Tilt control device of three-wheeled locomotive

Abstract

A tilting control device of a three-wheeled locomotive comprises a tilting mechanism, an auxiliary tilting device and a sensing control unit, wherein the tilting mechanism is connected with a front frame and a rear frame. The tilt mechanism allows the front frame to tilt relative to the rear frame along a tilt axis. The auxiliary tilting mechanism comprises two bases, a sliding rod connected with the bases, a sliding seat, a driving connecting rod and an adjustable damper, wherein the sliding rod penetrates through the sliding seat and can move left and right along the sliding rod, the driving connecting rod is in pivot joint with the sliding seat and the rear frame, the adjustable damper is connected with the sliding seat, and the two ends of the adjustable damper are connected with the bases respectively. The sensing control unit comprises a state sensor and a controller. The controller can pre-judge whether excessive inclination is generated or not according to the inclination degree and adjust the damping force of the adjustable damper accordingly, so that inclination steering of the three-wheeled locomotive is facilitated, and the effects of assisting in controlling inclination and improving safety are achieved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a control device for a vehicle, and in particular to a control device for assisting the tilting of a locomotive with one front wheel and two rear wheels. Background Art

[0002] Currently, most common motorcycles are two-wheeled, with one wheel at the front and one wheel at the back. As people become more and more dependent on motorcycles, motorcycles are also being modified to meet emerging special needs. For example, in order to increase stability during driving, parking, and cornering, three-wheeled motorcycles have emerged. Three-wheeled motorcycles are divided into two different designs: front two wheels and rear two wheels. The former has higher maneuverability during cornering, while the latter has more load capacity and cargo space.

[0003] A rear two-wheeled motorcycle usually connects the front and rear bodies with a tilting mechanism, so that when the user turns, the front body can tilt relative to the rear body with a rotation axis parallel to the front and rear directions, thereby achieving the effect of guiding the user through the corner. However, the driving skills of the users and the road conditions vary. When the front body tilts too much, it will cause the body to tilt too quickly or at too large an angle, making it difficult for the driver to control, and even difficult for the driver to balance and cause danger. In addition, when the rear two-wheeled motorcycle is towing or driving at a low speed, if it tilts sideways, it is easy to cause instability or the risk of backing up. Therefore, how to stably control the tilt degree of the rear two-wheeled motorcycle is an issue of concern in the current consumer market. Summary of the invention

[0004] The object of the present invention is to provide a control device which can assist in controlling the tilting angle.

[0005] The tilt control device of a tricycle of the present invention comprises a front frame, a front wheel pivotally mounted on the front frame, a rear frame located behind the front frame, and two rear wheels pivotally mounted on the rear frame; the tilt control device comprises a tilt mechanism connecting the front frame and the rear frame, an auxiliary tilt mechanism, and a sensing control unit arranged on the tricycle, the tilt mechanism allowing the front frame to tilt relative to the rear frame along a tilt axis, the auxiliary tilt mechanism comprising two bases spaced apart from each other in the left-right direction and arranged on the rear frame, a base having two ends respectively connected to the base and extending in the left-right direction The control unit comprises a state sensor for sensing the tilting degree of the front frame relative to the rear frame, and a controller for controlling the damping force of the adjustable damper according to the tilting degree.

[0006] The tilt control device for a three-wheeled motorcycle of the present invention is characterized in that: the adjustable damper has an outer shell connected to the slide and extending in the left-right direction and having a hydraulic oil circuit inside, a shaft rod passing through the outer shell and having both ends respectively connected to the base, and a piston fixed on the shaft rod and located in the outer shell, and the hydraulic oil circuit is used to generate a damping force on the piston.

[0007] The tilt control device for a three-wheeled motorcycle of the present invention is characterized in that the adjustable damper of the auxiliary tilt mechanism also has a plurality of control valves for controlling the pressure, flow direction, and flow in the hydraulic oil circuit, and the controller of the sensor control unit controls the control valve according to the tilt degree to provide the required damping force.

[0008] The tilt control device for a three-wheeled motorcycle of the present invention is characterized in that the state sensor of the sensing control unit is arranged on the outer shell of the adjustable damper and is located at the center of the outer shell in the left-right direction. The state sensor can sense the position information of the piston relative to the outer shell, thereby obtaining the tilt degree.

[0009] The tilt control device for a three-wheeled motorcycle of the present invention is characterized in that the state sensor of the sensing control unit is a magnetic switch.

[0010] The tilt control device for a three-wheeled motorcycle of the present invention is characterized in that the state sensor of the sensing control unit is arranged on the front frame, and the state sensor can sense the tilt angle information of the front frame relative to the horizontal plane, thereby obtaining the tilt degree.

[0011] The tilt control device for a three-wheeled motorcycle of the present invention is characterized in that: the tilt mechanism includes a shell seat connected to the front frame, a base connected to the rear frame and aligned with the shell seat in the front-to-back direction, and a tilt shaft with a front end pivotally connected to the shell seat and a rear end fixed to the base, and the central axis of the tilt shaft coincides with the tilt axis.

[0012] The tilt control device of the three-wheeled motorcycle of the present invention, the three-wheeled motorcycle also includes a parking frame pivotally mounted on the front frame and used to support the front frame, and a motor for driving the rear wheel, characterized in that: the sensing control unit also includes a sensor arranged on the three-wheeled motorcycle and used to detect whether the parking frame is folded up, when the sensor detects that the parking frame is extended, the controller controls the motor to lock and not rotate, and cuts off the power supply of the three-wheeled motorcycle.

[0013] The tilt control device of the three-wheeled motorcycle of the present invention further includes a parking frame pivotally mounted on the front frame and used to support the front frame, and a motor used to drive the rear wheel, characterized in that: the controller can obtain the real-time speed of the rear wheel, when the real-time speed is 0, the controller controls the motor to lock and not rotate, and when the real-time speed is 5 to 10 kilometers per hour, the controller adjusts the damping force of the adjustable damper.

[0014] The beneficial effect of the present invention is that the controller can predict whether excessive tilting will occur according to the tilt degree of the front frame, and adjust the damping force of the adjustable damper accordingly. For example, when the tilt angle increases, the damping force is increased to generate appropriate resistance to avoid excessive tilting. When the tilt angle is small, the damping force is reduced to facilitate the tilting of the front frame through corners, thereby achieving the effect of assisting in controlling tilting and improving safety. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] Figure 1 is a perspective view illustrating an embodiment of a tilt control device for a three-wheeled motorcycle according to the present invention;

[0016] Figure 2 is an incomplete top view illustrating the tilt control device as viewed from above;

[0017] Figure 3 is a fragmentary side cross-sectional view illustrating the tilt mechanism of the described embodiment;

[0018] Figure 4It is an incomplete front view, which shows the state of looking from front to back without showing some components;

[0019] Figure 5 is a fragmentary top view in cross-section illustrating an adjustable damper in the described embodiment; and

[0020] Figure 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating the sensor control unit in the embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0021] The present invention is described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0022] See also Figure 1 and Figure 2 , is an embodiment of the tilt control device of a tricycle 1 of the present invention, the tricycle 1 comprises a front frame 11 provided with a handlebar 111 and a seat cushion (not shown), a front wheel 12 pivotally mounted on the front frame 11, a rear frame 13 located behind the front frame 11 and provided with a carrier frame 131, two rear wheels 14 pivotally mounted on the rear frame 13 and spaced from each other left and right, and a parking frame 15 pivotally mounted on the front frame 11. The tilt control device comprises a tilting mechanism 2 connecting the front frame 11 and the rear frame 13 in the front-to-back direction, an auxiliary tilting mechanism 3 arranged on the rear frame 13 and connected to the front frame 11, and a sensing control unit 4 arranged on the tricycle 1.

[0023] See also Figure 1 , Figure 2 ,and Figure 3 The tilt mechanism 2 includes a housing 21 connected to the front frame 11, a base 22 connected to the rear frame 13 and aligned with the housing 21 in the front-to-back direction, and a tilt shaft 23 whose front end is pivotally connected to the housing 21 and whose rear end is locked to the base 22. The housing 21 can rotate relative to the tilt shaft 23, so that the front frame 11 can be tilted along a tilt axis L relative to the rear frame 13, and the tilt axis L coincides with the central axis of the tilt shaft 23 and extends slightly up and down in the front-to-back direction. With the above design, in addition to turning the handlebar 111, the rider can also tilt his body to change the position of his center of gravity when turning, so that the front frame 11 can be tilted along the tilt axis L relative to the rear frame 13, so that the flexibility close to that of a two-wheeled motorcycle can be obtained.

[0024] See also Figure 1 , Figure 4 ,and Figure 5The auxiliary tilt mechanism 3 includes two bases 31 arranged on the rear frame 13 at intervals in the left-right direction, a slide bar 32 with two ends connected to the bases 31 and extending in the left-right direction, a slide seat 33 passing through the slide bar 32 and movable left-right between the bases 31 along the slide bar 32, a driving link 34 pivotally connected to the slide seat 33 at one end and pivotally connected to the rear frame 13 at the other end, and an adjustable damper 35 connected to the slide seat 33 and with two ends connected to the bases 31. The adjustable damper 35 includes an outer shell 351 connected to the slide seat 33 and extending in the left-right direction and having a hydraulic oil circuit inside, a shaft 352 passing through the outer shell 351 and with two ends connected to the bases 31, a piston 353 fixed to the shaft 352 and located in the outer shell 351, and two control valves 354 arranged on the rear frame 13 and connected to the outer shell 351. The control valve 354 can control the pressure, flow direction, and flow rate in the hydraulic oil circuit, thereby changing the damping force, damping force direction, and reaction speed of the hydraulic oil in the hydraulic oil circuit. It should be noted that the hydraulic oil circuit can be designed according to the different characteristics of the adjustable damper 35. The direction and design of the oil circuit are not the focus of this case, so they are not shown in the drawings of this case and will not be described here.

[0025] See also Figure 1 , Figure 2 ,and Figure 6 The sensing control unit 4 includes a state sensor 41 disposed on the outer peripheral surface of the outer shell 351 and located at the center thereof along the axial direction, a sensor 42 disposed on the front frame 11, and a controller 43 disposed on the rear frame 13. The state sensor 41 is used to sense the tilting degree of the front frame 11 relative to the rear frame 13. In this embodiment, the specific implementation method is that the state sensor 41 is a magnetic switch, but the actual application is not limited to this. The state sensor 41 can sense the position information of the piston 353 relative to the outer shell 351. When the front frame 11 tilts relative to the rear frame 13, the driving connecting rod 34 will synchronously pull the slide 33, so that the outer shell 351 moves left and right relative to the piston 353. Therefore, by knowing the position information of the piston 353 relative to the outer shell 351, the tilting degree can be obtained. It should be particularly noted that the state sensor 41 can also be a sensor arranged on the handlebar 111 of the front frame 11. In this way, the state sensor 41 senses the inclination angle information of the front frame 11 relative to the horizontal plane. Since the rear frame 13 is substantially horizontal and does not tilt, the aforementioned inclination angle information is equivalent to the relative inclination angle between the front frame 11 and the rear frame 13, so that the tilting degree can be obtained.

[0026] The sensor 42 is used to detect the state of the parking frame 15 to confirm whether the parking frame 15 is in the retracted state (such as Figure 1 Solid lines) or support (as shown Figure 1 The controller 43 can receive the information detected by the state sensor 41 and the sensor 42. In addition, the controller 43 can also obtain the real-time speed of the three-wheeled motorcycle 1 from the speed of the wheel (in this embodiment, the rear wheel 14) (not limited to this) through the wheel speed detector. In this embodiment, the controller 43 can be a vehicle microcontroller (MCU), a vehicle control unit (VCU), or a combination of the two.

[0027] When the tricycle 1 is traveling, the controller 43 can determine whether to lock the tilting ability of the tricycle 1 according to the real-time speed. For example, when the real-time speed is lower than 5 to 10 kilometers per hour, the controller 43 can control the control valve 354 to increase the damping force and make it difficult for the piston 353 to move left and right relative to the outer shell 351 (that is, the tilting angle is difficult to increase, but the rider can still pull the angle back to the right position). This function can prevent the rider from having difficulty in turning stably at very low speeds or tipping over when towing due to poor control skills. When the real-time speed is greater than 5 to 10 kilometers per hour, the controller 43 controls the control valve 354 to release the locking of the tilting ability of the tricycle 1. In addition, when the tricycle 1 is an electric motorcycle and the rear wheel 14 is driven by a motor, if the real-time speed is 0, the controller 43 will lock the motor so that it does not rotate to avoid the danger of the vehicle slipping when parking or climbing a slope.

[0028] When the three-wheeled motorcycle 1 enters a turn, the rider will deflect the center of gravity of the body according to the turning direction, so that the front frame 11 with a seat cushion is tilted relative to the rear frame 13 with the tilt axis L as the rotation axis. At this time, the tilted front frame 11 will also pull the slide 33 through the driving connecting rod 34, so that the slide 33 and the outer shell 351 connected to the slide 33 slide to the left or right, thereby allowing the user to lightly press the body (i.e., the front frame 11) in addition to turning the handle 111, so as to obtain more flexible steering performance. In the aforementioned process of entering a turn, the controller 43 will determine whether the front frame 11 is tilted too fast and whether the tilt angle of the front frame 11 is too large through the change of the tilting degree. If so, the controller 43 will control the control valve 354 to increase the damping force in the hydraulic oil circuit, so as to increase the resistance of the slide 33 and the outer shell 351 when moving to the left or right, thereby slowing down the tilting speed of the front frame 11, achieving the effect of controlling the tilting angle and stabilizing the turning. At this time, the user can still pull the front frame 11 straight without obstruction, so that the front frame 11 is straightened. When the front frame 11 is straightened, the posture sensor 42 will sense that the position information of the piston 353 is located at the center of the outer shell 351, and the controller 43 will control the control valve 354 to reduce the damping force in the hydraulic oil circuit to facilitate the rider to enter the next turn.

[0029] When the three-wheeled motorcycle 1 is running, the parking frame 15 is as follows Figure 1 When the rider wants to park the vehicle, the parking frame 15 is retracted as shown in the solid line. Figure 1 The parking frame 15 is extended as shown by the imaginary line in the middle, so that the parking frame 15 can stand on the ground to support the front frame 11. When the sensor 42 detects that the parking frame 15 is extended, the controller 43 will cut off the power supply of the three-wheeled motorcycle 1, and the safety can be further improved by cooperating with the aforementioned motor locking mechanism.

[0030] In summary, the present invention can detect the driving state of the three-wheeled motorcycle 1 and lock or unlock the tilting function according to different driving situations. When the tilting function is unlocked, the damping force can be adjusted according to the tilting trend of the front frame 11, thereby generating appropriate resistance to control the tilting degree, so as to ensure that the tilting angle is not too large and has better steering performance, avoid the situation of tipping over and increase the safety of cornering, so the purpose of the present invention can be achieved.

Claims

1. A tilt control device for a tricycle, the tricycle comprising a front frame, a front wheel pivotally mounted on the front frame, a rear frame located behind the front frame, and two rear wheels pivotally mounted on the rear frame; characterized in that: The tilt control device includes a tilt mechanism connecting the front frame and the rear frame, an auxiliary tilt mechanism, and a sensor control unit arranged on the tricycle, wherein the tilt mechanism allows the front frame to tilt relative to the rear frame along a tilt axis, and the auxiliary tilt mechanism includes two bases arranged on the rear frame at intervals along the left and right directions, a sliding rod with two ends respectively connected to the bases and extending along the left and right directions, a sliding seat penetrated by the sliding rod and movable left and right along the sliding rod, and a sliding seat with one end pivotally connected to the sliding seat and The other end is pivotally connected to a driving link of the rear frame, and an adjustable damper connected to the slide and having two ends respectively connected to the base, the rotation axes at both ends of the driving link are parallel to the tilting axis, when the driving link drives the slide to move left and right along the slide bar, the adjustable damper provides a damping force for the slide, and the sensing control unit includes a state sensor for sensing the tilting degree of the front frame relative to the rear frame, and a controller for correspondingly controlling the damping force of the adjustable damper according to the tilting degree.

2. The tilt control device for a three-wheeled motorcycle according to claim 1, characterized in that: The adjustable damper comprises an outer shell connected to the slide seat and extending in the left-right direction and having a hydraulic oil circuit inside, a shaft rod passing through the outer shell and having two ends respectively connected to the base, and a piston fixed on the shaft rod and located in the outer shell, and the hydraulic oil circuit is used to generate a damping force on the piston.

3. The tilt control device for a three-wheeled motorcycle according to claim 2, characterized in that: The adjustable damper of the auxiliary tilting mechanism also has a plurality of control valves for controlling the pressure, flow direction, and flow rate in the hydraulic oil circuit. The controller of the sensor control unit controls the control valve according to the tilting degree to provide the required damping force.

4. The tilt control device for a three-wheeled motorcycle according to claim 3, characterized in that: The state sensor of the sensing control unit is arranged on the outer shell of the adjustable damper and is located at the center of the outer shell along the left-right direction. The state sensor can sense the position information of the piston relative to the outer shell, thereby obtaining the tilting degree.

5. The tilt control device for a three-wheeled motorcycle according to claim 4, characterized in that: The state sensor of the sensing control unit is a magnetic switch.

6. The tilt control device for a tricycle according to claim 3, characterized in that: The state sensor of the sensing control unit is arranged on the front frame, and the state sensor can sense the inclination angle information of the front frame relative to the horizontal plane, so as to obtain the tilting degree.

7. The tilt control device for a three-wheeled motorcycle according to claim 1, characterized in that: The tilting mechanism includes a shell seat connected to the front frame, a base connected to the rear frame and aligned with the shell seat in the front-to-back direction, and a tilting shaft with a front end pivotally connected to the shell seat and a rear end fixed to the base, wherein the central axis of the tilting shaft coincides with the tilting axis.

8. The tilt control device for a tricycle according to claim 1, wherein the tricycle further comprises a parking frame pivotally mounted on the front frame and used to support the front frame, and a motor for driving the rear wheel, characterized in that: The sensor control unit also includes a sensor disposed on the tricycle and used to detect whether the parking frame is folded. When the sensor detects that the parking frame is extended, the controller controls the motor to lock and not rotate, and cuts off the power supply of the tricycle.

9. The tilt control device for a tricycle according to claim 1, wherein the tricycle further comprises a parking frame pivotally mounted on the front frame and used to support the front frame, and a motor for driving the rear wheel, characterized in that: The controller can obtain the real-time speed of the rear wheel. When the real-time speed is 0, the controller controls the motor to lock and not rotate. When the real-time speed is 5 to 10 kilometers per hour, the controller adjusts the damping force of the adjustable damper.

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