Patent ID: 6456920
Filing Date: 2002-09-24
Classification: B60T,B60W,G01B

Abstract:
An apparatus for estimating a vehicle side slip angle, comprising:monitor means disposed in a vehicle for monitoring a quantity of motion state of said vehicle including signals of a vehicle speed, a vehicle lateral acceleration, a yaw rate and a steering angle; motion model memory means for storing a vehicle motion model in a memory; first estimation means for estimating a vehicle side slip angle by calculating a vehicle side slip angular velocity on the basis of the vehicle speed, the vehicle lateral acceleration and the yaw rate monitored by said monitor means, and integrating the vehicle side slip angular velocity in a predetermined calculating cycle; second estimation means for estimating the vehicle side slip angle on the basis of the quantity of motion state monitored by said monitor means, and the vehicle motion model stored in the memory by said motion model memory means; tire load determination means for determining a lateral load to each tire of said vehicle on the basis of the result monitored by said monitor means; and changing means for switching between the estimation of the vehicle side slip angle made by said first estimation means and the estimation of the vehicle side slip angle made by said second estimation means, in accordance with the result of determination of said tire load determination means.