METHOD FOR DETECTING MEASUREMENT ERRORS IN THE ANGLE OF INCLINATION OF A TWO-WHEELED VEHICLE

Abstract

The invention relates to a method for detecting measurement errors in the lateral angle of inclination () of a two-wheeled vehicle (1), comprising the steps of: in a first phase, checking (E3) that the engine (10) of the vehicle (1) is stopped; if the engine (10) is stopped, comparing (E6) the measurements of the inclination sensor (111) relative to the at least one reference inclination range; if the electronic control unit (11) determines that the measurements are outside the reference range, detecting an error in the measurement of the angle of inclination (); in a second phase, starting (E7) the engine (10) of the vehicle (1); computing (E8) the variation in the measurements of the inclination sensor (111) while the engine (10) is running; if the variation in the measurements of the inclination sensor (111) is below a predetermined threshold for a predetermined duration, detecting (E9) an error in the measurement of the angle of inclination ().

Claims

1. A method for detecting measurement errors in the lateral angle of inclination () of a motorized two-wheeled vehicle (1), said vehicle (1) comprising an engine (10) and an electronic control unit (11), said electronic control unit (11) comprising an inclination sensor (111) and a memory zone (112), said memory zone (112) comprising reference inclination ranges, said electronic control unit (11) being configured to compute the lateral angle of inclination () of the vehicle (1) based on the measurements of the inclination sensor (111), to compare the measured angle of inclination () with a predetermined inclination threshold (s) and to send a command to stop the engine (10) if the computed angle of inclination () is greater than the inclination threshold (s), said method comprising the steps of: activating (E1) the electronic control unit (11) through an action by a user of the vehicle (1); in a first phase, the electronic control unit (11) checking (E3) that the engine (10) of the vehicle (1) is stopped; if the engine (10) is stopped, the electronic control unit (11) comparing (E6) the measurements of the inclination sensor (111) relative to the at least one reference inclination range; if the electronic control unit (11) determines that the measurements of the inclination sensor (111) are outside the reference range, detecting an error in the measurement of the angle of inclination () and the electronic control unit (11) deactivating the sending of the command to stop the engine (10) according to the angle of inclination () of the vehicle (1) and warning the user; in a second phase, starting (E7) the engine (10) of the vehicle (1) through an action by a user of the vehicle (1), and the electronic control unit (11) receiving notification of the engine (10) starting; the electronic control unit (11) computing (E8) the variation in the measurements of the inclination sensor (111) when the engine (10) is running; if the variation in the measurements of the inclination sensor (111) is below a predetermined threshold for a predetermined duration, detecting (E9) an error in the measurement of the angle of inclination () and the electronic control unit (11) deactivating the function for stopping the engine (10) according to the angle of inclination () of the vehicle (1) and warning the user.

2. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the measurements of the inclination sensor (111) involve projecting the earth's gravity on three axes, with the electronic control unit (11) being configured to compute the angle of inclination () based on the three projections determined by the inclination sensor (111), and wherein: the step of comparing the measurements of the inclination sensor (111) relative to the reference ranges is carried out on each of the three projections; the step of computing the variation in the measurements of the inclination sensor (111) while the engine (10) is running is carried out on the computation of the variation in the measurement of each of the three projections; and the step of deactivating the function for stopping the engine according to the angle of inclination () of the vehicle (1) is carried out if the variation in at least one projection is less than a predetermined threshold for a predetermined duration.

3. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein a step (E5) of determining the contribution of each of the three axes to the measurement of the angle of inclination () is carried out by the electronic control unit (11) before the step of comparing the measurements of the inclination sensor (111) with the reference ranges, wherein the step of deactivating the function for stopping the engine (10) according to the measurements of the inclination sensor (111) of the vehicle (1) and of warning the user is only carried out if the deviation of at least one projection of an axis determined as being a contributor relative to a corresponding reference value is greater than an error margin, or if the computation of the variation in the measurements of the inclination sensor (111) of at least one projection of an axis determined as being a contributor while the engine (10) is running is below a predetermined threshold for a predetermined duration.

4. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the reference ranges are measured and stored in the memory zone (112) of the electronic control unit (11) when the vehicle (1) is produced.

5. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the step (E8) of computing the variation in the measurements of the inclination sensor (111) is carried out based on the difference between two successive iterations of the measurements of the inclination sensor (111).

6. The method as claimed in claim 5, wherein the difference between two successive iterations of the measurements of the inclination sensor (111) is multiplied by a predefined time constant before the step of comparing with at least one reference value.

7. The method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the vehicle (1) comprises a retractable stand (12) and wherein a step (E2) of controlling the deployment of the stand (12) is carried out after activating (E1) the electronic control unit (11), the step of comparing the measurements of the inclination sensor (111) relative to at least one reference range is only carried out if the engine (10) is stopped and the stand (12) is deployed.

8. An electronic control unit (11) for a motorized two-wheeled vehicle (1), configured to be connected to the engine (10) of said vehicle and comprising an inclination sensor (111) and a memory zone (112), said memory zone (112) comprising at least one reference range, said electronic control unit (11) being configured to: compute the lateral angle of inclination () of the vehicle (1) based on the measurements of the inclination sensor (110) in order to compare the computed angle of inclination () with a predetermined inclination threshold (s); send a signal to stop the engine (10) if the computed angle of inclination () is greater than the inclination threshold (s); determine whether the engine (10) of the vehicle (1) is stopped or running; compare the measurements of the inclination sensor (111) relative to the at least one reference range; compute the variation in the measurements of the inclination sensor (111) while the engine (10) is running; deactivate the sending of a signal to stop the engine (10) according to the angle of inclination () of the vehicle (1) and send a warning to the user of the vehicle (1).

9. The electronic control unit (11) as claimed in claim 8, wherein the inclination sensor (111) is configured to automatically carry out a series of self-diagnostics.

10. A motorized two-wheeled vehicle (1) comprising an electronic control unit (11) as claimed in claim 8.

Description

DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0042] Further features and advantages of the invention will become more clearly apparent upon reading the following description. This description is purely illustrative and should be read with reference to the appended drawings, in which:

[0043] FIG. 1 schematically illustrates a motorized two-wheeled vehicle in which the method according to the invention is applied;

[0044] FIG. 2 schematically illustrates the angle of inclination of the vehicle;

[0045] FIG. 3 schematically illustrates an electronic control unit of the vehicle;

[0046] FIG. 4 schematically illustrates the sequence for the method according to the invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

[0047] The error detection method according to the invention is applied to a motorized two-wheeled vehicle 1 as illustrated in FIG. 1.

Vehicle 1

[0048] As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle 1 comprises an engine 10, an electronic control unit 11, a stand 12 and a communication link 14.

[0049] The vehicle 1, whether stationary or moving, forms an angle of inclination with the earth's vertical Z, as shown in FIG. 2.

Engine 10

[0050] The engine 10 allows the torque to be produced that is required to drive the wheels of the vehicle 1 when the vehicle 1 is moving.

[0051] When the engine 10 is running, notably following an action by a user of the vehicle 1, the engine 10 drives the rotation of a shaft for a certain number of rotations per minute, also called engine speed.

[0052] The rotation of this shaft produces vibrations in the engine 10 that are propagated in the vehicle 1, notably in the electronic control unit 11 when it is mounted in the vicinity of the engine 10.

Electronic Control Unit 11

[0053] As shown in FIG. 3, the electronic control unit 11 comprises an inclination sensor 111 and a memory zone 112.

[0054] The inclination sensor 111 is preferably a MEMS type accelerometer, configured to compute the projection of the earth's gravity on three axes of a reference frame based on the movement of components inside the inclination sensor 111.

[0055] These components can become blocked, notably due to wear and external stresses, and therefore are no longer able to move.

[0056] The reference frame of the inclination sensor 111 is an intrinsic reference frame, i.e., it solely depends on the arrangement of the components inside the inclination sensor 111.

[0057] The electronic control unit 11 is configured to compute the lateral angle of inclination of the vehicle 1 relative to the earth's vertical based on the three projections measured by the inclination sensor 111.

[0058] The memory zone 112 is configured to store information. In particular, the memory zone 112 is configured to memorize reference ranges of the measurements of the three projections corresponding to the case where the vehicle 1 is stationary, with the stand 12 deployed.

[0059] Without modifying the stand 12, the vehicle 1 has the same angle of inclination each time it is in this configuration. The values of the three projections measured by the inclination sensor 111 are expected to be within the corresponding reference ranges, thus taking into account the effects of the inclination of the ground or a slight deformation of the stand 12, for example.

[0060] The electronic control unit 11 is configured to receive the measurements of the three projections of the inclination sensor 111.

[0061] The electronic control unit 11 is configured to compute a time derivative of each projection by subtracting two successive measurements and multiplying the result of the subtraction by a predetermined time constant.

[0062] The electronic control unit 11 is configured to compute the angle of inclination based on the measurements of the inclination sensor 111.

[0063] The electronic control unit 11 is configured to compare the computed angle of inclination with an inclination threshold s.

[0064] The inclination threshold s corresponds to the angle from which the electronic control unit 11 considers the vehicle 1 to be falling.

[0065] The electronic control unit 11 is configured to implement a function to stop the engine 10 of the vehicle 1 if the measured lateral angle of inclination is greater than the inclination threshold s.

[0066] The electronic control unit 11 is configured to determine the contribution of the three axes of the inclination sensor 111 to the computation of the angle of inclination .

[0067] For each axis, this determination occurs by adding a predetermined value to the measured projection and then comparing the computed angle of inclination before and after adding the predetermined value. This predetermined value allows a movement of the one or more components of the inclination sensor 111 that measure this projection to be simulated.

[0068] If the difference is below a certain threshold, for example, 5, then the axis is considered to be non-contributing. Conversely, if the difference is greater than the threshold, the axis is considered to be contributing.

[0069] The electronic control unit 11 is configured to send a warning message to the user of the vehicle 1 if a blockage of a component of the inclination sensor 111 is detected.

Stand 12

[0070] The stand 12 allows the vehicle 1 to have an additional support point to hold it in a stable position once deployed.

[0071] The stand 12 is configured to send signals to the electronic control unit 11 via the communication link 14 indicating whether or not the stand 12 is deployed.

[0072] In the example shown in the figures, the stand 12 is a side stand. When it is deployed, the stationary vehicle 1 rests on it and has a constant angle of inclination relative to the earth's vertical Z, as shown in FIG. 2.

[0073] In another embodiment, the stand 12 can be a central stand. When it is deployed, the stationary vehicle 1 rests on it and remains upright relative to the earth's vertical Z.

Communication Link 14

[0074] The communication link 14 allows communication between the electronic control unit 11, the engine 10 and the stand 12.

[0075] Preferably, the communication link 14 is a wired communication link.

Embodiment

[0076] The method according to the invention is automatically implemented in the vehicle 1 and occurs in two phases.

[0077] In a step E1, the electronic control unit 11 of the vehicle 1 is activated by an action by the user, such as, for example, turning a key of the vehicle 1.

[0078] The first phase is triggered following the step E1 and, in a step E2, the electronic control unit 11 receives a signal from the stand 12 indicating whether or not the stand 12 is deployed.

[0079] If the stand 12 is not deployed, the method is interrupted since the vehicle 1 is not in a reference position for the remainder of the method.

[0080] If the stand 12 is deployed, the electronic control unit 11 receives a signal from the engine 10 indicating whether or not the engine 10 is running in a step E3.

[0081] If the engine 10 is running during this step, the method is interrupted since the vehicle 1 is not in a reference position for the remainder of the method.

[0082] If the engine 10 is not running during this step, the electronic control unit 11 performs a self-diagnosis of the measurement of the inclination sensor 111 in a step E4.

[0083] The self-diagnosis is specific to the electronic control unit 11 and provides an initial check that the inclination sensor 111 is functioning correctly, but may not detect all faults and therefore must be redundant.

[0084] If the self-diagnosis detects a fault in the inclination sensor 111, the electronic control unit 11 deactivates the sending of the command to stop the engine 10 according to the angle of inclination of the vehicle 1 and sends a warning message to the user.

[0085] If the self-diagnosis does not detect a fault in the inclination sensor 111, the electronic control unit 11 determines the contribution of the measurement axes of the inclination sensor 111 in a step E5.

[0086] In this step, the electronic control unit 11 adds a predetermined value to the projection measured by the inclination sensor 111 for each axis and determines the variation in the computation of the angle of inclination that the addition of this imposed value involves.

[0087] If the variation is less than a certain threshold, for example, 5, the corresponding axis is considered to be hardly contributing. If it is greater than this threshold, the axis is considered to be contributing. The contribution/non-contribution of each axis is stored in the memory zone 112.

[0088] Once the contribution of the axes has been determined, then, in a step E6, the electronic control unit 11 compares the measurements of the inclination sensor 111 along the three axes of the inclination sensor 111 with the reference ranges stored in the memory zone 112.

[0089] If the electronic control unit 11 determines that the measurements of the inclination sensor 111 are outside a reference range, an error in the measurement of the angle of inclination is detected.

[0090] If one of the measurements of a contributing axis is outside the reference range, the electronic control unit 11 deactivates the sending of the command to stop the engine 10 according to the angle of inclination of the vehicle 1 and sends a warning message to the user.

[0091] If only the measurement of a non-contributing axis is outside the reference range, the electronic control unit 11 does not deactivate the sending of the command to stop the engine 10 according to the angle of inclination of the vehicle 1, because the computation of the angle of inclination is only slightly affected by a blockage on this axis, but sends the user a warning concerning the problem in the vicinity of the inclination sensor 111.

[0092] If all the measurements of the inclination sensor 111 are within the reference range, the command to stop the engine 10 according to the angle of inclination of the vehicle 1 is still sent, and the method proceeds to the second phase.

[0093] In a step E7, the user of the vehicle 1 starts the engine 10 and the electronic control unit 11 receives a signal indicating that the engine 10 has been started.

[0094] Once the engine 10 is running, it generates vibrations that propagate in the vehicle 1 and notably reach the electronic control unit 11 and the inclination sensor 111, which affects the measurements of the projections.

[0095] In a step E8, the electronic control unit 11 computes the time derivative of each of the three projections.

[0096] The time derivative is computed by measuring the projections at regular time ranges, subtracting the previous measurement from a measurement and dividing the result of the subtraction by a predefined time constant.

[0097] If the time derivative is zero or below a predetermined threshold for a specified time, this indicates that despite the vibrations caused by the engine 10 running, the value of the corresponding projection measured by the inclination sensor 111 is constant. In this case, it is likely that the inclination sensor 111 has a fault and that a component measuring this projection is blocked.

[0098] Thus, when the time derivative is zero or below a predetermined threshold for a specified time, the electronic control unit 11 detects the blockage of a component of the inclination sensor 111 in a step E9.

[0099] A warning message is also sent to the user during this step in order to schedule the repair or the replacement of the inclination sensor 111.

[0100] If the measurement error is detected on the measurements of an axis considered to be contributing in step E5, the electronic control unit 11 deactivates the function for stopping the engine 10 according to the angle of inclination of the vehicle 1, because the blockage of a component of the inclination sensor 111 can then significantly affect the computation of the angle of inclination of the vehicle 1.

[0101] The method therefore allows a possible blockage to be detected in a redundant manner that could cause an error in determining the angle of inclination of the vehicle 1, involving the self-diagnosis of the electronic control unit 11, the comparison with the reference ranges when stationary, and the computation of the derivative of the measurements on each axis in a regular and simple manner that does not require any specific operation on the part of the user. The method also allows a command to stop the engine 10 and to warn the user of the vehicle 1 to be sent in the event that a blockage is detected.