METHOD FOR PROACTIVE CONTROLLING OF CHASSIS COMPONENTS

Abstract

In a method for controlling at least one component of a chassis of a vehicle, a parameterization of a reactive controller of the at least one component of the chassis is changed depending on a current certainty of sensor data of a roadway section to be driven detected by a sensor system, such that, when driving on the roadway section, in the case of increased uncertainty of the sensor data, the reactive controller controls with a lower reaction time with respect to a normal operation.

Claims

1-7. (canceled)

8. A method for controlling at least one component of a chassis of a vehicle, comprising: with a sensor determining sensor data of a road section to be driven on by the vehicle; calculating a certainty index of the sensor data as a function of a variance of the sensor data; calculating an actual certainty of the sensor data as a function of the certainty index; and changing a parameterization of a reactive controller of the at least one component of the chassis as a function of the actual certainty of the sensor data so that when the vehicle drives on the road section the reactive controller controls the at least one component with a reaction time that is shorter compared to a normal operation of the reactive controller, when the sensor data have an increased actual uncertainty.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising controlling the chassis proactively when the certainty index indicates that the sensor data are certain.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the sensor data are detected via at least one sensor selected from the group consisting of spring travel sensor, superstructure acceleration sensor, roll sensor and yaw sensor.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising linking the sensor data with GPS-data to form a dataset and transmitting the dataset to a server which provides further vehicles with corresponding data sets of potentially relevant road sections.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein the reactive controller controls the at least one chassis component as a function of at least one of an actual situation of the vehicle and an actual situation of a respective environment present during a drive of the vehicle on the road section at least temporarily by using a bandwidth and amplification which is increased compared to the normal operation of the reactive controller, wherein the reactive controller is set to a base value in dependence on the sensor data.

13. The method of claim 8, wherein the at least one component of the chassis of the vehicle is selected from the group consisting of actuators, shock absorbers, spring travel limiters, pressure controllers, brake systems, electric motors, hydraulic cylinders and control devices.

14. A control device for arrangement in a vehicle, said control device being configured to parameterize at least one reactive controller in dependence on a certainty of sensor data of a road section to be driven on detected by a sensor of the vehicle so that the at least reactive controller controls with a reaction time that is decreased compared to a normal operation of the reactive controller when the sensor data have a high uncertainty, wherein the uncertainty or certainty of the sensor data is calculable via a certainty index, and wherein the certainty index is calculable via a variance of the sensor data.

Description

[0037] The invention is schematically illustrated by way of embodiments shown in the drawings and is described schematically and in detail with reference to the drawings.

[0038] FIG. 1 shows a schematic overview of different control cases for an embodiment of the method according to the invention.

[0039] FIG. 2 shows a schematic overview of different courses of a certainty index which result in different control cases of a further embodiment of the method according to the invention.

[0040] In FIG. 1 a vehicle 1 drives on a road 3, on which an unevenness 5 is located. The vehicle 1 includes a control device 7 and a reactive controller 9 which are both in communication with actuators 11 of active chassis components 13 of a chassis of the vehicle 1 in order to regulate i.e., control the same.

[0041] For adjusting the active chassis components 13 to the unevenness 5 different scenarios of control settings A, B, and C are shown. In scenario A a control of the actuators 11 and as a result the active chassis components 13, is performed by the reactive controller 9, which is in a normal operating mode and controls the actuators 11 sluggish, i.e., with a small bandwidth and amplification. Due to the small bandwidth and amplification the actuators 1 are adjusted to the unevenness 5 insufficiently because only at the point when the vehicle drives onto the unevenness 5 a control requirement is detected so that due to the sluggish setting the reactive controller 9 only reacts slowly to the unevenness 5. This means that the vehicle 1 is insufficiently prepared for the unevenness 5 and reacts to a form of the unevenness 5 which corresponds to an elevation 15 which was for example measured at the beginning when driving onto the unevenness 5 and due to the sluggish reactive controller 9 occurs here only delayed with a comparative low and thus here insufficient amplitude.

[0042] In contrast to scenario A scenario B shows a control by a fast-parameterized or controlling reactive controller 9. As a result of a comparatively great bandwidth and amplitude the reactive controller 9 can react to small changes of the road 3 and correspondingly adjust the actuators 1. This means that while the vehicle 1 drives over the unevenness 5 respective switching signals are transmitted fast, i.e. accelerated compared to a normal operation and with a comparatively high amplitude, to the actuators 11 by the reactive controller 9 so that the actuators 11 adjust or are adjusted to an elevation 17 which substantially corresponds to the unevenness 5.

[0043] In scenario C a proactive control is shown in which in dependence on information based on a sensor 19 which measures the road 3, control commands are generated by the control device 7 which prepare the actuators 11 of the vehicle 1 for an imminent drive over the obstacle 5 prior to the vehicle 1 coming into contact with the obstacle 5. Due to measuring errors of the sensor 19 a virtual image 21 of the obstacle 5 however is inaccurate, i.e., in this case too large compared to the obstacle 5, so that the control commands of the actuators 11 calculated by the control device 7 do not fit the obstacle 5 and the vehicle 1 is controlled in an unfavorable manner when driving over the obstacle 5.

[0044] According to the invention it is provide that in dependence on a certainty or reliability of the information of the sensor 19 it is switched between the control methods described in the scenarios A, B and C.

[0045] FIG. 2 shows two different courses 23 and 25 of a certainty index in diagrams 27 and 29 which are plotted over axes time 31 and certainty 33. In diagram 35, which is plotted over the axes time 31 and height 37 a course of measurement values of sensor 19 is shown.

[0046] The certainty index is calculated by a variance of the measurement values determined by the sensor 19 and reflects a confidence of the measured data. At a time point t1 the unevenness 5 shown in FIG. 1 occurs and is recognized by the sensor 19 of he vehicle 1.

[0047] For the case of a low certainty or low values of the certainty index shown in diagram 27, as shown by a region 39 of the course 23, the invention provides that a control is conducted by the reactive controller in order to avoid a faulty setting by a proactive control based on measuring data of the sensor 19, i.e. sensor data that are subject to an excessive uncertainty or insufficient certainty. The course 25 shown in diagram 29 with a high certainty index in a region 41 results in a reactive control by the control device 7 of the vehicle 1 because in this case it can be assumed that the virtual rendition of the unevenness 5 by the sensor 19 or by the measurement values determined by the sensor 19 is appropriate so that a faulty setting of the vehicle 1 or respective chassis components is unlikely.