SINGLE-TRACK MOTOR VEHICLE, METHOD FOR OPERATING THE SINGLE-TRACK MOTOR VEHICLE

Description

[0001] The invention relates to a single-track motor vehicle, in particular a motorcycle, comprising a drive engine, at least one handlebar, and at least one control element movable by a driver of the motor vehicle, and a device configured to influence a driving speed of the motor vehicle depending on a movement of the control element. Furthermore, the invention relates to a method for operating such a motor vehicle. State of the art

[0002] Motor vehicles of the type mentioned above are known from the prior art. In single-track vehicles, particularly motorcycles, an operating device for specifying a drive torque is usually arranged in the form of a throttle twist grip on a handlebar or handlebar of the motor vehicle. Typically, the operating device also has a brake lever in addition to a throttle twist grip that can be rotated by the user or driver. By rotating the throttle twist grip against the force of a return spring, the driver specifies a drive torque. For this purpose, a device is provided which, depending on the rotational position of the twist grip, controls, for example, an internal combustion engine or electric motor of the motor vehicle by specifying a drive torque. Such a device is, for example, a control unit, in particular an engine control unit, of the motor vehicle. Document EP2314473A2 shows the preamble of claim 1.

[0003] The operating device according to the invention with the features of claim 1 has the advantage that deceleration of the motor vehicle occurs wear-free or almost wear-free and furthermore increases the range of the motor vehicle. According to the invention, the device is designed to operate the electrically operated drive motor in a generator mode to decelerate the motor vehicle, depending on a movement of the operating element in a first direction. By decelerating in generator mode, recuperation is carried out, i.e. electrical energy is recovered and stored in particular in an electrical energy store of the single-track vehicle, so that it is available at a later time, for example for accelerating the motor vehicle in motor mode of the drive motor.

[0004] Preferably, the device is designed to operate the drive motor to accelerate the motor vehicle as a function of a movement of the control element in a second direction, in particular opposite to the first direction, or as a function of a movement of another control element of the control device. According to the first embodiment, both the acceleration and the regenerative deceleration are thus specified by the user by actuating only one control element. According to the second embodiment, two different control elements are available to the driver for acceleration and deceleration.

[0005] According to the invention, the control element is designed as a throttle twist grip. This allows the driver to access a control element typically found on single-track vehicles. This also offers the advantage that the driver of the vehicle does not have to reposition his hand to reach a separate brake lever, while still being able to achieve deceleration torque or deceleration of the vehicle.

[0006] According to the invention, the throttle grip is cylindrical and mounted for rotation about its longitudinal axis. Furthermore, a stop device having a rotational stop for the throttle grip and a return spring are provided. The return spring applies a return torque to the throttle grip in the direction of the rotational stop, so that the throttle grip can be rotated to the rotational stop by the return torque. The return torque is designed such that it can be overcome by a torque applied to the throttle grip that is greater than the return torque. As a result, the throttle grip can be moved or rotated in two directions starting from the rotational stop, so that both the acceleration and the recuperative deceleration can be adjusted with the throttle grip.

[0007] In contrast to conventional throttle grips, the design now provides a throttle grip that can be turned further beyond the neutral starting position, in which the throttle grip rests against the rotational end stop, so that no drive torque is required, provided the applied torque overcomes the restraining torque of the rotational stop. Because the rotational stop is designed to be surmountable, it has a restraining torque that holds the throttle grip in the neutral position resting against the rotational stop, counter to the force of the return torque. For this purpose, the restraining torque is expediently greater than the return torque. Only when the rider applies a torque to the throttle grip that overcomes the restraining torque and that acts in the same direction as the return torque can the rotational stop be overcome and the throttle grip turned against the usual acceleration direction.By over-rotating the neutral position in the first direction of rotation, the throttle grip is rotated into a negative torque range, in which the device predetermines a target deceleration torque for the motor vehicle. This allows the driver to decelerate the motor vehicle by over-rotating the rotation stop without having to operate the otherwise necessary brake lever. According to a first embodiment, the target deceleration torque is specified for implementation by a friction brake device or a friction brake system, and according to a second embodiment, by a drive device of the motor vehicle designed as an electric machine, so that the motor vehicle is decelerated by generator operation of the electric machine, thereby preventing wear on the friction brake system.

[0008] According to the invention, the rotation stop can be moved against the spring force of a preload spring and is located in the path of movement of a stop element of the throttle grip. If the throttle grip is moved in the first direction by the return spring, the stop element strikes the rotation stop and prevents further rotation of the support in the first direction. Only by overcoming the spring force of the preload spring, which creates the retaining torque, as described above, can the throttle grip be rotated beyond the neutral position into the negative torque range of the control device. This allows for easy mechanical overcoming of the rotation stop.

[0009] According to a further embodiment of the invention, the stop device comprises a rotation stop that magnetically interacts with the throttle grip. The magnetic interaction is particularly designed such that the throttle grip is magnetically locked in the neutral position. By overcoming the acting magnetic force, the throttle grip can be rotated beyond the rotation stop in the first direction. This also provides a simple and cost-effective, and particularly low-wear, way to overcome the rotation stop.

[0010] Furthermore, it is preferably provided that the device is designed to increase a target deceleration with increasing distance of the throttle grip from the rotational limit stop in the first direction and to increase the target drive torque with increasing distance in the second direction. Thus, the further the throttle grip is moved or rotated in one direction or the other, the greater the predetermined drive torque or the predetermined target deceleration becomes. This allows the driver to advantageously determine the acceleration and deceleration of the motor vehicle.

[0011] Furthermore, it is preferably provided that the device is configured to additionally specify a braking torque for a friction brake system of the motor vehicle as the target deceleration. This allows a braking torque to be specified for the mechanical brake system, in particular, when a target deceleration is requested by the driver by turning the throttle grip, which could not be achieved by the electric motor alone.

[0012] The method according to the invention with the features of claim 9 is characterized in that an electric drive motor is operated as a generator depending on a movement of the control element in a first direction to decelerate the motor vehicle. This results in the advantages already mentioned above.

[0013] Further advantages and preferred combinations of features emerge in particular from the above description and from the claims. The invention will be explained in more detail below with reference to the drawings. Figure 1 shows an advantageous motor vehicle in a simplified side view, Figure 2 shows an advantageous operating device of the motor vehicle in a simplified top view, and Figure 3 shows a simplified representation of the operating device.

[0014] Figure 1shows a simplified side view of a motor vehicle 1 designed as a single-track vehicle or motorcycle. For this purpose, the motor vehicle 1 has a front wheel 2 and a rear wheel 3, which are arranged one behind the other in the forward direction of travel of the motor vehicle 1, so that when driving straight ahead they roll in only one track. The front wheel 2 is steerable, as is usual with motorcycles, and for this purpose is rotatably mounted on a handlebar 4 of the motor vehicle 1, which can be pivoted about a vertical axis. The handlebar 4 has a crossbar or handlebar 5 at its upper end, which has handlebars 6 for the driver of the motor vehicle 1 at its lateral ends. The rear wheel 3 is mechanically coupled to a drive device 7, for example by means of a drive belt or a drive chain, wherein the drive device 7 is designed as an electric drive with an electric drive motor 8 according to the present exemplary embodiment.To operate the drive engine 8, the motor vehicle 1 also has an electrical storage device 9. In addition, the motor vehicle 1 has a friction brake system 10 that has a friction brake 11 assigned to the front wheel 2 and a friction brake 12 assigned to the rear wheel, which in . Figure 1 only shown schematically.

[0015] To control the friction brake system 10 and the drive device 7, an advantageous operating device 13 is arranged on at least one of the handles 6.

[0016] Figure 2shows a simplified plan view of a handle 6 and the operating device 13. The operating device 13 has at its free end a cylindrical throttle grip 15 which is rotatably mounted about its longitudinal axis 14 and is arranged, in particular, coaxially to the handlebar 5. The throttle grip 15 is connected to a sensor device 16 which monitors the rotational position of the throttle grip 15 and, depending on the rotational position or the rotation of the throttle grip 15, controls at least the drive device 7. The sensor device 16 is thus, in particular, a component of an advantageous device 17 which controls the drive device 7 depending on a driving request specified by the driver by rotating the throttle grip 15. In particular, the device 17 also has a control unit 18, as shown, for example, in Figure 1shown that the signals detected by the sensor device 16 are evaluated and, depending on this, control commands are generated for the drive device 7.

[0017] Thus, the sensor device 16 detects a movement of the throttle grip 15 starting from an initial position A in a first direction according to arrow 19 and in a second direction according to arrow 20, as shown in Figure 3 shown. Figure 3 shows a top view of the throttle grip 15 in the direction of its axis of rotation.

[0018] The starting position A is defined by a rotational end stop, in particular an surmountable rotational stop 21, which is designed, for example, as a ball element 22 which is urged by a pretensioning spring 23 in the direction of the throttle twist grip 15, in particular radially from the inside, in order to engage in a recess 24 of the throttle twist grip 15 in the starting position A.

[0019] If the holding torque provided by the rotary end stop 21 is overcome by applying a sufficiently high torque to the throttle twist grip 15, the throttle twist grip 15 can be moved in both directions 19, 20. In particular, the rotary stop only acts as an surmountable stop in the first direction. In the initial position A, the throttle twist grip 15 preferably rests against the rotary end stop 21 in such a way that to move the throttle twist grip 15 in the second direction, only the counterforce of a return spring 25 needs to be overcome. This return spring 25 is preferably assigned to the throttle twist grip 15 in such a way - in Figure 3shown in simplified form - by which the throttle twist grip 15 is pushed back into position A when the driver no longer applies manual torque to the throttle twist grip 15. In particular, the return spring 25 acts opposite to the direction of movement according to arrow 20. The sensor device 16 now detects the rotational position of the rotational movement of the throttle twist grip 15, starting from the initial position in one or the other direction of the arrows 19, 20, in order to control the electric motor 8.

[0020] In the present case, it is provided that in the case in which the throttle twist grip 15 is mounted in the second direction 20, the sensor device 16 detects this and the control unit 18, depending on the detected movement and / or position of the throttle twist grip 15, controls the electric machine 8 to generate an acceleration torque or a drive torque.

[0021] If the throttle grip 15 is moved beyond the rotational limit stop 21 or beyond the starting position A in the opposite direction, as indicated by arrow 19, this is detected by the sensor device 16, and the control unit 18 consequently controls the electric machine 8 to operate as a generator and thereby generate a decelerating torque. In generator mode, electrical energy is also generated, which is stored in particular in the electrical storage device 9. The generator or decelerating torque is preferably increased with increasing distance of the throttle grip 15 from the starting position 15.

[0022] The user can thus specify an acceleration torque or a target deceleration torque for the motor vehicle 1 by turning the throttle twist grip 15 in one direction or the other. Because the deceleration torque is generated by the generator operation of the electric motor 8 during deceleration operation, a recuperation mode occurs in which the motor vehicle 1 decelerates and electrical energy is generated. This extends the range of the motor vehicle 1, on the one hand, and, on the other hand, prevents the wear that would otherwise occur due to the actuation of the mechanical friction brake system 10 or at least one of the friction brakes 11 or 12.

[0023] As an alternative to integrating a movement for decelerating the motor vehicle 1 into the throttle grip, the motor vehicle 1 preferably has at least one further control element, such as a brake handle 26, as shown in Figure 2The control unit 18 then specifies the target deceleration torque for the electric drive motor 8 as a function of an actuation of the brake handle 26. Optionally, the control unit 18 also additionally controls the friction brake system 10, particularly when a requested deceleration cannot be realized solely by the electric motor 8 in generator mode.

Claims

1. Single-track motor vehicle (1), in particular motorcycle, having a drive machine (8), having at least one handlebar (4) and having at least one operator control element, which can be moved by a rider of the motor vehicle (1), and having a device (17) which is designed to influence a travelling speed of the motor vehicle (1) depending on a movement of the operator control element, wherein the device (17) is designed to operate the electrically operating drive machine (8) as a generator in order to decelerate the motor vehicle (1) depending on a movement of the operator control element in a first direction (19), wherein the operator control element is in the form of a throttle twist grip (15) and the throttle twist grip is cylindrical and mounted rotatably about its longitudinal axis, having a rotary end stop (21) for the throttle twist grip (15) and having a return spring (25) which applies a return torque to the throttle twist grip (15) in the direction of the rotary stop (21), so that the throttle twist grip (15) can be rotated by the return torque as far as the rotary end stop (21), and that the rotary end stop (21) is designed in such a way that it can be overcome by a torque applied to the throttle twist grip (15), the torque being greater than the return torque, and characterized in that the rotary end stop (21) can be displaced against the spring force of a preloading spring (23) and lies in the movement path of the throttle twist grip (15).

2. Motor vehicle according to Claim 1, characterized in that the device (17) is designed to drive the drive machine (8) as a motor in order to accelerate the motor vehicle (1) depending on a movement of the operator control element in a second direction (20), which is in particular opposite to the first direction, or depending on a movement of a further operator control element.

3. Motor vehicle according to either of the preceding claims, characterized in that the rotary end stop (21) magnetically interacts with the throttle twist grip (15).

4. Motor vehicle according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the device (17) is designed to increase the target deceleration as the distance of the throttle twist grip (15) from the rotary end stop (21) in the first direction (19) increases and to increase a target drive torque as the distance in the second direction (20) increases.

5. Motor vehicle according to any of the preceding claims, characterized in that the device (17) is designed to additionally specify a target braking torque for a friction brake system (10) of the motor vehicle (1) for the target deceleration.

6. Method for operating a single-track motor vehicle (1) which is designed according to any of Claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the electric drive machine (8) is operated as a generator in order to decelerate the motor vehicle (1) depending on a movement of the operator control element in a first direction (19).