JP7477555B2 - Steering control device for motorcycle - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a steering control device for a motorcycle, and in particular to a steering control device for a motorcycle that uses an actuator to assist the driver in steering.

Steering control devices for motorcycles that use actuators to assist the driver in steering have been known for some time.

Patent Document 1 discloses a steering control device that uses an actuator to assist with steering operations when it is determined that a collision with an object ahead will occur.

JP 2021-112937 A

However, the technology in Patent Document 1 is intended to improve the protection of occupants in the event of a collision, and does not consider performing steering control that is tailored to the driving characteristics of each individual driver to make cornering smoother.

The object of the present invention is to provide a steering control device for a motorcycle that solves the problems of the above-mentioned conventional technology and can perform steering control that matches the driving characteristics of each individual driver.

To achieve the above object, the present invention provides a steering control device for a motorcycle (1) that is applied to a motorcycle having a steering device (17) that assists the steering operation of a driver (R) and a steering control unit (16) that controls the steering device (17). The device has a steering characteristic detection unit (13) that detects whether the driver (R) has steering characteristics of a steering type (A) that mainly turns by steering or a weight transfer type (B) that mainly turns by weight transfer when passing through a traffic jam by weaving between multiple other vehicles (2, 3), and the steering control unit (16) performs steering control according to the steering characteristics when passing through the traffic jam.

The second feature of the present invention is that it includes a steering angular velocity calculation unit (11) that calculates a steering angular velocity based on an output signal of a steering angle sensor (5) that detects the steering angle of the motorcycle (1), and a roll angular velocity calculation unit (12) that calculates a roll angular velocity based on an output signal of a roll angle sensor (6) that detects the roll angle of the motorcycle (1), and the steering characteristics are detected based on at least the steering angular velocity and the roll angular velocity.

The third feature of the steering control unit (16) is that it increases the degree of intervention in the steering control when the steering characteristic is a steering type (A), and decreases the degree of intervention in the steering control when the steering characteristic is a weight transfer type (B).

Furthermore, the fourth feature is that the steering control unit (16) performs steering control to avoid the other vehicles (2, 3) when the approach of the other vehicles (2, 3) is detected while the vehicle is passing through the traffic jam but the driver (R) does not perform an avoidance operation.

According to a first feature, in a steering control device for a motorcycle (1) that has a steering device (17) that assists the steering operation of a driver (R) and a steering control unit (16) that controls the steering device (17), a steering characteristic detection unit (13) is provided that detects whether the driver (R) has steering type (A) in which the driver turns mainly by steering or weight transfer type (B) in which the driver turns mainly by weight transfer when passing through a traffic jam by weaving between multiple other vehicles (2, 3), and the steering control unit (16) performs steering control according to the steering characteristic when passing through the traffic jam, so that steering control according to the individual driver's steering characteristics can be performed when passing through the traffic jam. This makes it possible to execute steering control that is less likely to cause discomfort to the driver.

According to the second feature, the motorcycle (1) includes a steering angular velocity calculation unit (11) that calculates a steering angular velocity based on an output signal of a steering angle sensor (5) that detects the steering angle of the motorcycle (1), and a roll angular velocity calculation unit (12) that calculates a roll angular velocity based on an output signal of a roll angle sensor (6) that detects the roll angle of the motorcycle (1). Since the steering characteristics are detected based on at least the steering angular velocity and the roll angular velocity, the driver's steering characteristics can be detected based on the steering angular velocity and vehicle body roll angle that can be detected by a general sensor.

According to the third feature, the steering control unit (16) increases the degree of intervention in the steering control when the steering characteristic is a steering type (A), and decreases the degree of intervention in the steering control when the steering characteristic is a weight transfer type (B), so that the steering control can be performed in a way that the driver is less likely to feel uncomfortable.

According to the fourth feature, the steering control unit (16) performs steering control to avoid the other vehicles (2, 3) when the driver (R) does not perform an avoidance operation while detecting the approach of the other vehicles (2, 3) during the traffic jam passing runway, so that the steering control can prevent contact with the other vehicles during the traffic jam passing runway.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a manner in which a motorcycle passes through a traffic jam. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a steering control device. 1 is a graph showing steering torque and roll angular velocity when driving through a traffic jam. 1 is a graph showing a steering angular velocity and a roll angular velocity when driving through a traffic jam. 5 is a flowchart showing a procedure of steering intervention control when passing through a traffic jam; 4 is a flowchart showing a procedure for steering characteristic learning control.

A preferred embodiment of the present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing a motorcycle 1 passing through a traffic jam. This figure illustrates a situation in which a traffic jam occurs on a two-lane road G, and the driver R turns the motorcycle 1 left and right to pass other vehicles 2 and 3 traveling at low speed. The motorcycle 1 according to this embodiment has a steering control device that uses an actuator to assist the steering operation of the driver R, and is configured to perform steering control to avoid the other vehicles 2 and 3 if the approach of the other vehicles 2 and 3 is detected while passing through a traffic jam but the driver R does not perform an evasive operation.

Figure 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of the steering control device according to this embodiment. The control unit 10 of the motorcycle 1 receives output signals from a steering angle sensor 5 that detects the steering angle of the steering handle, a roll angle sensor 6 that detects the roll angle of the vehicle body, a vehicle speed sensor 7 that detects the vehicle speed, a front camera 8 that captures images in front of the vehicle body, and a front radar 9 that detects obstacles in front of the vehicle body.

The control unit 10 includes a steering characteristic detection unit 13 that detects the steering characteristics of the driver R. In this embodiment, the steering characteristics of the driver R when driving through a traffic jam are learned, and the steering characteristics are classified as steering type A or weight transfer type B, and steering control appropriate for each steering characteristic is executed. Specifically, if the steering type is determined to be A, the degree of intervention of the steering control is increased, and if the weight transfer type is determined to be B, the degree of intervention of the steering control is decreased.

The steering characteristic detection unit 13 detects the steering characteristics of the driver R based on the steering angular velocity calculated by the steering angular velocity calculation unit 11 based on the output signal of the steering angle sensor 5 and the roll angular velocity calculated by the roll angular velocity calculation unit 12 based on the output signal of the roll angle sensor 6. The steering control unit 16 controls the steering device 17 in accordance with the detected steering characteristics.

Figure 3 is a graph showing steering torque and roll angular velocity when passing through a traffic jam. The top graph shows the difference in steering torque between a driver determined to be steering type A and a driver determined to be weight transfer type B when passing through a traffic jam. Meanwhile, the bottom graph shows the difference in roll angular velocity between a driver determined to be steering type A and a driver determined to be weight transfer type B when passing through a traffic jam. The steering torque fluctuates more up and down for steering type A, who mainly controls the vehicle body through steering, and the roll angular velocity fluctuates more up and down for weight transfer type B, who controls the vehicle body by moving the upper body.

Figure 4 is a graph showing the steering angular velocity and roll angular velocity when driving through a traffic jam. This graph shows the difference between steering type A and weight transfer type B, with the vertical axis representing steering angular velocity and the horizontal axis representing roll angular velocity. With steering type A, as the roll angular velocity increases, the rate of increase in steering angular velocity also increases, and the greater the roll angular velocity, the greater the difference with weight transfer type B. In other words, by using steering angular velocity as a parameter, it is possible to divide the driver's driving characteristics into steering type A and weight transfer type B.

Figure 5 is a flowchart showing the procedure for steering intervention control when passing through a traffic jam according to this embodiment. In step S1, the motorcycle 1 is traveling normally. In step S2, steering characteristic learning control is executed to determine whether the steering characteristic of the driver R is steering type A or weight transfer type B.

In step S3, the forward camera 8 and the forward radar 9 detect another vehicle ahead. In step S4, it is determined whether the other vehicle has approached within a predetermined range. If the determination in step S4 is positive, the process proceeds to step S5, and an alarm is issued to the driver R by the display and buzzer of the meter device. On the other hand, if the determination in step S4 is negative, the process returns to step S1.

In step S6, it is determined whether or not an avoidance operation has been performed by the driver R, and if a negative determination is made, the process proceeds to step S7. In step S7, it is determined whether or not a condition is met, such as the roll angle of the vehicle body being within a predetermined range, and therefore it is possible to intervene in steering control, and if a positive determination is made, the process proceeds to step S8, where steering control is performed by the actuator. On the other hand, if a positive determination is made in step S6 or a negative determination is made in step S7, the process returns to step S1, respectively.

In the next step S9, it is determined whether or not the steering control intervention can be continued. If the determination is negative, that is, if the conditions are met such as the avoidance of the other vehicle being completed, the process proceeds to step S10, where the steering control is released and the series of controls ends. On the other hand, if the determination is positive in step S9, the process returns to step S8 and the steering control continues.

Figure 6 is a flowchart showing the procedure for steering characteristic learning control. In this embodiment, the steering characteristics of the driver R are learned while the motorcycle 1 is passing through a traffic jam. This makes it possible to determine steering characteristics suitable for passing through a traffic jam and to perform steering control.

In step S11, it is determined whether the vehicle speed is 20 km/h or less, and if the determination is affirmative, the process proceeds to step S12. In step S12, it is determined whether the driving time is 5 seconds or more, and if the determination is affirmative, the process proceeds to step S13. In step S13, it is determined whether the average roll angular velocity is 15 deg/s or more, and if the determination is affirmative, the process proceeds to step S14. According to the determinations in steps S11, S12, and S13, it is possible to determine whether driving through a traffic jam has been ongoing for 5 seconds or more. If the determinations in steps S11, S12, and S13 are negative, the series of controls ends.

In step S14, it is determined whether the average steering angular velocity is 10 deg/s or more. If the determination is affirmative, the steering characteristics are determined to be steering type A in step S15, and the series of controls is terminated. On the other hand, if the determination is negative in step S14, i.e., the average steering angular velocity is less than 10 deg/s, the steering characteristics are determined to be weight transfer type B in step S16, and the series of controls is terminated.

In this embodiment, when the steering characteristics are steering type A, the degree of intervention of the steering control is configured to be strong. This is because the driver R, who controls the vehicle body mainly by steering operation, is unlikely to feel uncomfortable even if the degree of intervention of the steering control is strong. On the other hand, when the steering characteristics are weight transfer type B, the degree of intervention of the steering control is configured to be weak. This is because the driver R, who controls the vehicle body mainly by weight transfer, performs weaker steering operation and is likely to feel uncomfortable if the degree of intervention of the steering control is strong. With the above configuration, it is possible to execute appropriate steering control without making the driver R feel uncomfortable.

The shape of the motorcycle, the arrangement and structure of the various sensors, the threshold value for determining that the vehicle is passing through a traffic jam, the threshold value for determining whether the vehicle is a steering type or a weight transfer type, etc. are not limited to the above embodiment and can be modified in various ways. The steering control device according to the present invention can be applied not only to motorcycles but also to saddle-type three-wheeled vehicles, etc.

1...motorcycle, 2, 3...other vehicle, 5...steering angle sensor, 6...roll angle sensor, 11...steering angular velocity calculation unit, 12...roll angular velocity calculation unit, 13...maneuvering characteristic detection unit, 16...steering control unit, 17...steering device, A...steering type, B...weight transfer type, R...driver

Claims (3)

A steering control device for a motorcycle (1) that is applied to a motorcycle (1) having a steering device (17) that assists a driver (R) in steering operations and a steering control unit (16) that controls the steering device (17),
a steering characteristic detection unit (13) for detecting whether the driver (R) has a steering characteristic of a steering type (A) in which the driver turns mainly by steering or a weight transfer type (B) in which the driver turns mainly by weight transfer when the driver (R) is weaving through a traffic jam by weaving between a plurality of other vehicles (2, 3),
The steering control unit (16) performs steering control according to the driving characteristics when passing through the traffic jam,
The steering control unit (16) increases the degree of intervention of the steering control when the steering characteristics are a steering type (A), and decreases the degree of intervention of the steering control when the steering characteristics are a weight transfer type (B) . a steering angular velocity calculation unit (11) that calculates a steering angular velocity based on an output signal of a steering angle sensor (5) that detects a steering angle of the motorcycle (1);
a roll angular velocity calculation unit (12) that calculates a roll angular velocity based on an output signal of a roll angle sensor (6) that detects a roll angle of the motorcycle (1),
2. The steering control device for a motorcycle according to claim 1, wherein the steering characteristic is detected based on at least the steering angular velocity and the roll angular velocity. 3. The steering control device for a motorcycle according to claim 1, wherein the steering control unit (16) performs steering control to avoid the other vehicle (2 , 3) when the approach of the other vehicle (2, 3) is detected while the driver (R) is passing through the traffic jam and no avoidance operation is performed by the driver (R).

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