the ECU 100 determines that the vehicle 10 rolls over when the reference angle for determining whether the vehicle 10 rolls over is 70 degrees and the rollover angle is more than 70 degrees, the first rollover angle in (d) Since both the and second rollover angles are 70 degrees, the result of determining whether or not the rollover is determined is the same regardless of the angular velocity provided from the roll rate sensor 200 or the lateral distance provided from the ultrasonic distance sensor 300.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating the operation of the ECU to determine whether a vehicle has overturned in the process of overturning a vehicle running on a surface that is not perpendicular to the direction of gravity.

Referring to FIG. 3, it is assumed in (a) that the vehicle 10 is traveling on a ground that is not perpendicular to the direction of gravity (a ground with an angle of 15 degrees). As the vehicle 10 drives on the ground, the ECU 100 sets the reference axis in a direction 15 degrees away from the direction of gravity (to the right in the drawing), and the ECU 100 determines the angular velocity detected by the roll rate sensor 200. The rollover angle calculated by accumulating (hereinafter referred to as 'first rollover angle') corresponds to 0 degrees because the angular velocity will continue to correspond to 0. And, the rollover angle (hereinafter referred to as 'second rollover angle') calculated by the ECU 100 based on the side distance detected by the ultrasonic distance sensor 300 is the side distance of the ultrasonic distance sensor 300 and the sensor height. According to the calculation, it corresponds to 15 degrees, which is the angle at which the ground is deviated from the direction of gravity.

In (b), it is assumed that the right wheel of the vehicle 10 is overturned by about 30 degrees with respect to the ground due to an obstacle on the road. The first rollover angle corresponds to 30 degrees because the accumulated angular velocity of the roll rate sensor 200 will be 30 degrees. And, the second rollover angle corresponds to 45 degrees according to the calculation of the side distance and sensor height of the ultrasonic distance sensor 300.

In (c), it is assumed that the vehicle 10 continues to overturn from (b) and overturns by about 60 degrees with respect to the ground. The first rollover angle corresponds to 60 degrees because the accumulated angular velocity of the roll rate sensor 200 will be 60 degrees. And, the second rollover angle corresponds to 75 degrees according to the calculation of the side distance and sensor height of the ultrasonic distance sensor 300.

However, in (c), whether the vehicle 10 actually rolls over is determined by the angle at which the vehicle 10 is tilted relative to the direction of gravity, regardless of the ground, and if the ECU 100 determines whether the vehicle 10 rolls over or not, Assuming that the actual vehicle 10 overturns when the vehicle 10 deviates from the direction of gravity by more than 70 degrees, which is the reference angle for judgment, if it is determined whether the vehicle 10 overturns based on the first overturn angle, the ECU ( 100) determines that it is not a vehicle overturn. Therefore, if the rollover of the vehicle 10 is determined solely based on the first rollover angle by the roll rate sensor 200, a problem occurs in which the rollover of the vehicle 10 is not recognized even in the actual process of the vehicle 10 rolling over. do.

However, when it is determined whether the vehicle 10 rolls over based on the second rollover angle, the ECU 100 determines that the vehicle rolls over, and can accurately determine whether the vehicle 10 actually rolls over.

Figure 4 is a flowchart specifically showing how the ECU determines whether the vehicle will roll over using the side distance. Figure 5 is a diagram for comparing the detection pattern of the side distance when a general side object is present and the detection pattern of the side distance when the vehicle overturns.

Referring to FIG. 4, the ultrasonic distance sensor 300 can detect the side distance and provide the detected side distance to the ECU 100 (S10). The detection operation of the ultrasonic distance sensor 300 may be operated at all times, or may be operated by a trigger signal (e.g., generated when detecting an angular velocity above a certain level) of the ECU 100 to prevent unnecessary power consumption, but is within the scope of the present invention. is not limited to this.

The ECU 100 can calculate the current rollover angle based on the side distance and the predetermined sensor height (S20).

The ECU 100 may compare the calculated rollover angle and the critical angle to determine whether the rollover angle exceeds the critical angle (S30). Here, the critical angle is a reference angle indicating that the vehicle 10 is in an overturned state, and may be, for example, 70 degrees.

If the rollover angle is less than the critical angle (No in S30), the ECU 100 determines that the vehicle 10 is not rolling over (S35), and step S10 can be performed again.

If the rollover angle exceeds the critical angle (Yes in S30), the ECU 100 may calculate the lateral distance gradient based on the currently received lateral distance and the previous lateral distance (S40). Here, the previous side distance means that the ECU 100 receives the side distance from the ultrasonic distance sensor 300 at regular time intervals, and may mean the most recently received side distance before the current side distance. Additionally, the lateral distance gradient is calculated by dividing the result of subtracting the newly received lateral distance from the previous lateral distance by the time between when the previous lateral distance was received and when the new lateral distance was received (hereinafter referred to as 'measurement interval'). It can be calculated and may be a value representing the degree of change in the lateral distance compared to time.

The ECU 100 may compare the lateral distance gradient and the threshold gradient to determine whether the lateral distance gradient exceeds the threshold gradient (S50). The critical gradient may refer to the degree of change in the side distance indicating that the vehicle 10 is expected to roll over when it rolls over. Even if the vehicle 10 is driving very close to the center divider, it can be judged as a rollover situation according to step S30, so it is possible to prevent this situation from being mistakenly recognized as a rollover situation by calculating and comparing the side distance gradient. You can.

If the side distance gradient is less than the critical gradient (No in S50), the ECU 100 determines that the vehicle 10 is not rolling over (S35), and step S10 can be performed again.

If the lateral distance gradient exceeds the threshold gradient (Yes in S50), the ECU 100 may calculate the sign of the lateral distance gradient (S60). Here, step S60 may not be an independent step from step S40, and when the ECU 100 calculates the lateral distance gradient, the sign of the lateral distance gradient may be temporarily stored.

The ECU 100 may determine whether the sign of the lateral distance gradient stored for a certain period of time (eg, 3 seconds) is constant (S70). Here, a certain amount of time may be set in advance by taking into account the typical vehicle overturning time (or the time to reach the high-risk angle of overturning (70 degrees) after the vehicle starts to overturn).

Referring to FIG. 5 , in (a), a pattern of the side distance detected when a side object (tree, nearby vehicle, etc.) exists in a general situation other than a rollover while the vehicle 10 is running is shown. That is, the side objects are likely not to have the same speed as the vehicle 10, and thus have an irregular pattern. Therefore, the sign of the lateral distance gradient stored for a certain period of time (eg, 3 seconds) is not constant and has positive and negative signs irregularly.

In (b), the pattern of the side distance detected when the vehicle 10 rolls over is shown. In other words, if the vehicle 10 is overturning, a pattern in which the lateral distance is continuously reduced is bound to appear. Accordingly, the sign of the lateral distance gradient stored for a certain period of time (eg, 3 seconds) becomes constant.

Referring again to FIG. 4, the ECU 100 determines whether the vehicle 10 is in an actual rollover situation by determining whether the sign of the lateral distance gradient stored for a certain period of time (e.g., 3 seconds) is constant. You can.

If the sign of the side distance gradient stored for a certain period of time is not constant (No in S70), the ECU 100 determines that the vehicle 10 is not overturning (S35), and step S10 can be performed again. .

If the sign of the side distance gradient stored for a certain period of time is constant (Yes in S70), the ECU 100 may determine that the vehicle 10 is overturning (S80).

When the ECU 100 determines whether the vehicle 10 rolls over in step S80, information detected by a sensor other than the ultrasonic distance sensor 300 may be used together.

For example, so that it can be more accurately determined whether the vehicle 10 has rolled over, the ECU 100 determines that the difference between the rollover angle based on the ultrasonic distance sensor 300 and the rollover angle based on the roll rate sensor 200 is critical. It is also possible to determine whether it is within the range (slope angle range of a general slope road). This means that if the difference between the two rollover angles is outside the critical range, it is highly likely that one of the two sensors is broken or a very special situation exists, so the ECU 100 may determine that the vehicle 10 is not rolling over.

When the ECU (100) determines that the vehicle (10) is overturning, it transmits an airbag deployment signal to the ACU (400) so that the airbags (front, side, knee, curtain airbags, etc.) installed in the vehicle (10) can be deployed. It is possible to protect the occupants of the vehicle 10.

Here, the process of determining a rollover situation may be defined as including steps S30, S50, and S70, and depending on the embodiment, at least one of steps S50 and S70 may be omitted.

According to the vehicle rollover determination method according to an embodiment of the present invention, the vehicle rollover is determined using the result of measuring the side distance using a distance sensor, thereby accurately determining whether the vehicle has rolled over even in situations where it is difficult to determine the vehicle rollover using general methods. This can effectively protect the occupants of the vehicle.

The vehicle rollover determination method described above can be implemented as a computer-readable program on a computer-readable recording medium. Computer-readable recording media include all types of recording media storing data that can be deciphered by a computer system. For example, there may be Read Only Memory (ROM), Random Access Memory (RAM), magnetic tape, magnetic disk, flash memory, optical data storage device, etc. Additionally, the computer-readable recording medium can be distributed to computer systems connected through a computer communication network, and stored and executed as code that can be read in a distributed manner.

In addition, although the present invention has been described above with reference to preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art will understand the present invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention as set forth in the claims below. You will understand that it can be modified and changed in various ways.

Claims (13)

In the method of determining vehicle rollover applied to a vehicle,
Calculating a rollover angle, which is an angle at which the vehicle is inclined with respect to the direction of gravity, based on the side distance measured by an ultrasonic distance sensor;
Comparing the rollover angle with a critical angle indicating that the vehicle is in a rollover state; and
A step of determining whether the vehicle rolls over based on a result of comparing the rollover angle and the critical angle,
When the rollover angle exceeds the threshold angle, calculating a lateral distance gradient by dividing the result of subtracting the previous lateral distance from the lateral distance by the measurement interval,
The step of determining whether the vehicle has overturned is,
A method for determining whether the vehicle rolls over based on a result of comparing the side distance gradient with a critical gradient indicating that the vehicle is in a rollover state. According to paragraph 1,
The step of calculating the overturning angle is,
A vehicle rollover determination method comprising calculating the rollover angle based on the side distance and the sensor height, which is the distance between the ultrasonic distance sensor and the ground. delete According to paragraph 1,
When the lateral distance gradient exceeds the threshold gradient, calculating a sign of the lateral distance gradient,
The step of determining whether the vehicle has overturned is,
A vehicle rollover determination method comprising determining whether the vehicle rolls over based on whether the sign of the side distance gradient is constant for a certain period of time. According to paragraph 1,
The step of determining whether the vehicle has overturned is,
A vehicle comprising the step of determining whether the vehicle has rolled over based on a result of determining whether the difference between the rollover angle and the rollover angle calculated based on the angular velocity detected by a roll-rate sensor is within a critical range. How to judge abalone. According to paragraph 1,
When it is determined that the vehicle is overturning, the method further includes generating an airbag deployment signal to deploy at least one airbag installed in the vehicle. A computer-readable recording medium that is executed by a processor and stores a program that executes any one of claims 1, 2, and 4 to 6. An ultrasonic distance sensor installed on the side of the vehicle to measure the side distance, which is the distance between the vehicle and an object; and
Based on the side distance, the rollover angle, which is the angle at which the vehicle is tilted with respect to the direction of gravity, is calculated, and based on the result of comparing the rollover angle with a critical angle indicating that the vehicle is in a rollover state, whether the vehicle rolls over is determined. Includes an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) that makes decisions,
When the rollover angle exceeds the threshold angle, the ECU calculates a lateral distance gradient by dividing the result of subtracting the previous lateral distance from the lateral distance by the measurement interval,
When determining whether the vehicle has overturned, determine whether the vehicle has overturned based on a result of comparing the side distance gradient and a critical gradient indicating that the vehicle is in an overturned state.
vehicle. According to clause 8,
The ECU is,
A vehicle that calculates the rollover angle based on the side distance and the sensor height, which is the distance between the ultrasonic distance sensor and the ground. delete According to clause 8,
The ECU calculates a sign of the lateral distance gradient when the lateral distance gradient exceeds the threshold gradient,
A vehicle that determines whether the vehicle rolls over based on whether the sign of the side distance gradient is constant for a certain period of time when determining whether the vehicle rolls over. According to clause 8,
The ECU determines whether the vehicle has rolled over based on a result of determining whether the difference between the rollover angle and the rollover angle calculated based on the angular velocity detected by the roll-rate sensor is within a critical range. . According to clause 8,
Further comprising an Airbag Control Unit (ACU) that controls at least one airbag installed in the vehicle,
The ECU generates an airbag deployment signal to deploy the at least one airbag when it is determined that the vehicle is overturning.