Vehicle testing device and operation control method for vehicle testing device

Abstract

To provide a vehicle testing device for a chassis dynamo motor, etc., that eliminates the need for advance preparations associated with a tire turning angle and can precisely recognize an angle displacement quantity.SOLUTION: A displacement sensor 7L targets a distance measurement region 90 of a tire 6L as an object of detection, and detects a tire turning angle of the tire 6L to obtain angle measurement information S7L. A displacement sensor 7R targets a distance measurement region 90 of a tire 6R as an object of detection and detects a tire turning angle of the tire 6R to obtain angle measurement information S7R. A controller 15 receives angle measurement information S7 (S7L, S7R) from the displacement sensors 7 (7L, 7R), finds a steering angle matching the tire turning angle that the angle measurement information S7 represents, and outputs steering angle direction information SG directing the found steering angle to a motor drive device 19. The motor drive device 19 drives a swivel motor 42 of a roller swivel mechanism 3 (3L, 3R) according to the steering angle direction information SG.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a vehicle testing device such as a chassis dynamometer used for various running tests of a vehicle, and a method for controlling the operation of the vehicle testing device. [Background technology]

[0002] A chassis dynamometer, which is one type of vehicle testing device, has conventionally been used when conducting running tests of vehicles (automobiles), and includes a roller device as a main component.

[0003] In order to carry out various running tests associated with the steering operation of a vehicle, it is necessary to perform a roller turning operation for turning the rollers so as to match the turning operation of the tires, so the chassis dynamometer further has a turning mechanism for performing the roller turning operation. For example, a chassis dynamometer disclosed in Patent Document 1 is an example of a conventional chassis dynamometer having a turning mechanism.

[0004] In other words, roller turning motion is required to realize a control method for making the roller devices for the left and right tires follow the tire turning angle caused by steering operation. The above control method can be applied to autonomous driving and ADAS simulated driving tests. "ADAS (Advanced Driver Assistance System)" is a system that detects the possibility of accidents and other events in advance and avoids them.

[0005] In order to carry out various running tests associated with the steering operation of the vehicle as described above, the conventional chassis dynamometer further includes a roller turning mechanism that performs a roller turning operation. The chassis dynamometer disclosed in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1 includes the roller turning mechanism. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0006] [Patent Document 1] JP 2019-203869 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0007] However, conventional vehicle testing devices, such as chassis dynamometers, indirectly recognize the tire turning angle, which is the steering angle of the tires, by referring to a steering angle conversion table based on steering angle information (indicating the "steering angle") obtained from an encoder attached to the steering wheel of the vehicle. Note that the steering angle conversion table generally has multiple types of angle pair information indicating multiple types of tire turning angles in a format corresponding to multiple types of steering angle.

[0008] Since the contents of the steering angle conversion table differ for each vehicle, each time the vehicle to be tested is changed, it is necessary to prepare a steering angle conversion table for the vehicle to be tested as information regarding the tire turning angle, which poses the problem of requiring a lot of time and effort in advance preparation.

[0009] In addition, conventional vehicle testing devices, such as chassis dynamometers, indirectly determine the tire turning angle based on the steering angle, which results in low accuracy in determining the tire turning angle.

[0010] The present disclosure has been made to solve the above problems, and aims to provide a vehicle testing device that eliminates the need for advance preparation regarding tire turning angle and can accurately recognize the tire turning angle. [Means for solving the problem]

[0011] The vehicle testing device according to the present disclosure includes a roller on which a vehicle tire is placed, a roller turning mechanism that performs a roller turning operation to turn a turning object including the roller, and a displacement sensor that detects an angular displacement amount related to a tire turning angle, which is an angle of the tire with respect to a reference direction, using a measurement target area in the tire as a detection target, to obtain angle measurement information. Effect of the Invention

[0012] The displacement sensor in the vehicle testing device disclosed herein detects a measurement area provided on a tire, and therefore can accurately determine the amount of angular displacement related to the tire turning angle.

[0013] In addition, since the vehicle testing device disclosed herein detects the measurement area on the tire, even if the vehicle being tested is changed, there is no need to prepare new information in advance regarding the tire cutting angle of that vehicle.

[0014] Therefore, the vehicle testing device of the present disclosure does not require any advance preparation regarding the tire turning angle, and can accurately recognize the amount of angular displacement. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] 1 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of the chassis dynamometer of the first embodiment after a vehicle is placed thereon. [Diagram 2] 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a displacement sensor and its periphery in the chassis dynamometer of the first embodiment. FIG. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic cross section taken along the line AA in FIG. 2. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a roller turning mechanism. [Diagram 5] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic diagram of the contents of a distance measurement area provided on a tire. [Figure 6] 5 is a flowchart showing a method for acquiring angle measurement information by the displacement sensor of the first embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a schematic diagram of a drive system of a turning motor in the chassis dynamometer of the first embodiment. [Figure 8] 5 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of a turning control method for the roller turning mechanism in the first embodiment. [Figure 9] 11 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a displacement sensor and its periphery in a chassis dynamometer according to a second embodiment of the present invention; FIG. [Figure 10] 10 is a flowchart showing a method for acquiring angle measurement information by the displacement sensor of the second embodiment. [Figure 11] 11 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic diagram of a drive system of a turning motor in a chassis dynamometer according to a second embodiment. FIG. [Figure 12] 11 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of a rotation control method for a roller rotation mechanism in the second embodiment. [Figure 13] FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a planar configuration of a chassis dynamometer according to a third embodiment. [Figure 14] FIG. 11 is a front view showing the structure of a lateral movement mechanism according to a third embodiment. [Figure 15] 15 is a top view of the lateral movement mechanism shown in FIG. 14 as viewed from above. [Figure 16] FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a schematic diagram of a drive system for various motors in a chassis dynamometer according to a third embodiment. [Figure 17] 13 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure for centering adjustment processing in a chassis dynamometer according to a third embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0016] <Embodiment 1> (Overall composition) Fig. 1 is a perspective view showing a schematic configuration of a chassis dynamometer 1 according to the first embodiment after a vehicle 60 is placed on it. An XYZ orthogonal coordinate system is shown in Fig. 1. In the first embodiment, the chassis dynamometer 1 is used as a vehicle testing device.

[0017] 1, four tires 6 of a vehicle 60 are placed on the roller pairs 20 of the four roller devices 2. Each roller device 2 has a roller pair 20 on which the tires 6 of the vehicle 60 are placed. Furthermore, when testing the vehicle 60, the vehicle 60 is fixed in a state in which it is placed on the roller pairs 20 of the four roller devices 2 by a vehicle fixing means (not shown).

[0018] A rectangular image simulator 62 with its longitudinal direction in the X direction and its short side direction in the Z direction is provided on the floor surface 50 in front of the vehicle 60 (+Y direction). The image simulator 62, which is a simulation auxiliary member, has a display function for displaying the entire scenery that can be visually recognized from the vehicle 60.

[0019] The vehicle 60 may also have an external sensor (not shown). Possible external sensors include a radar and a lidar (LiDAR) used as a corner sensor, a side camera (side electronic mirror), and the like.

[0020] The chassis dynamometer 1 uses angle measurement information of the tires 6 of the vehicle 60, an image simulator 62, etc. as necessary, and receives information from the above-mentioned external sensors of the vehicle 60 as necessary, to perform a running test on the vehicle 60. The running test includes a test accompanied by a tire turning operation in which the tires 6 of the vehicle 60 are turned, and a roller turning operation in which the roller pairs 20 are turned in conjunction with the tire turning operation.

[0021] (Terminology for Vehicle 60) In this specification, the tires 6 of the vehicle 60 are classified into first-type tires and second-type tires. In the embodiment described below, with respect to the four tires 6 of the vehicle 60, of the front-wheel tires and rear-wheel tires, the front-wheel tires are defined as first-type tires and the rear-wheel tires are defined as second-type tires.

[0022] Therefore, the first type tires include a first type left tire and a first type right tire arranged on the left and right, with the tire 6L on the front wheel side being the first type left tire and the tire 6R on the front wheel side being the first type right tire.

[0023] Similarly, the second type tires include a second type left tire and a second type right tire arranged on the left and right, with the tire 6L on the rear wheel side being the second type left tire and the tire 6R on the rear wheel side being the second type right tire.

[0024] The four rollers are classified into a first type left roller for placing the front left tire (first type left tire), a first type right roller for placing the front right tire (first type right tire), a second type left roller for placing the rear left tire (second type left tire), and a second type right roller for placing the rear right tire (second type right tire).

[0025] (Features) 2 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic diagram of the displacement sensor 7 and its periphery in the chassis dynamometer 1 of the first embodiment. The XYZ orthogonal coordinate system is shown in the figure. The roller turning mechanism 3L (left side turning mechanism) having the turning table 32L performs a left side roller turning operation in which the roller pair 20 (front roller 20F+rear roller 20B) which is a first type left roller is turned as a left side turning object along the roller turning direction R2. The turning table 32L turns along the roller turning direction R2 during the left side roller turning operation.

[0026] Similarly, the roller turning mechanism 3R (right side turning mechanism) having the swivel base 32R performs a right side roller turning operation to turn the right side turning object along the roller turning direction R2, with the roller pair 20 (front roller 20F+rear roller 20B) being the first type right roller as the right side turning object. Note that the swivel base 32R turns along the roller turning direction R2 during the right side roller turning operation.

[0027] FIG. 2 shows a state in which a tire 6L which is a first type left tire is placed on a first type left roller, and a tire 6R which is a first type right tire is placed on a first type right roller.

[0028] The displacement sensor 7L, which is the left side displacement sensor, detects a distance measurement area 90 of the tire 6L, which will be described later, and obtains angle measurement information S7L by detecting the tire turning angle, which is the angle (steering angle) with respect to a fixed reference direction (front-rear direction; Y direction) of the tire 6L. The angle measurement information S7L indicates the tire turning angle detected by the displacement sensor 7L as an amount of angular displacement. The tire angle detection range 37L indicates the detection range by the displacement sensor 7L.

[0029] Similarly, the displacement sensor 7R, which is the right-side displacement sensor, detects the tire turning angle, which is the angle of the tire 6R with respect to a fixed reference direction, by detecting a distance measurement area 90 of the tire 6R to obtain angle measurement information S7R. The angle measurement information S7R indicates the tire turning angle detected by the displacement sensor 7R as an amount of angular displacement. The tire angle detection range 37R indicates the detection range of the displacement sensor 7R.

[0030] The fixed reference direction of the tire 6 used in the first embodiment does not change due to the roller turning operation. In this manner, the first embodiment employs a fixed reference direction as the reference direction for the tire turning angle.

[0031] The displacement sensor 7L is fixedly disposed in an external area of ​​the swivel base 32L, and the displacement sensor 7R is fixedly disposed in an external area of ​​the swivel base 32R. That is, the displacement sensor 7L is fixedly disposed in a position that does not move when the left-side turning mechanism performs a left-side roller turning operation, and is therefore not included in the left-side turning object. Similarly, the displacement sensor 7R is fixedly disposed in a position that does not move when the right-side turning mechanism performs a right-side roller turning operation, and is therefore not included in the right-side turning object.

[0032] Fig. 3 is an explanatory diagram that shows a schematic view of the AA cross section in Fig. 2. An XYZ orthogonal coordinate system is shown in Fig. 3. As shown in the figure, the tire 6 (tire 6L) has a distance measurement area 90 on the lower side as a measurement target area, and a plurality of measurement points 9 are provided along a linear direction (Y direction in Fig. 3) within the distance measurement area 90. The plurality of measurement points 9 have features that can be recognized by the displacement sensor 7. Various shapes, such as a convex portion, can be considered as features that can be recognized by the displacement sensor 7.

[0033] The displacement sensor 7 (displacement sensor 7L) has a distance detection function of detecting a plurality of measurement distances (between the sensor and the tire) from (the detection point of) the displacement sensor 7 to each of a plurality of measurement points 9 to obtain distance information.

[0034] 4 is an explanatory diagram that shows a schematic configuration of the roller turning mechanism 3. The roller turning mechanism 3 shown in the drawing has a structure common to both the left turning mechanism (roller turning mechanism 3L) and the right turning mechanism (roller turning mechanism 3R).

[0035] The roller turning mechanism 3 includes, as main components, a turning structure 31 (roller device 2), a turning bearing 34, a base 36, and a turning motor 42. The turning structure 31 includes a turning base 32 and a turning bed 35, and is integrated with the roller device 2 having the roller pair 20.

[0036] The swivel motor 42 is a geared motor whose speed can be controlled. A gear is attached to the tip of the swivel motor 42, and this gear meshes with a gear (not shown) attached to the outer periphery of the base 36. Therefore, the swivel bed 35 can be rotated by the rotation of the swivel motor 42.

[0037] The swivel bearing 34 rotatably supports the swivel bed 35, and the swivel bed 35 is rotated by the power of the swivel motor 42 around the center of the swivel bearing 34. The rotation of the swivel bed 35 causes the swivel structure 31 to rotate. In this manner, the roller swivel mechanism 3 has the swivel structure 31 that is rotated by the swivel motor 42.

[0038] Hereinafter, the displacement sensors 7L and 7R may be collectively referred to simply as "displacement sensor 7," and the angle measurement information S7L and S7R may be collectively referred to simply as "angle measurement information S7."

[0039] 5 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic diagram of the contents of a distance measurement area 90 (area to be measured) provided on a tire 6. As shown in the figure, eight measurement points 91-98 are provided as a plurality of measurement points 9 within the distance measurement area 90. The eight measurement points 91-98 are an example of a plurality of measurement points, and it goes without saying that the number of measurement points is not limited to eight.

[0040] 6 is a flowchart showing a method for acquiring angle measurement information S7 by the displacement sensor 7. Hereinafter, the details of how the angle measurement information S7 is acquired will be described with reference to FIGS.

[0041] First, in step ST1, a measurement point coordinate calculation process is executed. The measurement point coordinate calculation process includes the following partial steps ST1-1 and ST1-2.

[0042] Step ST1-1 is a partial step of "obtaining the distances from the displacement sensor 7 to the measurement points 91-98 as the measured distances L91-L98." The displacement sensor 7 detects the distances from the displacement sensor 7 to the measurement points 91-98 to obtain the measured distances L91-L98. In this way, the displacement sensor 7 has a distance detection function of obtaining a plurality of measured distances (measured distances L91-L98) from the displacement sensor 7 to the respective measurement points (measurement points 91-98).

[0043] Step ST1-2 is a partial step of "obtaining the coordinate positions of the measurement points 91 to 98 on the horizontal plane (XY plane) from the measurement distances L91 to L98 as measurement coordinates C91 to C98."

[0044] In this manner, by executing the measurement point coordinate calculation process (ST1) including the partial steps ST1-1 and ST1-2, it is possible to obtain the measurement coordinates C91 to C98 at the measurement points 91 to 98, which are the multiple measurement points, as multiple measurement coordinates.

[0045] Next, in step ST2, a tire approximation line, which is a regression line obtained as a linear function based on the measurement coordinates C91 to C98, each of which indicates a coordinate position, acquired in step ST1, is obtained. This tire approximation line becomes a line indicating the direction of the tire 6.

[0046] Then, in step ST3, a tire turning angle is obtained from the angle formed between a previously prepared reference direction and the tire approximation line. In the first embodiment, a fixed reference direction indicating a straight forward direction (Y direction) that is the front-rear direction of the vehicle 60 is used as the reference direction.

[0047] Then, in step ST4, the displacement sensor 7 outputs angle measurement information S7 indicating the tire turning angle calculated in step ST3. That is, the angle measurement information S7 indicates the tire turning angle as an angle displacement amount.

[0048] In this way, the chassis dynamometer 1 of embodiment 1 can use a displacement sensor 7 having a distance detection function to detect a distance measurement area 90 (measurement target area) provided on the tire 6, and determine the tire turning angle, which is the amount of angular displacement.

[0049] FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram that shows a schematic diagram of a drive system of the turning motor 42 in the chassis dynamometer 1 according to the first embodiment.

[0050] As shown in the figure, the chassis dynamometer 1 further includes a controller 15, which is a roller turning control section, a motor drive device 19, and an encoder 55. The turning motor 42 shown in Fig. 7 is a motor used in each of the roller turning mechanisms 3L and 3R.

[0051] As shown in Fig. 7, the controller 15 receives the angle measurement information S7 from the displacement sensor 7 and determines the steering angle that matches the tire turning angle indicated by the angle measurement information S7. The controller 15 then outputs steering angle instruction information SG indicating the determined steering angle to the motor drive device 19. The motor drive device 19 outputs a drive control signal S19 to the turning motor 42, which instructs the roller turning operation at a turning angle that matches the steering angle indicated by the steering angle instruction information SG. The motor drive device 19 receives encoder information S55 from the encoder 55 as a feedback signal. The encoder information S55 includes a measurement value of the turning angle of the turning structure 31 with respect to the reference direction.

[0052] Fig. 8 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of a method for controlling the rotation of the roller turning mechanism 3, which is performed under the control of the controller 15 in the drive system shown in Fig. 7. In the first embodiment, the method for controlling the rotation of the roller turning mechanism 3 shown in Fig. 8 is shown as an operation control method for a vehicle testing device.

[0053] 10, in step ST11, angle measurement information S7 is received from displacement sensor 7, which is a fixed displacement sensor, and a steering angle that matches the tire turning angle indicated by angle measurement information S7 is obtained. Note that when angle measurement information S7 indicates a tire turning angle other than "0", this means that tire 6 has turned due to steering processing for vehicle 60.

[0054] After that, in step ST12, the controller 15 outputs to the motor drive device 19 steering angle command information SG that commands the steering angle calculated in step ST11.

[0055] Then, in step ST13, the motor drive device 19 outputs a drive control signal S19 to the turning motor 42 to control the motor, thereby causing the roller turning mechanism 3 to perform a roller turning operation.

[0056] At this time, the roller turning operation by the roller turning mechanism 3 is executed so that the turning structure 31 turns at a turning angle that matches the steering angle indicated by the steering angle indication information SG. Therefore, the turning angle of the turning structure 31 when the roller turning operation of the first embodiment is executed is an absolute turning angle from a fixed reference direction.

[0057] In this way, the controller 15, which is a roller turning control unit, executes turning control processing to perform the turning control method shown in Fig. 8. This turning control processing is processing to cause the roller turning mechanism 3 to perform a roller turning operation so that the positional relationship between the roller pair 20 and the tire 6 is constant without any angular deviation.

[0058] For example, when the tire 6 is turned at the tire-cut angle A6 in accordance with the steering operation of the vehicle 60, the positional relationship between the roller pair 20 and the tire 6 is maintained and kept constant as the positional relationship before the occurrence of the tire-cut angle A6 by turning the turning structure 31 at the same absolute turning angle as the tire-cut angle A6 indicated by the angle measurement information S7. Note that the tire-cut angle A6 includes the turning direction.

[0059] Specifically, the roller turning operation is performed so that the tire approximation straight line of the tire 6 always coincides with the turning reference direction DK set for the roller pair 20. As the turning reference direction DK, the opposing direction of the front roller 20F and the rear roller 20B in the turning table 32, as shown in FIG.

[0060] The displacement sensor 7 (displacement sensor 7L + displacement sensor 7R) in the chassis dynamometer 1 of embodiment 1 detects a distance measurement area 90 (measurement target area) provided on the tire 6, and therefore can accurately determine the tire turning angle with respect to a fixed reference direction (Y direction) as an angular displacement amount.

[0061] In addition, since the chassis dynamometer 1 of embodiment 1 detects the distance measurement area 90 provided on the tire 6, even if the vehicle 60 being tested is changed, there is no need to prepare new information in advance regarding the tire turning angle of the changed vehicle 60.

[0062] The only processing required is to set a distance measurement area 90 in which the distance detection function of the displacement sensor 7 can be used for the tires 6 of the changed vehicle 60, and information on the tire turning angle such as the steering angle conversion table used conventionally is not required. Therefore, the chassis dynamometer 1 of the first embodiment is not restricted or limited by the type of vehicle 60 to be tested.

[0063] In this way, the chassis dynamometer 1 of the first embodiment does not require any advance preparation regarding the tire turning angle, and can accurately recognize the tire turning angle as an angular displacement amount.

[0064] In the chassis dynamometer 1 of embodiment 1, the displacement sensor 7, which is a fixed displacement sensor, is fixedly positioned outside the turntable 32, which is a position that does not move when the roller turning operation is performed, so that the tire turning angle can be directly recognized from the angle measurement information S7.

[0065] The chassis dynamometer 1 of embodiment 1 can cause the roller turning mechanism 3 to perform a roller turning operation that is precisely synchronized with the tire cutting angle (angular displacement amount) based on the angle measurement information S7 obtained by the displacement sensor 7, so that the positional relationship between the roller pair 20 and the tire 6 is constant without any angular misalignment, through turning control processing by the controller 15, which is a roller turning control unit.

[0066] Therefore, the chassis dynamometer 1 of embodiment 1 can, through the turning control processing by the controller 15, cause the roller turning mechanism 3 to perform a roller turning operation that turns the roller pair 20 with high precision at an (absolute) turning angle that matches the tire cutting angle indicated by the angle measurement information S7.

[0067] The chassis dynamometer 1 of the first embodiment executes, as the angular displacement amount calculation process, the method for acquiring the angle measurement information S7 shown in Fig. 6. The method for acquiring the angle measurement information S7 includes the above-mentioned steps ST1 to ST4.

[0068] The chassis dynamometer 1 of embodiment 1 can accurately determine the tire turning angle as the amount of angular displacement by having the displacement sensor 7 having the distance detection function execute the angular displacement amount calculation process shown in Figure 6 (processing for acquiring angle measurement information S7).

[0069] Furthermore, since the displacement sensor 7 has a distance detection function, it can measure the distance to the tire 6 having the distance measurement area 90 without performing any special calculation processing.

[0070] 8, the chassis dynamometer 1 of the first embodiment executes steps ST11 to ST14 as a turning control process (a method for controlling the operation of a vehicle testing device) for the roller turning mechanism 3. Therefore, when testing a vehicle 60 involving a tire turning operation that turns the tire 6, the positional relationship between the roller pair 20 and the tire 6 can be kept constant without any angular deviation, and the vehicle 60 can be tested with high accuracy.

[0071] In the chassis dynamometer 1 of the first embodiment, the displacement sensor 7 executes steps ST1 to ST4 shown in FIG. 6, and the angle measurement information S7 indicates the tire turning angle. However, the following modified embodiments are also possible.

[0072] In the modified embodiment, the process performed by the displacement sensor 7 is limited to only a partial step ST1-1 of step ST1. In this case, the angle measurement information S7 indicates the measured distances L91 to L98.

[0073] In a modified embodiment, the controller 15 executes partial steps ST1-2 and steps ST2 to ST4 of step ST1 shown in FIG. 6 based on the measured distances L91 to L98 indicated by the angle measurement information S7 to determine the tire turning angle, and then executes steps ST12 and ST13 shown in FIG. 8.

[0074] In this way, as a modification of the first embodiment, a configuration in which the processing contents of the displacement sensor 7 are kept to a necessary minimum and the functions of the controller 15 are expanded is also possible.

[0075] <Embodiment 2> 9 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic diagram of the displacement sensor 8 and its periphery in a chassis dynamometer 1B according to the second embodiment. An XYZ orthogonal coordinate system is shown in the figure. In the second embodiment, the chassis dynamometer 1B is used as a vehicle testing device.

[0076] The chassis dynamometer 1B of the second embodiment has the same configuration as the chassis dynamometer 1 of the first embodiment, except that the displacement sensor 7 is replaced with a displacement sensor 8 and the controller 15 is changed to a controller 15B as described below.

[0077] In the following, the same components as those in the chassis dynamometer 1 of the first embodiment are given the same reference numerals and the description thereof is omitted as appropriate, and the description will be centered on the characteristic features of a chassis dynamometer 1B of the second embodiment.

[0078] FIG. 9 shows a state in which a tire 6L, which is a first type left tire, is placed on a first type left roller, and a tire 6R, which is a first type right tire, is placed on a first type right roller, as in the first embodiment.

[0079] In the chassis dynamometer 1B of the second embodiment, similarly to the first embodiment, distance measurement areas 90 are provided as measurement target areas for each of the tires 6L and 6R.

[0080] The displacement sensor 8L, which is the left side displacement sensor, detects the roller-tire angular deviation amount, which is the angular deviation amount in the positional relationship between the roller pair 20 (front roller 20F + rear roller 20B) which is the first type left roller and the tire 6L, by detecting the distance measurement area 90 of the tire 6L as a detection target, and obtains angle measurement information S8L indicating the roller-tire angular deviation amount. The angle measurement information S8L indicates the roller-tire angular deviation amount detected by the displacement sensor 8L as the amount of angular displacement. The tire angle detection range 38L indicates the detection range by the displacement sensor 8L.

[0081] Similarly, the displacement sensor 8R, which is the right-side displacement sensor, detects the roller-tire angular misalignment between the tire 6R and the roller pair 20, which is the first type right roller, by detecting a distance measurement area 90 on the tire 6R, and obtains angle measurement information S8R indicating the roller-tire angular misalignment. The angle measurement information S8R indicates the roller-tire angular misalignment detected by the displacement sensor 8R as the amount of angular displacement. The tire angle detection range 38R indicates the detection range by the displacement sensor 8R.

[0082] The displacement sensor 8L is disposed on the swivel base 32L, and the displacement sensor 8R is disposed on the swivel base 32R. That is, the displacement sensor 8L rotates together with the roller pair 20 that becomes the first type left roller by the left roller rotating operation by the roller rotating mechanism 3L (left side rotating mechanism), and the displacement sensor 8R rotates together with the roller pair 20 that becomes the first type right roller by the right roller rotating operation by the roller rotating mechanism 3R (right side rotating mechanism).

[0083] Therefore, the left-side rotating object of the roller turning mechanism 3L includes the first type left roller and the displacement sensor 8L, and the right-side rotating object of the roller turning mechanism 3R includes the first type right roller and the displacement sensor 8R.

[0084] In this way, in the chassis dynamometer 1B of the second embodiment, the left turning object includes the first type left roller and the displacement sensor 8L, and the right turning object includes the first type right roller and the displacement sensor 8R.

[0085] The displacement sensor 8L has a distance detection function of detecting a plurality of measurement distances from (the detection point of) the displacement sensor 8L to each of a plurality of measurement points 9 provided within a distance measurement area 90 of the tire 6L to obtain distance information.

[0086] Similarly, the displacement sensor 8R has a distance detection function of detecting multiple measurement distances from (the detection point of) the displacement sensor 8R to each of multiple measurement points 9 provided within the distance measurement area 90 of the tire 6R to obtain distance information.

[0087] Hereinafter, the displacement sensors 8L and 8R may be collectively referred to simply as "displacement sensor 8", and the angle measurement information S8L and S8R may be collectively referred to simply as "angle measurement information S8".

[0088] Fig. 10 is a flowchart showing a method for acquiring angle measurement information S8 by the displacement sensor 8. The distance measurement area 90 provided on the tire 6 is the area shown in Fig. 6, similar to the first embodiment. Hereinafter, the acquisition of the angle measurement information S8 will be described with reference to Figs. 6 and 10.

[0089] First, in step ST21, a measurement point coordinate calculation process is executed. The measurement point coordinate calculation process includes the following partial steps ST21-1 and ST21-2.

[0090] Step ST21-1 is a partial step of "obtaining the distances from the displacement sensor 8 to the measurement points 91-98 as the measured distances L91-L98." The displacement sensor 8 detects the distances to the measurement points 91-98 to obtain the measured distances L91-L98. In this manner, the displacement sensor 8 has a distance detection function of detecting a plurality of measured distances (measured distances L91-L98) to a plurality of measurement points (measurement points 91-98). The distance information obtained from the displacement sensor 8 indicates the measured distances L91-L98.

[0091] Step ST21-2 is a partial step of "obtaining the coordinate positions on the XY plane of the measurement points 91 to 98 from the measurement distances L91 to L98 as measurement coordinates C91 to C98."

[0092] In this manner, by executing the measurement point coordinate calculation process (ST21) including the partial steps ST21-1 and ST21-2, it is possible to obtain the measurement coordinates C91 to C98 at the measurement points 91 to 98, which are the multiple measurement points, as multiple measurement coordinates.

[0093] Next, in step ST22, a tire approximation line, which is a regression line obtained as a linear function based on the measurement coordinates C91 to C98 each indicating a coordinate position acquired in step ST21, is obtained. This tire approximation line becomes a line indicating the direction of the tire 6.

[0094] Then, in step ST23, the roller-tire angular deviation amount is obtained from the angle between the previously prepared turning reference direction DK and the tire approximation line. In Fig. 9, the turning reference direction DK is the direction in which the front roller 20F and the rear roller 20B are arranged in the turntable 32 (the direction in which the front roller 20F and the rear roller 20B face each other).

[0095] In this way, the reference direction used in the second embodiment is the turning reference direction DK whose orientation changes with the roller turning operation.

[0096] Then, in step ST24, the displacement sensor 8 outputs angle measurement information S8 indicating the amount of roller-tire angular deviation calculated in step ST23.

[0097] In this way, the chassis dynamometer 1B of embodiment 2 uses a displacement sensor 8 having a distance detection function, and can detect a distance measurement area 90 (measurement target area) provided on the tire 6 to calculate the amount of angular deviation between the roller and tire as an amount of angular displacement.

[0098] FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram that shows a schematic diagram of a drive system of a turning motor 42 in a chassis dynamometer 1B according to the second embodiment.

[0099] As shown in the figure, the chassis dynamometer 1B further includes a controller 15B, which is a roller turning control section, a motor drive device 19, and an encoder 55. The turning motor 42 shown in Fig. 11 is a motor used in each of the roller turning mechanisms 3L and 3R.

[0100] As shown in FIG. 11, the controller 15B receives the angle measurement information S8 from the displacement sensor 8 and obtains a steering angle that matches the roller-tire angle deviation amount indicated by the angle measurement information S8. The controller 15B then outputs steering angle instruction information SGB indicating the obtained steering angle to the motor drive device 19. The motor drive device 19 outputs a drive control signal S19 to the turning motor 42, which instructs the roller turning operation at a relative turning angle that matches the steering angle indicated by the steering angle instruction information SGB. The relative turning angle is the turning angle from the current position (current turning angle) of the roller turning mechanism 3. The motor drive device 19 receives the encoder information S55 from the encoder 55 as a feedback signal. The encoder information S55 includes the absolute turning angle before and after the turning operation of the turning structure 31 is performed.

[0101] Fig. 12 is a flowchart showing the procedure of a method for controlling the rotation of the roller turning mechanism 3, which is performed under the control of the controller 15B in the drive system shown in Fig. 11. In the second embodiment, the method for controlling the rotation of the roller turning mechanism 3 shown in Fig. 12 is shown as a method for controlling the operation of a vehicle testing apparatus.

[0102] 13, in step ST31, angle measurement information S8 is received from displacement sensor 8, which is a turning displacement sensor, and a steering angle that matches the amount of roller-tire angular deviation indicated by angle measurement information S8 is obtained.

[0103] After that, in step ST32, the controller 15B outputs to the motor drive device 19 the steering angle instruction information SGB that instructs the steering angle calculated in step ST31.

[0104] Then, in step ST33, the motor drive device 19 outputs a drive control signal S19 to the turning motor 42 to control the motor, thereby causing the roller turning mechanism 3 to perform a roller turning operation.

[0105] At this time, the roller turning operation by the roller turning mechanism 3 is executed so that the turning structure 31 turns at a relative turning angle that matches the steering angle instructed by the steering angle instruction information SGB. Therefore, the absolute turning angle of the turning structure 31 after the roller turning operation is executed is determined by the most recent absolute turning angle and the relative turning angle immediately before the roller turning operation is executed. As described above, the turning angle of the turning structure 31 when the roller turning operation of the second embodiment is executed is a relative turning angle based on the most recent turning angle before the roller turning operation is executed.

[0106] In this way, the controller 15B, which is a roller turning control unit, executes turning control processing to perform the turning control method shown in Fig. 12. This turning control processing is processing to cause the roller turning mechanism 3 to perform a roller turning operation so that the positional relationship between the roller pair 20 and the tire 6 is constant without any angular deviation.

[0107] For example, when a roller-tire angular deviation X6 occurs between the tire 6 of the vehicle 60 and the roller pair 20 due to steering operation of the vehicle 60, the rotating structure 31 is rotated at the same relative rotation angle as the roller-tire angular deviation X6 indicated by the angle measurement information S8. As a result, the positional relationship between the roller pair 20 and the tire 6 remains constant, maintaining the positional relationship before the roller-tire angular deviation X6 occurred. Note that the roller-tire angular deviation X6 includes the rotation direction.

[0108] Specifically, the roller turning operation is performed so that the tire approximation line of the tire 6 always coincides with the turning reference direction DK set for the roller pair 20. In other words, the roller turning operation is performed so that the roller-tire angular deviation amount becomes "0".

[0109] The displacement sensor 8 (displacement sensor 8L + displacement sensor 8R) in the chassis dynamometer 1B of embodiment 2 detects a distance measurement area 90 (measurement target area) provided on the tire 6, so that the angular deviation between the roller and tire with respect to the turning reference direction DK can be accurately obtained as an angular displacement amount.

[0110] In addition, since the chassis dynamometer 1B of embodiment 2, like embodiment 1, detects the distance measurement area 90 provided on the tire 6, even if the vehicle 60 to be tested is changed, there is no need to prepare new information in advance regarding the tire turning angle of the changed vehicle 60.

[0111] In the second embodiment, the angle obtained by adding the rotation angle of the roller rotating mechanism 3 to the roller-tire angular deviation amount is the tire cutting angle.

[0112] Therefore, the chassis dynamometer 1B of the second embodiment does not require any prior preparation regarding the tire turning angle, and can accurately recognize the amount of roller-tire angular deviation as the amount of angular displacement.

[0113] In the chassis dynamometer 1B of the second embodiment, the displacement sensor 8, which is a turning displacement sensor, is included in the object to be turned by the roller turning mechanism 3 (left side turning object + right side turning object), so that the amount of angular deviation between the roller and tire can be directly recognized from the angle measurement information S8 of the displacement sensor 8.

[0114] The chassis dynamometer 1B of embodiment 2 can cause the roller turning mechanism 3 to perform roller turning operation that is precisely synchronized with the roller-tire angular misalignment amount so that the positional relationship between the roller pair 20 and the tire 6 is constant (roller-tire angular misalignment amount = "0") through turning control processing by the controller 15B, which is a roller turning control unit.

[0115] In addition, because displacement sensor 8 is mounted on swivel base 32, the distance to tire 6 is closer than that of displacement sensor 7 of embodiment 1. Therefore, tire angle detection range 38 is a closer detection range than tire angle detection range 37, and is less susceptible to disturbances. Therefore, displacement sensor 8 of embodiment 2 can improve the detection accuracy of the amount of angular displacement compared to displacement sensor 7 of embodiment 1.

[0116] The chassis dynamometer 1B of embodiment 2 can cause the roller turning mechanism 3 to perform a roller turning operation that turns the turning structure 31 with high precision so that the roller-tire angular misalignment amount (angular displacement amount) becomes a constant "0" through turning control processing by the controller 15B.

[0117] The chassis dynamometer 1B of the second embodiment executes, as the angular displacement amount calculation process, the method for acquiring the angle measurement information S8 shown in Fig. 10. The method for acquiring the angle measurement information S8 includes the above-mentioned steps ST21 to ST24.

[0118] The chassis dynamometer 1B of embodiment 2 can accurately determine the amount of angular deviation between the roller and the tire as the amount of angular displacement by having the displacement sensor 8 having the distance detection function execute the angular displacement amount calculation process shown in Figure 10 (process of acquiring angle measurement information S8).

[0119] Furthermore, since the displacement sensor 8 has a distance detection function, it can recognize the distance to the tire 6 having the distance measurement area 90 without performing any special calculation processing.

[0120] 12, the chassis dynamometer 1B of the second embodiment executes steps ST31 to ST34 as a turning control process (a method for controlling the operation of a vehicle testing device) for the roller turning mechanism 3. Therefore, when testing a vehicle 60 involving a tire turning operation that turns the tire 6, the positional relationship between the roller pair 20 and the tire 6 can be always kept constant, and the test of the vehicle 60 can be performed with high accuracy.

[0121] In the chassis dynamometer 1B of the second embodiment, the displacement sensor 8 executes steps ST21 to ST24 shown in FIG. 10, and the angle measurement information S8 indicates the amount of angular deviation between the roller and the tire. However, the following modified embodiments are also possible.

[0122] In the modified embodiment, the process performed by the displacement sensor 8 is limited to only a partial step ST21-1 of step ST21. In this case, the angle measurement information S8 indicates the measured distances L91 to L98.

[0123] In a modified embodiment, the controller 15B executes partial step ST21-2 and steps ST22 to ST24 of step ST21 shown in FIG. 10 based on the measured distances L91 to L98 indicated by the angle measurement information S8 to determine the amount of angular deviation between the roller and the tire, and then executes steps ST32 and ST33 shown in FIG. 12.

[0124] In this way, as a modification of the second embodiment, a configuration in which the processing contents of the displacement sensor 8 are kept to a necessary minimum and the functions of the controller 15B are expanded is also possible.

[0125] <Embodiment 3> 13 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic planar configuration of a chassis dynamometer 1C according to embodiment 3. In the chassis dynamometer 1C according to embodiment 3, the tires 6 on the front wheels of a vehicle 60 are classified as first-type tires, and the tires on the rear wheels are classified as second-type tires. In embodiment 3, the chassis dynamometer 1C is used as a vehicle testing device.

[0126] The four roller pairs 20 (front roller 20F + rear roller 20B) are classified into a first type left roller for placing the front wheel left tire, which is the first type left tire, a first type right roller for placing the front wheel right tire, which is the first type right tire, a second type left roller for placing the rear wheel left tire, which is the second type left tire, and a second type right roller for placing the rear wheel right tire, which is the second type right tire.

[0127] The chassis dynamometer 1C further has a roller turning mechanism 3 for the front tire 6. The roller turning mechanism 3 includes a roller turning mechanism 3L which is a left turning mechanism and a roller turning mechanism 3R which is a right turning mechanism.

[0128] The roller turning mechanism 3L is a left turning mechanism that performs a roller turning operation to turn the roller pair 20 (first type left roller) on which the front tire 6L is placed.

[0129] The roller turning mechanism 3R is a right-side turning mechanism that performs a roller turning operation to turn the roller pair 20 (first type right roller) on which the front tire 6R is placed.

[0130] The center line between the roller turning mechanism 3L and the roller turning mechanism 3R is the center line CL. That is, the roller turning mechanism 3L and the roller turning mechanism 3R are disposed symmetrically with respect to the center line CL.

[0131] In the chassis dynamometer 1C of the third embodiment, similarly to the first and second embodiments, a distance measurement area 90 (measurement target area) is provided for each of the front tires 6L and 6R.

[0132] In the chassis dynamometer 1C of the third embodiment, a displacement sensor 8L is disposed for the front tire 6L which is the first type left tire, and a displacement sensor 8R is disposed for the front tire 6R which is the first type right tire.

[0133] Similar to the second embodiment, the chassis dynamometer 1C has a displacement sensor 8L on the swivel base 32L of the roller turning mechanism 3L, and has a displacement sensor 8R on the swivel base 32R of the roller turning mechanism 3R.

[0134] Therefore, in the chassis dynamometer 1C of the third embodiment, the left turning object includes the first type left roller and the displacement sensor 8L, and the right turning object includes the first type right roller and the displacement sensor 8R.

[0135] The displacement sensors 8L and 8R are provided so as to be symmetrical with respect to the center line CL when the rotation angle of the swivel tables 32L and 32R is 0° and the rotation reference direction DK in which the front roller 20F and the rear roller 20B face each other is aligned with the straight direction (Y direction) as shown in Fig. 13. Hereinafter, the state in which the rotation reference direction DK is aligned with the Y direction may be simply referred to as the "straight direction setting state of the roller pair 20".

[0136] 13, the displacement sensors 8L and 8R are provided on a lateral arrangement line L9. The lateral arrangement line L9 is a line that passes through the left turning center C1L of the roller pair 20 that serves as the first type left roller and the right turning center C1R of the roller pair 20 that serves as the first type right roller.

[0137] The displacement sensor 8L, which is the left side displacement sensor, detects the left tire-side distance DL to the tire 6L placed on the roller pair 20, which is the first type left roller, by detecting a distance measurement area 90 (left side measurement target area) of the front tire 6L as a detection target, and obtains distance measurement information S18L, which is the left side distance measurement information. In other words, the distance measurement information S18L indicates the left tire-side distance DL.

[0138] The left tire side distance DL is determined based on a plurality of distances measured by the distance detection function of the displacement sensor 8L. Most simply, one of the plurality of measured distances may be determined as the left tire side distance DL. The plurality of measured distances may include the measured distances L91 to L98 described with reference to FIG. 5.

[0139] Similarly, the displacement sensor 8R, which is a right-side displacement sensor, detects the right-side distance DR to the tire 6R placed on the roller pair 20, which is the first type right roller, by detecting a distance measurement area 90 (right-side measurement target area) of the front tire 6R as a detection target, and obtains distance measurement information S18R, which is the right-side distance measurement information. That is, the distance measurement information S18R indicates the right-side distance DR.

[0140] The right-side distance DR is determined based on a plurality of distances measured by the distance detection function of the displacement sensor 8R. The simplest method is to set one of the plurality of measured distances as the right-side distance DR. The plurality of measured distances include the measured distances L91 to L98, etc., described with reference to FIG. 5. However, when the measured distance L9i to the measurement point 9i (i=1 to 8) is used as the left-side distance DL, it is necessary to use the measured distance L9i to the measurement point 9i as the right-side distance DR. In other words, it is necessary to match the distance measurement point of the tire 6L by the displacement sensor 8L with the distance measurement point of the tire 6R by the displacement sensor 8R.

[0141] Here, the distance measurement area 90 provided on the tire 6L is the "left measurement target area", and similarly, the distance measurement area 90 provided on the tire 6R is the "right measurement target area".

[0142] The chassis dynamometer 1C of the third embodiment further includes a vehicle restraining jig 13L which is a left-side vehicle restraining device, and a vehicle restraining jig 13R which is a right-side vehicle restraining device.

[0143] The left vehicle restraint jig 13L is provided for the rear tire 6L, which is a second-class left tire, and fixes the rear tire 6L so that it can rotate. The vehicle restraint jig 13R is provided for the rear tire 6R, which is a second-class right tire, and fixes the rear tire 6R so that it can rotate. The vehicle restraint jigs 13L and 13R are both existing devices.

[0144] The lateral direction movement mechanism 4L, which is a left side movement mechanism, executes a left side movement process to move the left side movement object including the roller pair 20, which is a second type left roller, and the vehicle restraining jig 13L, which is a left side vehicle restraining device, in the lateral direction MX along the width direction (tread direction) of the vehicle 60. In Fig. 13, the lateral direction MX coincides with the X direction. That is, the X direction coincides with the width direction (left-right direction) of the vehicle 60 on which the tire 6 is placed on the roller pair 20.

[0145] The lateral direction movement mechanism 4L, which is a right side movement mechanism, executes a right side movement process to move a right side movement object including the roller pair 20, which is a second type right roller, and the vehicle restraining jig 13R, which is a right side vehicle restraining device, in the lateral direction MX.

[0146] Hereinafter, the lateral movement mechanisms 4L and 4R may be collectively referred to as the "lateral movement mechanisms 4", the vehicle restraint jigs 13L and 13R may be collectively referred to as the "vehicle restraint jigs 13", and the second type left roller and the second type left roller may be collectively referred to simply as the "roller pair 20".

[0147] Fig. 14 is a front view showing the structure of the lateral movement mechanism 4. Fig. 15 is a top view of the lateral movement mechanism 4 shown in Fig. 14, viewed from above (+Z direction). Note that the illustration of the moving carriage 30 is omitted in Fig. 15. Figs. 14 and 15 each show an XYZ orthogonal coordinate system. The structure of the lateral movement mechanism 4 shown in Figs. 14 and 15 is a common structure between the lateral movement mechanisms 4L and 4R.

[0148] As shown in these figures, the lateral movement mechanism 4 includes as its main components a base 25, a pair of rails 52, a plurality of guides 56, a drive motor 41, and a movable carriage 30. A vehicle restraining jig 13 and a pair of rollers 20, which are not shown in FIG. 14, are fixedly disposed on the movable carriage 30.

[0149] As shown in Fig. 15, a pair of rails 52 are provided parallel to each other along the X direction on the base 25. A plurality of guides 56 (two guides 56 are shown in Fig. 15) are provided on each rail 52. As shown in Fig. 14, a movable carriage 30 is fixed to the upper surface of each guide 56.

[0150] 14 and 15, a drive motor 41 is provided on the base table 25. The drive motor 41 serves as a power source for rotating a rotation shaft 41a and moving the movable carriage 30. The rotation shaft 41a is rotatably supported by a pair of support bearings 41b.

[0151] Therefore, the lateral movement mechanism 4 can execute a movement process (left side movement process+right side movement process) that moves the movable carriage 30 in the lateral direction MX by the drive motor 41. At this time, the movable carriage 30 is guided by the pair of rails 52 and the multiple guides 56 so as to move accurately along the lateral direction MX (X direction).

[0152] In addition, since the rear tire 6L is restrained by the vehicle restraint jig 13L, and the rear tire 6R is restrained by the vehicle restraint jig 13R, no forward / backward movement (thrust) or lateral vibration occurs in the vehicle 60 when the movement process in the lateral direction MX is performed.

[0153] In conjunction with the movement of the movable carriage 30, the roller pair 20 and the vehicle restraining jig 13, which are objects to be moved and are arranged on the movable carriage 30, move along the X direction.

[0154] Therefore, the chassis dynamometer 1C of the third embodiment causes the lateral movement mechanism 4 to execute a movement process while the rear tires 6 are restrained by the vehicle restraining jig 13. The movement process by the lateral movement mechanism 4 includes a leftward movement process by the lateral movement mechanism 4L and a rightward movement process by the lateral movement mechanism 4R.

[0155] At this time, the leftward movement process by the lateral movement mechanism 4L and the rightward movement process by the lateral movement mechanism 4R are simultaneously executed in such a manner that the movement direction and amount in the leftward movement process completely coincide with the movement direction and amount in the rightward movement process. As a result, the vehicle 60 is moved laterally in the movement direction and amount by the lateral movement mechanism 4L.

[0156] In this way, the lateral movement mechanism 4 including the lateral movement mechanisms 4L and 4R can move the vehicle 60 in the lateral direction MX by executing a movement process (left side movement process+right side movement process) that moves the moving carriage 30 along the lateral direction MX by the drive motor 41. Therefore, the front wheel side tires 6L and 6R also move in the lateral direction.

[0157] 16 is an explanatory diagram showing a schematic diagram of a drive system for various motors in a chassis dynamometer 1C according to embodiment 2. The motors to be driven include a front wheel roller drive motor 58 and a drive motor 41.

[0158] The front wheel roller drive motor 58 includes a front wheel roller drive motor 58L and a front wheel roller drive motor 58R, and the front wheel roller drive motor 58L is a motor for rotating and driving the roller pair 20 which becomes the first type left roller, and the front wheel roller drive motor 58R is a motor for rotating and driving the roller pair 20 which becomes the first type right roller.

[0159] The drive motor 41 includes drive motors 41L and 41R. The drive motor 41L is a motor used in the lateral movement mechanism 4L, and the drive motor 41R is a motor used in the lateral movement mechanism 4R.

[0160] As shown in the figure, the chassis dynamometer 1C further includes a controller 22, which is a movement processing control section, motor drive devices 26 and 27, and encoders 59 and 45.

[0161] The motor drive device 26 includes motor drive devices 26L and 26R. The motor drive device 26L is a device that drives the front wheel roller drive motor 58L, and the motor drive device 26R is a device that drives the front wheel roller drive motor 58R.

[0162] The motor drive device 27 includes motor drive devices 27L and 27R, the motor drive device 27L is a device that drives the drive motor 41L, and the motor drive device 27R is a device that drives the drive motor 41R. The drive motor 41L corresponds to the drive motor 41 shown in Fig. 14 in the lateral movement mechanism 4L, and the drive motor 41R corresponds to the drive motor 41 shown in Fig. 14 in the lateral movement mechanism 4R.

[0163] The controller 22 receives a centering command signal S70 from the external device 70, and when the centering command signal S70 instructs the start of execution of the centering adjustment process, the controller 22 starts the centering adjustment process. The centering adjustment process is a vehicle position adjustment process that adjusts the position of the vehicle 60 along the width direction so as to satisfy a position adjustment condition.

[0164] As described above, the roller turning mechanism 3L and the roller turning mechanism 3R are disposed symmetrically with respect to the center line CL.

[0165] Furthermore, when the centering adjustment process is performed, the roller turning mechanisms 3L and 3R are set to a straight direction setting state of the roller pair 20. Therefore, the displacement sensors 8L and 8R are disposed symmetrically with respect to the center line CL when the centering adjustment process is performed.

[0166] The position adjustment condition is a condition for arranging the tires 6L and 6R on the front wheel side of the vehicle 60 symmetrically with respect to a center line CL which is the center line between the roller turning mechanisms 3L and 3R. The contents of the centering adjustment process performed under the control of the controller 22 will be described below.

[0167] As shown in FIG. 16, the controller 22 receives distance measurement information S18L (left side distance measurement information) from the displacement sensor 8L, and receives distance measurement information S18R (right side distance measurement information) from the displacement sensor 8R.

[0168] FIG. 16 shows a schematic diagram of the control contents of the controller 22, and the controller 22 has operation conditions J1 and J2, and operation contacts P1 to P5.

[0169] The controller 22 compares the left tire-side distance DL indicated by the distance measurement information S18L with the right tire-side distance DR indicated by the distance measurement information S18R, and obtains a difference distance ΔD by subtracting the right tire-side distance DR from the left tire-side distance DL. When the difference distance ΔD becomes "0", the above-mentioned position adjustment condition is satisfied.

[0170] When the differential distance ΔD is positive (ΔD>0), the controller 22 satisfies the (operation) condition J2, and among the contacts P2 to P5, activates the contacts P2 and P5 and deactivates the contacts P3 and P4. Therefore, the controller 22 outputs lateral movement instruction information SXL instructing the motor drive device 27L to move leftward by the movement amount MD (=distance difference ΔD / 2), and outputs lateral movement instruction information SXR instructing the motor drive device 27R to move leftward by the movement amount MD.

[0171] The motor drive device 27L outputs a drive control signal S27L instructing a leftward movement operation by a movement amount MD to the drive motor 41L. The encoder 45L is provided for detecting the drive content of the drive motor 41L.

[0172] The motor drive device 27R outputs a drive control signal S27R instructing a leftward movement operation by a movement amount MD to the drive motor 41R. The encoder 45R is provided for detecting the drive content of the drive motor 41R.

[0173] Therefore, by driving the drive motor 41L by the drive control signal S27L, the moving carriage 30 of the lateral movement mechanism 4L moves leftward by the movement amount MD. Similarly, by driving the drive motor 41R by the drive control signal S27R, the moving carriage 30 of the lateral movement mechanism 4R moves leftward by the movement amount MD.

[0174] As a result, the left-side moving object (roller pair 20 + vehicle restraining jig 13L) and the right-side moving object (roller pair 20 + vehicle restraining jig 13R) move leftward, and the entire vehicle 60 moves leftward by a movement amount MD. Therefore, the front tires 6L and 6R of the vehicle 60 also move leftward by a movement amount MD.

[0175] On the other hand, when the differential distance ΔD is negative (ΔD<0), the condition J2 is not satisfied, so the controller 22 invalidates contacts P2 and P5 among contacts P2 to P5 and validates contacts P3 and P4. Therefore, the controller 22 outputs lateral movement instruction information SXL instructing motor drive device 27L to move right by the movement amount MD (=differential distance |ΔD / 2|), and outputs lateral movement instruction information SXR instructing motor drive device 27R to move right by the movement amount MD.

[0176] The motor drive device 27L outputs a drive control signal S27L to the drive motor 41L to instruct the drive motor 41L to move to the right by the movement amount MD. Similarly, the motor drive device 27R outputs a drive control signal S27R to the drive motor 41R to instruct the drive motor 41R to move to the right by the movement amount MD.

[0177] Therefore, by driving the drive motor 41L by the drive control signal S27L, the moving carriage 30 of the lateral movement mechanism 4L moves to the right by the movement amount MD. Similarly, by driving the drive motor 41R by the drive control signal S27R, the moving carriage 30 of the lateral movement mechanism 4R moves to the right by the movement amount MD.

[0178] As a result, the left moving object (roller pair 20 + vehicle restraining jig 13L) and the right moving object (roller pair 20 + vehicle restraining jig 13R) move rightward, and the entire vehicle 60 moves rightward by a movement amount MD. Therefore, the front tires 6L and 6R of the vehicle 60 also move rightward by the movement amount MD.

[0179] On the other hand, if the differential distance ΔD is not 0, the condition J1 is satisfied. In this case, the contact P1 is activated, and the controller 22 outputs the motor rotation instruction information SK to the motor drive device .

[0180] The motor drive device 26L executes the rotation operation of the roller pair 20 that becomes the first type left roller with the rotation amount instructed by the motor rotation instruction information SK. By monitoring the operation content of the front wheel roller drive motor 58L from the encoder 59L, the motor drive device 26L can operate the front wheel roller drive motor 58L so that the roller pair 20 rotates with the rotation amount instructed by the motor rotation instruction information SK.

[0181] The motor drive device 26R executes the rotation operation of the roller pair 20 that becomes the first type right roller with the rotation amount instructed by the motor rotation instruction information SK. By monitoring the operation content of the front wheel roller drive motor 58R from the encoder 59R, the motor drive device 26R can operate the front wheel roller drive motor 58R so that the roller pair 20 rotates with the rotation amount instructed by the motor rotation instruction information SK.

[0182] In this way, by outputting motor rotation instruction information SK to the motor drive device 26, the controller 22 can further execute a roller drive process for rotating the roller pair 20 that becomes the first type left roller and the roller pair 20 that becomes the first type right roller at a constant rotational speed.

[0183] The rotational movement of the roller pair 20 that becomes the first type left roller is an operation that forcibly rotates the tire 6L on the front wheel side of the vehicle 60, and the rotational movement of the roller pair 20 that becomes the first type right roller is an operation that forcibly rotates the tire 6R on the front wheel side of the vehicle 60. At this time, the front wheels of the vehicle 60 are set in a neutral state.

[0184] When the differential distance ΔD becomes "0", both conditions J1 and J2 are no longer satisfied, so that all of the contacts P1 to P5 become essentially invalid, and the motor rotation instruction information SK, lateral movement instruction information SXL and SXR output from the controller 22 all indicate a stop of operation (operation amount "0").

[0185] In this way, the controller 22 receives the distance measurement information S18L and S18R and executes a centering adjustment process, which is a vehicle position adjustment process. The centering adjustment process is a process in which the lateral movement mechanism 4L executes a leftward movement process and the lateral movement mechanism 4R executes a rightward movement process so as to satisfy the above-mentioned position adjustment condition. Here, the position adjustment condition is a condition in which the left tire side distance DL and the right tire side distance DR match, i.e., the differential distance ΔD is "0".

[0186] FIG. 17 is a flowchart showing the procedure of the centering adjustment process performed under the control of the controller 22 in the drive system shown in FIG.

[0187] As described above, when the centering command signal S70 instructing the start of execution of the centering adjustment process is given from the external device 70, the centering adjustment process shown in FIG.

[0188] It is assumed that the longitudinal positioning of the vehicle 60 has been completed prior to the execution of the centering adjustment process, as shown in Fig. 13. Therefore, the turning center points of the front tires 6L and 6R exist on the lateral arrangement line L9. Note that the longitudinal positioning of the vehicle 60 can be performed relatively easily by manually operating the vehicle 60.

[0189] The centering adjustment process is a vehicle position adjustment process in which the vehicle 60 is positioned so that the tires 6L and 6R, which are first type tires, are symmetrical with respect to the center line CL (see FIG. 1).

[0190] Therefore, by using the chassis dynamometer 1C of the third embodiment to carry out a running test mainly for the vehicle 60 to run straight ahead, the running test can be carried out appropriately.

[0191] Hereinafter, the contents of the centering adjustment process that is automatically performed under the control of the controller 22 will be described with reference to FIG.

[0192] First, in step ST41, in order to realize a straight-line direction setting state of the roller pairs 20, the rotation angles of the roller turning mechanisms 3L and 3R are fixed at 0°, and the above-mentioned roller driving process is executed under the control of the controller 22 to drive the left and right roller pairs 20 on the front wheel side, which serve as the first type left roller and the first type right roller, at a constant rotational speed.

[0193] During the execution of the centering adjustment process, a roller drive process is also executed to rotate the roller pair 20, which is the first type left roller and the first type right roller, thereby forcibly rotating the front wheel tires 6L and 6R of the vehicle 60 at a constant rotational speed.

[0194] The roller driving process in step ST41 is executed by outputting motor rotation instruction information SK from the controller 22 to the motor drive device .

[0195] Next, in step ST42, in a state where the vehicle 60 is restrained by the vehicle restraining jigs 13L and 13R provided on the rear tires 6L and 6R, which are the second type tires, a lateral movement process is performed by the lateral movement mechanism 4. The lateral movement process by the lateral movement mechanism 4 includes a leftward movement process by the lateral movement mechanism 4L and a rightward movement process by the lateral movement mechanism 4R.

[0196] The process of step ST42 is executed by outputting lateral movement instruction information SXL from the controller 22 to the motor drive device 27L, and outputting lateral movement instruction information SXR to the motor drive device 27R.

[0197] Thereafter, in step ST43, it is determined whether the position control condition {distance difference ΔD=0} is satisfied (YES) or not (NO).

[0198] If "YES" in step ST43, the centering adjustment process is terminated, and if "NO", the process returns to step ST41. After that, steps ST41 and ST42 are repeated until "YES" is obtained in step ST43.

[0199] When the centering adjustment process is completed, the vehicle 60 is positioned on the chassis dynamometer 1C so that the front tires 6L and 6R are symmetrical with respect to the center line CL.

[0200] In this manner, the chassis dynamometer 1C of the third embodiment can automatically execute the centering adjustment process under the control of the controller 22.

[0201] Therefore, unlike manual positioning of the vehicle 60 by the driver operating the steering wheel, detailed work such as visual confirmation of the position is not required, and centering adjustment can be performed automatically in a comparatively short time.

[0202] Note that, by performing the centering adjustment process, the positional relationship between the front wheel roller pair 20 and the rear wheel roller pair 20 shifts slightly in the lateral direction. However, the amount of movement MD is sufficiently small compared to the lateral width of the roller pair 20, and in the case of a configuration in which the roller turning mechanism 3 is not provided on the rear wheel side, there is no problem in testing the vehicle 60 using the chassis dynamometer 1C.

[0203] The chassis dynamometer 1C of the third embodiment can satisfy the position control condition {distance difference ΔD=0} by the centering adjustment process, which is a vehicle position adjustment process performed under the control of the controller 22.

[0204] For this reason, the chassis dynamometer 1C of embodiment 3 can automatically position the front-wheel tires 6L and 6R in the lateral direction (X direction) so that the front-wheel tire 6L, which is a first-type left tire, and the front-wheel tire 6R, which is a first-type right tire, are symmetrical on either side of the center line CL.

[0205] Furthermore, the controller 22 in the chassis dynamometer 1C of embodiment 3 executes the roller drive process in addition to the centering adjustment process, thereby enabling the entire vehicle 60, including the front wheel tires 6L and 6R, to be moved in the lateral direction MX with high precision when the centering adjustment process is executed.

[0206] In the chassis dynamometer 1C of the third embodiment, the displacement sensors 8L and 8R used in the second embodiment are used as the left and right displacement sensors, but the displacement sensors 7L and 7R used in the first embodiment may be used as the left and right displacement sensors. Furthermore, it goes without saying that sensors other than the displacement sensors 7 and 8 may be used as long as they are capable of obtaining (left and right) distance measurement information.

[0207] In this case, the displacement sensor 7L outputs distance measurement information S17L indicating the left tire distance DL obtained by the distance detection function, and the displacement sensor 7R outputs distance measurement information S17R indicating the right tire distance DR obtained by the distance detection function. Therefore, the controller 22 uses the distance measurement information S17L and S17R instead of the distance measurement information S18L and S18R.

[0208] In addition, in embodiment 3, the first type tires are front wheel tires and the second type tires are rear wheel tires, but a modified configuration is also possible in which the first type tires are rear wheel tires and the second type tires are front wheel tires, the lateral movement mechanism 4 and the vehicle restraint jig 13 are provided on the front wheel side, and the roller turning mechanism 3 and the displacement sensor 8 are provided on the rear wheel side.

[0209] <Other> In the above-described embodiment, chassis dynamometers 1, 1B, and 1C are taken up as examples of vehicle testing devices, but the vehicle testing device is not limited to chassis dynamometers. For example, a free roller testing device may be used as the vehicle testing device instead of the chassis dynamometer 1 (1B, 1C). The free roller testing device is a device that applies acceleration / deceleration load to the vehicle 60 using only the weight of the roller pair 20, and is a device that does not transmit power to the roller pair 20. For this reason, the free roller testing device does not have a motor that applies a load to the roller pair 20, unlike the chassis dynamometer.

[0210] In this way, the vehicle testing device of the present disclosure includes a chassis dynamometer and a free roller testing device. However, when the free roller testing device is used as the vehicle testing device, the process shown in step ST41 in FIG. 17 is not executed.

[0211] In the above embodiment, the roller pair 20 having a twin roller configuration is shown as the “roller” on which the tire 6 of the vehicle 60 is placed. However, instead of the roller pair 20, a single roller having a single roller configuration may be used.

[0212] As the displacement sensor for obtaining angle measurement information, the first embodiment has been described using the displacement sensor 7, and the second embodiment has been described using the displacement sensor 8. It goes without saying that any sensor other than the displacement sensor 7 and the displacement sensor 8 may be used as long as it is capable of obtaining angle measurement information.

[0213] In addition, within the scope of the present disclosure, it is possible to freely combine the respective embodiments, and to appropriately modify or omit the respective embodiments. [Explanation of symbols]

[0214] 1,1B,1C Chassis dynamometer 3,3L,3R roller turning mechanism 4,4L,4R Lateral movement mechanism 6,6L,6R Tires 7,7L,7R,8,8L,8R Displacement Sensor 9,91~98 Measurement points 13, 13L, 13R Vehicle restraint jig 15,15B,22 Controller 19 Motor drive device 20 Laura Vs. 20B Rear roller 20F Front roller 26, 26L, 26R, 27, 27L, 27R Motor drive device 32, 32L, 32R Swivel table 41, 41L, 41R Drive motor 42 Swing motor 58, 58L, 58R Front wheel roller drive motor 60 vehicles 90 Distance measurement area

Claims

1. A roller on which the vehicle tire is placed; a roller turning mechanism that performs a roller turning operation to turn a turning object including the roller; a displacement sensor that detects an amount of angular displacement related to a tire turning angle, which is an angle with respect to a reference direction of the tire, using a measurement target area on the outside of the tire as a detection target, and obtains angle measurement information; The displacement sensor includes a fixed displacement sensor that is fixedly disposed at a position that does not move when the roller turning operation is performed. Vehicle testing equipment.

2. 2. The vehicle testing apparatus according to claim 1, A roller turning control unit that executes turning control processing based on the angle measurement information, The turning control process is a process of causing the roller turning mechanism to perform the roller turning operation so that a positional relationship between the roller and the tire is constant without an angular deviation. Vehicle testing equipment.

3. 3. A vehicle testing apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: A plurality of measurement points are provided within the measurement target area; the displacement sensor has a distance detection function for detecting distances to the plurality of measurement points to obtain a plurality of measured distances; the displacement sensor performs an angular displacement amount calculation process to obtain the angle measurement information; The angular displacement amount calculation process includes: (a) determining a plurality of measurement coordinates indicating coordinate positions on a plane of the plurality of measurement points based on the plurality of measurement distances; (b) determining a tire approximation line that approximates the orientation of the tire from the plurality of measurement coordinates; (c) determining an angle between the tire approximation line and the reference direction as the angular displacement amount; (d) obtaining said angular measurement information indicative of said angular displacement; Vehicle testing equipment.

4. A vehicle testing device having a roller on which a vehicle tire is placed, The tire includes a front tire and a rear tire, one of the front tire and the rear tire being defined as a first type tire and the other being defined as a second type tire, The first type tires include a first type left tire and a first type right tire disposed on the left and right sides, The second type tires include a second type left tire and a second type right tire disposed on the left and right sides, the rollers include a first type left roller on which the first type left tire is placed, a first type right roller on which the first type right tire is placed, a second type left roller on which the second type left tire is placed, and a second type right roller on which the second type right tire is placed, The vehicle testing device includes: a left side turning mechanism that performs a roller turning operation to turn the first type left roller; a right side turning mechanism that performs a roller turning operation to turn the first type right roller; a left side displacement sensor that detects a left side distance to the first type left tire by detecting a left side measurement target area provided on the first type left tire as a detection target, and obtains left side distance measurement information; a right-side displacement sensor that detects a right-side distance to the first type right tire using a right-side measurement target area provided on the first type right tire as a detection target, and obtains right-side distance measurement information; a left side vehicle restraint device that rotatably fixes the second type left tire; a right side vehicle restraint device that rotatably fixes the second type right tire; a left side movement mechanism that executes a left side movement process to move a left side moving object including the second type left roller and the left side vehicle restraint device in a lateral direction along a width direction of the vehicle; a right-side moving mechanism that executes a right-side moving process to move a right-side moving object including the second type right roller and the right-side vehicle restraint device in the lateral direction; a movement processing control unit that receives the left side distance measurement information and the right side distance measurement information and executes a vehicle position adjustment process, the vehicle position adjustment process is a process of causing the left side movement mechanism to execute the left side movement process and the right side movement mechanism to execute the right side movement process so that the left tire side distance and the right tire side distance satisfy a position adjustment condition, the left turning mechanism and the right turning mechanism are disposed symmetrically with respect to a center line, and the left displacement sensor and the right displacement sensor are disposed symmetrically with respect to the center line when the vehicle position adjustment process is performed, the position adjustment condition is a condition that the left tire side distance and the right tire side distance are equal to each other; Vehicle testing equipment.

5. 5. The vehicle testing apparatus according to claim 4, the movement process control unit further executes a roller driving process for rotating the first type left roller and the first type right roller at a constant rotation speed. Vehicle testing equipment.

6. A method for controlling operation of a vehicle testing apparatus, comprising: The vehicle testing apparatus includes the vehicle testing apparatus according to claim 1 or 2, (a) receiving the angle measurement information from the fixed displacement sensor; (b) obtaining the tire turning angle as the angular displacement amount from the angle measurement information; (c) causing the roller turning mechanism to perform the roller turning operation so that the roller turns at a turning angle that matches the tire cutting angle. A method for controlling the operation of a vehicle testing device.

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