Behavior control device, lean vehicle, and behavior control method

Abstract

Provided is a behavior control device capable of increasing the versatility of a lean-vehicle behavior control system, compared with a conventional system. A behavior control device according to the present invention controls the behavior of a lean vehicle and includes: an acceleration-information acquisition unit that acquires acceleration information of the lean vehicle in the vertical direction of the vehicle body on the basis of the output of at least one acceleration sensor; a vehicle-speed-information acquisition unit that acquires vehicle speed information of the lean vehicle; and a first angular-velocity-information acquisition unit that acquires first angular velocity information using the acceleration information and the vehicle speed information.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a behavior control device that controls the behavior of a lean vehicle, a lean vehicle that includes the behavior control device, and a behavior control method that controls the behavior of a lean vehicle. [Background technology]

[0002] One type of vehicle is a lean vehicle, whose body tilts in the turning direction when turning. Conventionally, a behavior control device for controlling the behavior of a lean vehicle has been configured to control the behavior of the lean vehicle based on the output of an inertial measurement unit (IMU) mounted on the lean vehicle. In other words, conventional behavior control systems for controlling the behavior of a lean vehicle have been configured to include an IMU mounted on the lean vehicle and a behavior control device that controls the behavior of the lean vehicle based on the output of the IMU. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses a motorcycle, which is a type of lean vehicle. The behavior control device for this motorcycle is configured to control a brake system based on the output of the IMU to control the behavior of the motorcycle.

[0003] Here, the inertial measurement unit includes an acceleration sensor that detects acceleration in three mutually orthogonal axis directions, and an angular velocity sensor that detects angular velocity around each of the three axes. In other words, the inertial measurement unit includes three acceleration sensors and three angular velocity sensors. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-20645 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Conventional lean vehicle behavior control systems are based on the premise that they control the behavior of a lean vehicle based on the output of each sensor in an inertial measurement unit. In other words, conventional lean vehicle behavior control systems must be equipped with three acceleration sensors and three angular velocity sensors, which results in a problem of low versatility.

[0006] The present invention has been made in light of the above-mentioned problems, and has an object to provide a behavior control device that can increase the versatility of a behavior control system for a lean vehicle compared to conventional systems. It is also an object of the present invention to provide a lean vehicle equipped with such a behavior control device. It is also an object of the present invention to provide a behavior control method that can increase the versatility of a behavior control system for a lean vehicle compared to conventional systems. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] The behavior control device of the present invention is a behavior control device that controls the behavior of a lean vehicle, and is equipped with an acceleration information acquisition unit that acquires acceleration information in the vertical direction of the lean vehicle's body based on the output of at least one acceleration sensor, a vehicle speed information acquisition unit that acquires vehicle speed information of the lean vehicle, and a first angular velocity information acquisition unit that acquires first angular velocity information using the acceleration information and the vehicle speed information.

[0008] Moreover, the lean vehicle according to the present invention is equipped with the behavior control device according to the present invention.

[0009] In addition, the behavior control method of the present invention is a behavior control method for controlling the behavior of a lean vehicle, and includes an acceleration information acquisition step for acquiring acceleration information in the vertical direction of the lean vehicle's body based on the output of at least one acceleration sensor, a vehicle speed information acquisition step for acquiring vehicle speed information of the lean vehicle, and an angular velocity information acquisition step for acquiring angular velocity information using the acceleration information and the vehicle speed information. [Effects of the Invention]

[0010] The present invention acquires angular velocity information based on the output of an acceleration sensor. Therefore, a lean vehicle behavior control system using the present invention does not necessarily need to include all of the sensors of an inertial measurement unit. Therefore, the present invention can increase the versatility of lean vehicle behavior control systems compared to conventional systems. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0011] [Figure 1] 1 is a front view of a lean vehicle according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] 1 is a front view of a lean vehicle according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] 1 is a block diagram showing a behavior control system according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] 3 is a diagram showing a control flow of an example of the operation of the behavior control device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. FIG. [Figure 5] FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing a behavior control system according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a front view of a lean vehicle according to a modification of the second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing a lean vehicle behavior control system according to a modified example of the second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a side view of a lean vehicle according to a third embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0012] A behavior control device, a lean vehicle, and a behavior control method according to the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0013] The configuration and operation described below are an example of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to such configuration and operation.

[0014] For example, in the following, a motorcycle is used as an example of a lean vehicle. However, a lean vehicle generally refers to a vehicle whose body leans in the turning direction when turning. Therefore, a lean vehicle is not limited to a motorcycle. For example, lean vehicles include motorcycles (motorcycles and motor tricycles whose body leans in the turning direction when turning) whose body leans in the turning direction when turning, and bicycles. Furthermore, motorcycles whose body leans in the turning direction when turning may be engine-powered or motor-powered, and include, for example, motorcycles, scooters, and electric scooters. Furthermore, a bicycle generally refers to a vehicle that can be propelled on a road by the rider's pedaling force applied to the pedals. Bicycles include standard bicycles, electrically assisted bicycles, and electric bicycles.

[0015] In the following, descriptions of identical or similar parts are appropriately simplified or omitted. In addition, in each drawing, reference numerals are omitted for identical or similar parts or components, or the same reference numerals are used. In addition, illustrations of detailed structures are appropriately simplified or omitted.

[0016] Embodiment 1 The behavior control device according to the first embodiment, a lean vehicle equipped with the control device, and a behavior control method according to the first embodiment will be described below.

[0017] <Configuration of lean vehicle and behavior control device>

[0018] 1 and 2 are front views of a lean vehicle according to a first embodiment of the present invention. 1 shows a state in which the body of the lean vehicle 100 is upright. FIG. 2 shows a state in which the lean vehicle 100 is turning and the body of the lean vehicle 100 is tilted in the turning direction. The Z axis shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is a vertical axis. The Y axis shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is a horizontal axis perpendicular to the traveling direction of the lean vehicle 100.

[0019] The lean vehicle 100 includes a behavior control system 1 that controls the behavior of the lean vehicle 100. The behavior control system 1 includes an acceleration sensor 11 and a behavior control device 20.

[0020] The acceleration sensor 11 detects acceleration information in the vertical direction of the body of the lean vehicle 100. In the first embodiment, the acceleration sensor 11 detects acceleration in the vertical direction of the body of the lean vehicle 100. When the body of the lean vehicle 100 is upright, the acceleration information in the vertical direction of the body of the lean vehicle 100 is acceleration information in the Z-axis direction. When the lean vehicle 100 is turning and the body of the lean vehicle 100 is tilted in the turning direction, the acceleration information in the vertical direction of the body of the lean vehicle 100 is acceleration information in the direction tilted with respect to the Z-axis direction when the lean vehicle 100 is viewed from the front (the direction of a1 shown in FIG. 2 ). Note that the acceleration information detected by the acceleration sensor 11 may be another physical quantity that can be substantially converted into acceleration. Furthermore, the behavior control system 1 may include, in addition to the acceleration sensor 11, sensors other than the acceleration sensor 11. In this case, these sensors may be formed separately or configured as a unit.

[0021] The behavior control device 20 controls the behavior of the lean vehicle 100 based on the output of at least one acceleration sensor mounted on the lean vehicle 100. For example, part or all of the behavior control device 20 is configured with a microcomputer, a microprocessor unit, or the like. Also, for example, part or all of the behavior control device 20 may be configured with updatable components such as firmware, or may be a program module executed by commands from a CPU, or the like. The behavior control device 20 may be, for example, a single unit, or may be divided into multiple units. The behavior control device 20 can be configured, for example, as follows.

[0022] FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing the behavior control system according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The behavior control device 20 of the behavior control system 1 according to the first embodiment includes an acceleration information acquisition unit 21, a vehicle speed information acquisition unit 22, a first angular velocity information acquisition unit 23, and a control unit 24 as functional units.

[0023] The acceleration information acquisition unit 21 acquires acceleration information in the vertical direction of the vehicle body of the lean vehicle 100 based on the output of at least one acceleration sensor mounted on the lean vehicle 100. In the first embodiment, the acceleration information acquisition unit 21 acquires the acceleration detected by the acceleration sensor 11. Note that the acceleration information acquired by the acceleration information acquisition unit 21 may be another physical quantity that can be substantially converted into acceleration. Furthermore, the acceleration information acquired by the acceleration information acquisition unit 21 may be the output value of the acceleration sensor 11, or may be a physical quantity converted from the output value of the acceleration sensor 11.

[0024] The vehicle speed information acquisition unit 22 acquires vehicle speed information of the lean vehicle 100. The vehicle speed information of the lean vehicle 100 may be the vehicle speed of the lean vehicle 100 acquired from a speedometer or the like, or may be other physical quantities that can be substantially converted to the vehicle speed of the lean vehicle 100 (wheel speed, GPS position information, etc.).

[0025] The first angular velocity information acquisition unit 23 acquires first angular velocity information of the lean vehicle 100 using the acceleration information acquired by the acceleration information acquisition unit 21 and the vehicle speed information acquired by the vehicle speed information acquisition unit 22. In the present embodiment 1, the first angular velocity information acquisition unit 23 acquires the angular velocity of the lean vehicle 100 as the first angular velocity information using the acceleration information and the vehicle speed information. Specifically, in the present embodiment 1, the first angular velocity information acquisition unit 23 acquires at least one of the yaw rate and the pitch rate of the lean vehicle 100. Note that the first angular velocity information acquired by the first angular velocity information acquisition unit 23 may be another physical quantity that can be substantially converted into an angular velocity.

[0026] The first angular velocity information acquisition unit 23 can acquire the yaw rate and pitch rate of the lean vehicle 100, for example, as follows. The velocity V and acceleration α of an object rotating around a certain reference axis can be expressed as follows using the angular velocity ω around the reference axis and the radius of rotation R (the distance between the reference axis and the object): V = R × ω (1) α=R×ω 2 =V×ω (2) Therefore, by modifying equation (2), the following equation (3) is obtained. ω=α / V (3)

[0027] The yaw rate of the lean vehicle 100 is the angular velocity of the lean vehicle 100 about the Z axis. Therefore, when calculating the yaw rate of the lean vehicle 100 using equation (3), the velocity V in equation (3) becomes the vehicle velocity V1 of the lean vehicle 100. Furthermore, the acceleration that contributes to rotating the lean vehicle 100 about the Z axis is the acceleration acting in the Y axis direction. Therefore, the acceleration α in equation (3) becomes the acceleration of the lean vehicle 100 in the Y axis direction.

[0028] Here, as shown in FIG. 2, the acceleration of the lean vehicle 100 in the vertical direction of the vehicle body is defined as acceleration a1. When the lean vehicle 100 is turning, the direction of acceleration a1 is inclined relative to the Z-axis and Y-axis. Therefore, the acceleration a11 in the Y-axis direction of the lean vehicle 100 is the acceleration component of acceleration a1 in the Y-axis direction. Furthermore, the acceleration component of acceleration a1 in the Z-axis direction is the gravitational acceleration g. Therefore, using Pythagoras' theorem, the acceleration a11 in the Y-axis direction of the lean vehicle 100 can be calculated using the following equation (4). a11=(a1 2 -g 2 ) 1 / 2 ···(4) Therefore, if the yaw rate of the lean vehicle 100 is expressed as yaw rate ωy, the yaw rate ωy of the lean vehicle 100 can be calculated from the following equation (5) based on equations (3) and (4). ωy=a11 / V1 (5)

[0029] The pitch rate of the lean vehicle 100 is the angular velocity around an axis perpendicular to the direction of travel of the lean vehicle 100 and perpendicular to the vertical direction of the body of the lean vehicle 100. That is, in FIG. 2, the pitch rate of the lean vehicle 100 is the angular velocity around an axis perpendicular to the acceleration a1 in the vertical direction of the body of the lean vehicle 100. Therefore, when calculating the pitch rate of the lean vehicle 100 using equation (3), the velocity V in equation (3) becomes the vehicle speed V1 of the lean vehicle 100. Furthermore, the acceleration that contributes to rotating the lean vehicle 100 around an axis perpendicular to the acceleration a1 in the vertical direction of the body of the lean vehicle 100 is the acceleration a1 in the vertical direction of the body of the lean vehicle 100. Therefore, if the pitch rate of the lean vehicle 100 is expressed as pitch rate ωp, the pitch rate ωp of the lean vehicle 100 can be calculated from equation (3) using the following equation (6). ωp=a1 / V1 (6)

[0030] Further, the yaw rate ωy of the lean vehicle 100 can be calculated from the following equation (7) based on the equations (5) and (6). ωy=ωp×a11 / a1 (7) That is, the yaw rate ωy of the lean vehicle 100 can also be obtained from the pitch rate ωp of the lean vehicle 100 using the ratio between the acceleration a1 and the acceleration a11. Similarly, as shown in the following equation (8), the pitch rate ωp of the lean vehicle 100 can also be obtained from the yaw rate ωy of the lean vehicle 100 using the ratio between the acceleration a1 and the acceleration a11. ωp=ωy×a1 / a11 (8)

[0031] Furthermore, the first angular velocity information acquisition unit 23 according to the first embodiment can also calculate the roll rate of the lean vehicle 100 by using the acceleration information acquired by the acceleration information acquisition unit 21. The first angular velocity information acquisition unit 23 can calculate the roll rate of the lean vehicle 100, for example, as follows. When the acceleration a1 in the vertical direction of the vehicle body of the lean vehicle 100 is the same, the more the vehicle body of the lean vehicle 100 tilts during turning, that is, the larger the lean angle, the larger the acceleration a11, which is the acceleration component in the Y-axis direction of the acceleration a1. Therefore, the lean angle of the lean vehicle 100 can be calculated based on the magnitude of the acceleration a11 relative to the acceleration a1, in other words, based on the value obtained by dividing the acceleration a1 by the acceleration a1. The roll rate of the lean vehicle 100 can be considered as the amount of change per unit time in the lean angle of the lean vehicle 100. Therefore, the roll rate of the lean vehicle 100 can be calculated based on the amount of change per unit time in the magnitude of the acceleration a11 relative to the acceleration a1.

[0032] When acquiring the first angular velocity information, the first angular velocity information acquisition unit 23 may obtain the first angular velocity information based on a stored arithmetic formula, or may obtain the first angular velocity information using a table that associates parameters in the arithmetic formula with the first angular velocity information.

[0033] The control unit 24 controls the behavior of the lean vehicle 100 based on the acceleration information acquired by the acceleration information acquisition unit 21, the first angular velocity information acquired by the first angular velocity information acquisition unit 23, and the like.

[0034] <Behavior control device operation> The operation of the behavior control device 20 according to the first embodiment will be described.

[0035] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a control flow of an example of the operation of the behavior control device according to the first embodiment of the present invention. When the conditions for starting the control are met, in step S1 the behavior control device 20 starts the control shown in Fig. 4. The condition for starting the control is, for example, when the engine of the lean vehicle 100 is started. Step S2 is an acceleration information acquisition step. In step S2, the acceleration information acquisition unit 21 of the behavior control device 20 acquires acceleration information in the vertical direction of the body of the lean vehicle 100 based on the output of at least one acceleration sensor mounted on the lean vehicle 100. In the present embodiment 1, the acceleration information acquisition unit 21 acquires the acceleration detected by the acceleration sensor 11.

[0036] Step S3 after step S2 is a vehicle speed information acquisition step. In step S3, the vehicle speed information acquisition unit 22 of the behavior control device 20 acquires vehicle speed information of the lean vehicle 100. Step S4 after step S3 is an angular velocity information acquisition step. In step S4, the first angular velocity information acquisition unit 23 of the behavior control device 20 acquires first angular velocity information of the lean vehicle 100 using the acceleration information acquired by the acceleration information acquisition unit 21 and the vehicle speed information acquired by the vehicle speed information acquisition unit 22.

[0037] Step S5 after step S4 is a control step. In step S5, the control unit 24 of the behavior control device 20 controls the behavior of the lean vehicle 100 based on the acceleration information acquired by the acceleration information acquisition unit 21, the first angular velocity information acquired by the first angular velocity information acquisition unit 23, and the like. Step S6 after step S5 is an end determination step. In step S6, the behavior control device 20 determines whether or not a control end condition has been met. An example of the control end condition is when the engine of the lean vehicle 100 has stopped. If the control end condition has been met, the behavior control device 20 proceeds to step S7 and ends the control shown in FIG. 4. On the other hand, if the control end condition has not been met, the behavior control device 20 repeats steps S2 to S6.

[0038] <Effects of the behavior control device> The behavior control device 20 is a behavior control device that controls the behavior of the lean vehicle 100. The behavior control device 20 includes an acceleration information acquisition unit 21, a vehicle speed information acquisition unit 22, and a first angular velocity information acquisition unit 23. The acceleration information acquisition unit 21 acquires acceleration information in the vertical direction of the vehicle body of the lean vehicle 100 based on the output of at least one acceleration sensor. The vehicle speed information acquisition unit 22 acquires vehicle speed information of the lean vehicle 100. The first angular velocity information acquisition unit 23 acquires first angular velocity information of the lean vehicle 100 using the acceleration information acquired by the acceleration information acquisition unit 21 and the vehicle speed information acquired by the vehicle speed information acquisition unit 22.

[0039] Conventionally, a behavior control device for controlling the behavior of a lean vehicle has been configured to control the behavior of the lean vehicle based on the output of an inertial measurement unit (IMU) mounted on the lean vehicle. In other words, conventional behavior control systems for controlling the behavior of a lean vehicle have been configured to include an IMU mounted on the lean vehicle and a behavior control device that controls the behavior of the lean vehicle based on the output of the IMU. Here, the IMU includes an acceleration sensor that detects acceleration in three mutually orthogonal axis directions and an angular velocity sensor that detects angular velocity around each of the three axes. In other words, the IMU includes three acceleration sensors and three angular velocity sensors. That is, conventional behavior control devices for lean vehicles are premised on controlling the behavior of the lean vehicle based on the output of each sensor of the IMU. For this reason, conventional behavior control systems for lean vehicles must include three acceleration sensors and three angular velocity sensors, resulting in low versatility.

[0040] On the other hand, the behavior control device 20 according to the first embodiment acquires angular velocity information based on the output of an acceleration sensor. Therefore, the behavior control system 1 for the lean vehicle 100 using the behavior control device 20 according to the first embodiment does not necessarily need to be equipped with all the sensors of the inertial measurement unit. Therefore, the behavior control device 20 according to the first embodiment can make the versatility of the behavior control system 1 higher than that of conventional behavior control systems.

[0041] For example, the behavior control device 20 may be configured to control the behavior of the lean vehicle 100 without being based on the output of an angular velocity sensor. This eliminates the need to provide an angular velocity sensor in the behavior control system 1, thereby reducing the cost of the behavior control system 1. In other words, the cost of the lean vehicle 100 can be reduced.

[0042] Embodiment 2 The behavior control system 1 may be equipped with an angular velocity sensor as shown in the present embodiment 2. In the present embodiment 2, an example of a behavior control device 20 of the behavior control system 1 equipped with an angular velocity sensor will be described. Note that items not described in the present embodiment 2 are the same as those in the first embodiment.

[0043] FIG. 5 is a block diagram showing a behavior control system according to the second embodiment of the present invention. The behavior control system 1 according to the second embodiment includes an angular velocity sensor 13 in addition to the configuration of the first embodiment. The angular velocity sensor 13 detects angular velocity information of the lean vehicle 100. In the second embodiment, the angular velocity sensor 13 detects the angular velocity of the lean vehicle 100. Specifically, the angular velocity sensor 13 detects the pitch rate of the lean vehicle 100. That is, a pitch rate sensor that detects the pitch rate of the lean vehicle 100 is used as the angular velocity sensor 13. Note that the angular velocity sensor 13 may be an angular velocity sensor other than a pitch rate sensor, and may detect an angular velocity other than the pitch rate of the lean vehicle 100. Furthermore, the angular velocity information detected by the angular velocity sensor 13 may be another physical quantity that can be substantially converted into an angular velocity.

[0044] The behavior control device 20 according to the second embodiment includes, as functional units, a second angular velocity information acquisition unit 25 and a comparison unit 26 in addition to the configuration of the first embodiment. The second angular velocity information acquisition unit 25 acquires second angular velocity information based on the output of the angular velocity sensor 13. In the second embodiment, the second angular velocity information acquisition unit 25 acquires the pitch rate of the lean vehicle 100 detected by the angular velocity sensor 13 as the second angular velocity information. Note that the second angular velocity information acquired by the second angular velocity information acquisition unit 25 may be an angular velocity other than the pitch rate, or may be another physical quantity that can be substantially converted into an angular velocity. For example, as shown in Equation (7), the pitch rate of the lean vehicle 100 can be substantially converted into the yaw rate of the lean vehicle 100. Therefore, for example, the behavior control device 20 may acquire the yaw rate of the lean vehicle 100 as the second angular velocity information based on the output of the angular velocity sensor 13 that detects the pitch rate.

[0045] The comparison unit 26 compares the first angular velocity information acquired by the first angular velocity information acquisition unit 23 with the second angular velocity information acquired by the second angular velocity information acquisition unit 25. In other words, the first angular velocity information is a first physical quantity acquired based on the detection value of the acceleration sensor 11. The second angular velocity information is a second physical quantity, which is the same type of physical quantity as the first physical quantity, acquired based on the detection value of the angular velocity sensor 13. The comparison unit 26 then compares the first physical quantity with the second physical quantity. Therefore, the behavior control device 20 including the comparison unit 26 can monitor whether the acceleration sensor 11 and the angular velocity sensor 13 are operating normally based on the comparison result of the comparison unit 26. The comparison result of the comparison unit 26 is used, for example, as follows.

[0046] For example, the behavior control device 20 may use the comparison result between the first angular velocity information and the second angular velocity information by the comparison unit 26 to control the behavior of the lean vehicle 100. Specifically, for example, when the difference between the first angular velocity information and the second angular velocity information is large, the control unit 24 of the behavior control device 20 does not perform a control operation based on the output of at least one of the acceleration sensor 11 and the angular velocity sensor 13, among the control operations used to control the behavior of the lean vehicle 100. This is because when the difference between the first angular velocity information and the second angular velocity information is large, there is a possibility that at least one of the acceleration sensor 11 and the angular velocity sensor 13 is not operating normally. A case where the difference between the first angular velocity information and the second angular velocity information is large is, for example, when the difference between the first angular velocity information and the second angular velocity information is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. By using the comparison result between the first angular velocity information and the second angular velocity information by the comparison unit 26 in this manner, it is possible to prevent the behavior of the lean vehicle 100 from being controlled using a sensor that is not operating normally, thereby improving the safety of the lean vehicle 100.

[0047] The control unit 24 of the behavior control device 20 according to the second embodiment controls the behavior of the lean vehicle 100 based on the acceleration information acquired by the acceleration information acquisition unit 21, the first angular velocity information acquired by the first angular velocity information acquisition unit 23, and the second angular velocity information acquired by the second angular velocity information acquisition unit 25. In this case, if the same angular velocity information (for example, pitch rate information) is obtained from both the first angular velocity information acquisition unit 23 and the second angular velocity information acquisition unit 25, the control unit 24 may use at least one of the angular velocity information to control the behavior of the lean vehicle 100.

[0048] Furthermore, for example, the comparison result of the comparison section 26 may be used as in the following modified example.

[0049] <Modification> Fig. 6 is a front view of a lean vehicle according to a modification of the second embodiment of the present invention, and Fig. 7 is a block diagram showing a behavior control system for a lean vehicle according to a modification of the second embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 6, a lean vehicle 100 according to a modification of the second embodiment includes a display device 101, which is an example of a notification device.

[0050] As shown in FIG. 7 , behavior control device 20 according to a modification of the second embodiment includes, in addition to the configuration shown in FIG. 5 , an announcing operation execution unit 27 as a functional unit. When comparison unit 26 determines that the difference between the first angular velocity information and the second angular velocity information is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, an announcing operation execution unit 27 outputs a signal to cause the announcing device to issue an alert. Specific content of the alert may be, for example, that at least one of acceleration sensor 11 and angular velocity sensor 13 may not be operating normally. As described above, in the modification shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 , display device 101 is used as the announcing device. Therefore, in the modification shown in FIGS. 6 and 7 , an announcing operation execution unit 27 outputs a signal to cause display device 101 to display an alert when comparison unit 26 determines that the difference between the first angular velocity information and the second angular velocity information is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. As a result, when the difference between the first angular velocity information and the second angular velocity information in the comparison unit 26 is equal to or greater than a predetermined value, the display device 101 will display, for example, a message indicating that at least one of the acceleration sensor 11 and the angular velocity sensor 13 may not be operating normally.

[0051] The notification device is not limited to the display device 101. For example, a speaker or the like provided in the lean vehicle 100 may be used as the notification device to sound a warning that at least one of the acceleration sensor 11 and the angular velocity sensor 13 may not be operating normally. In this case, the notification operation execution unit 27 outputs a notification signal that causes the notification device, such as a speaker, to emit a sound when the comparison unit 26 determines that the difference between the first angular velocity information and the second angular velocity information is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. Furthermore, the notification device that receives the notification signal output from the notification operation execution unit 27 is not limited to a configuration provided in the lean vehicle 100. It may also be equipment associated with the lean vehicle 100, such as a helmet and gloves worn by the driver of the lean vehicle 100. That is, the notification operation execution unit 27 may output a notification signal to equipment associated with the lean vehicle 100, and the equipment may issue a warning.

[0052] In a lean vehicle 100 configured as in the modified example shown in Figures 6 and 7, the driver of the lean vehicle 100 can recognize the possibility that at least one of the acceleration sensor 11 and the angular velocity sensor 13 is not operating normally by the notification from the notification device. Therefore, the safety of the lean vehicle 100 configured as in the modified example shown in Figures 6 and 7 is improved. Note that, in the modified example shown in Figures 6 and 7, the behavior control device 20 may of course use the comparison result between the first angular velocity information and the second angular velocity information in the comparison unit 26 to control the behavior of the lean vehicle 100. The safety of the lean vehicle 100 is further improved.

[0053] Like the behavior control system 1 described in the first embodiment, the behavior control system 1 according to the second embodiment may include sensors other than the acceleration sensor 11 and the angular velocity sensor 13. In this case, the acceleration sensor 11 and the angular velocity sensor 13 may be unitized with other sensors as a measurement device. The behavior control system 1 according to the second embodiment, which includes such a measurement device, can achieve the following effects. According to the conventional concept, when a behavior control device of a behavior control system including such a measurement device recognizes a failure of the measurement device, the behavior control device does not perform a control operation that would be performed based on the outputs of all sensors that make up the measurement device. In other words, according to the conventional concept, when a behavior control device of a behavior control system including such a measurement device recognizes a failure of the measurement device, the behavior control device does not perform the control operation, even if the control operation is based on the outputs of sensors that are operating normally within the measurement device. However, the behavior control device 20 of the behavior control system 1 according to the second embodiment can recognize that the acceleration sensor 11 and the angular velocity sensor 13 are operating normally, based on the comparison result of the first angular velocity information and the second angular velocity information by the comparison unit 26, even when a failure of the measurement device is recognized. Therefore, even when a failure of the measurement device is recognized, the behavior control device 20 of the behavior control system 1 according to the second embodiment can continue the control operation performed based on the outputs of the acceleration sensor 11 and the angular velocity sensor 13. This improves the safety of the lean vehicle 100.

[0054] Here, to realize the behavior control system 1 according to the second embodiment, at least one angular velocity sensor (angular velocity sensor 13) is required, as described above. The angular velocity sensor 13 is preferably a pitch rate sensor. The behavior control system 1 according to the second embodiment only needs to include at least the acceleration sensor 11 and the angular velocity sensor 13, and the number of sensors can be reduced compared to conventional behavior control systems equipped with an inertial measurement unit. That is, the behavior control system 1 according to the second embodiment can be reduced in cost compared to conventional behavior control systems equipped with an inertial measurement unit. The behavior control system 1, which can achieve such low cost, is suitable for use in a small lean vehicle 100 (in other words, an inexpensive lean vehicle 100). In this case, the wheelbase of a small lean vehicle 100 tends to be short relative to the height of the center of gravity, and therefore the behavior in the pitch direction becomes large during deceleration, etc. For this reason, the safety of a small lean vehicle 100 is improved if the pitch rate can be directly detected. Therefore, the angular velocity sensor 13 is preferably a pitch rate sensor.

[0055] Furthermore, when the angular velocity sensor 13 is a pitch rate sensor, it is preferable that the behavior control device 20 is configured to control the behavior of the lean vehicle 100 without being based on the output of an angular velocity sensor other than the pitch rate sensor. This is because angular velocity sensors other than the pitch rate sensor are not required, thereby reducing the cost of the behavior control system 1. In other words, this is because the cost of the lean vehicle 100 can be reduced.

[0056] Embodiment 3 In the first and second embodiments, the acceleration information acquisition unit 21 of the behavior control device 20 acquires acceleration information in the vertical direction of the vehicle body of the lean vehicle 100 based on the output of one acceleration sensor. However, as described in the first embodiment, the acceleration information acquisition unit 21 may acquire acceleration information in the vertical direction of the vehicle body of the lean vehicle 100 based on the output of at least one acceleration sensor. Therefore, for example, as in the third embodiment, the acceleration information acquisition unit 21 may acquire acceleration information in the vertical direction of the vehicle body of the lean vehicle 100 based on the output of two acceleration sensors that detect acceleration in different directions. Note that items not described in the third embodiment are the same as those in the first or second embodiment.

[0057] FIG. 8 is a side view of a lean vehicle according to the third embodiment of the present invention. 8, the left side of the paper surface corresponds to the front side of the lean vehicle 100. The X-axis shown in FIG.

[0058] The behavior control system 1 according to the third embodiment includes an acceleration sensor 11 and an acceleration sensor 12. When the lean vehicle 100 is viewed from the front, the direction of acceleration information detected by the acceleration sensors 11 and 12 is the vertical direction of the vehicle body of the lean vehicle 100. On the other hand, when the lean vehicle 100 is viewed from the side, the direction of acceleration information detected by the acceleration sensors 11 and 12 is inclined with respect to the vertical direction of the vehicle body of the lean vehicle 100. For example, the direction of acceleration a1 detected by the acceleration sensor 11 is the direction shown in FIG. 8. Furthermore, the direction of acceleration a2 detected by the acceleration sensor 12 is the direction shown in FIG. 8. When the lean vehicle 100 is viewed from the side, the direction of acceleration a1 detected by the acceleration sensor 11 and the direction of acceleration a2 detected by the acceleration sensor 12 are inclined by, for example, 90°.

[0059] When the behavior control system 1 is configured in this manner, the acceleration information acquisition unit 21 of the behavior control device 20 can acquire acceleration information in the vertical direction of the lean vehicle 100's body by adding the vertical component of the acceleration information detected by the acceleration sensor 11 and the vertical component of the acceleration information detected by the acceleration sensor 12.

[0060] In this way, even based on the outputs of the two acceleration sensors, the acceleration information acquisition unit 21 can acquire acceleration information in the vertical direction of the vehicle body of the lean vehicle 100. Therefore, even if the behavior control device 20 is configured as in the third embodiment, the versatility of the behavior control system 1 can be made higher than that of conventional behavior control systems.

[0061] Furthermore, by adopting a configuration in which acceleration information in the vertical direction of the body of the lean vehicle 100 is acquired based on the outputs of two acceleration sensors, the following effects can also be obtained.

[0062] Components in the same direction are obtained from the acceleration information detected by acceleration sensor 11 and the acceleration information detected by acceleration sensor 12. For example, components in the X-axis direction are obtained from the acceleration information detected by acceleration sensor 11 and the acceleration information detected by acceleration sensor 12. These components are obtained, for example, by acceleration information acquisition unit 21. Then, by comparing these components, it is possible to monitor whether acceleration sensors 11 and 12 are operating normally based on the comparison result. This is because if the difference between these components is large, there is a possibility that at least one of acceleration sensors 11 and 12 is not operating normally. Note that these components are compared, for example, by comparison unit 26. Furthermore, the comparison result of these components can be used, for example, as follows. Hereinafter, the difference between these components will be referred to as an acceleration component difference.

[0063] For example, when the acceleration component difference is large, the control unit 24 of the behavior control device 20 does not perform a control operation based on the output of at least one of the acceleration sensors 11 and 12, among the control operations used to control the behavior of the lean vehicle 100. A case where the acceleration component difference is large is, for example, when the acceleration component difference is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. This makes it possible to prevent the behavior of the lean vehicle 100 from being controlled using a sensor that is not operating normally, thereby improving the safety of the lean vehicle 100.

[0064] Furthermore, for example, if the behavior control device 20 includes the notification operation execution unit 27 as in the second embodiment, the notification operation execution unit 27 may output a signal to the notification device to issue a notification when the acceleration component difference is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. This allows the driver of the lean vehicle 100 to recognize, through the notification from the notification device, that at least one of the acceleration sensors 11 and 12 may not be operating normally. This improves the safety of the lean vehicle 100.

[0065] Furthermore, for example, the acceleration sensors 11 and 12 are united together with other sensors as a measuring device. In this case, even if the behavior control device 20 recognizes a failure in the measuring device, it can recognize that the acceleration sensors 11 and 12 are operating normally based on the acceleration component difference. Therefore, even if the behavior control device 20 recognizes a failure in the measuring device, it can continue the control operation based on the acceleration sensors 11 and 12. This improves the safety of the lean vehicle 100.

[0066] On the other hand, in a configuration in which acceleration information in the vertical direction of the body of the lean vehicle 100 is obtained based on the output of a single acceleration sensor, the number of acceleration sensors 12 can be reduced, thereby reducing the cost of the behavior control system 1 and the cost of the lean vehicle 100.

[0067] Although examples of the behavior control device according to the present invention have been described in the above embodiments, the behavior control device according to the present invention is not limited to the descriptions of the embodiments. For example, the behavior control device according to the present invention may be configured by combining all or part of the embodiments. [Explanation of symbols]

[0068] 1 Behavior control system, 11 Acceleration sensor, 12 Acceleration sensor, 13 Angular velocity sensor, 20 Behavior control device, 21 Acceleration information acquisition unit, 22 Vehicle speed information acquisition unit, 23 First angular velocity information acquisition unit, 24 Control unit, 25 Second angular velocity information acquisition unit, 26 Comparison unit, 27 Notification operation execution unit, 100 Lean vehicle, 101 Display device.

Claims

1. A behavior control device (20) that controls the behavior of a lean vehicle (100), an acceleration information acquisition unit (21) that acquires acceleration information in the vertical direction of the vehicle body of the lean vehicle (100) based on the output of at least one acceleration sensor; a vehicle speed information acquisition unit (22) that acquires vehicle speed information of the lean vehicle (100); an angular velocity information acquisition unit (23) that acquires angular velocity information using the acceleration information and the vehicle speed information; It is equipped with A configuration in which the behavior of the lean vehicle (100) is controlled without being based on the output of an angular velocity sensor. Behavior control device (20).

2. A behavior control device (20) that controls the behavior of a lean vehicle (100), an acceleration information acquisition unit (21) that acquires acceleration information in the vertical direction of the vehicle body of the lean vehicle (100) based on the output of at least one acceleration sensor; a vehicle speed information acquisition unit (22) that acquires vehicle speed information of the lean vehicle (100); a first angular velocity information acquisition unit (23) that acquires first angular velocity information using the acceleration information and the vehicle speed information; a second angular velocity information acquisition unit (25) that acquires second angular velocity information based on an output of the angular velocity sensor (13); a comparison unit (26) that compares the first angular velocity information with the second angular velocity information; A behavior control device (20) comprising:

3. The comparison result between the first angular velocity information and the second angular velocity information in the comparison unit (26) is used to control the behavior of the lean vehicle (100). A behavior control device (20) according to claim 2.

4. and a notification operation execution unit (27) that outputs a signal to cause a notification device (101) to issue a notification when the difference between the first angular velocity information and the second angular velocity information in the comparison unit (26) becomes equal to or greater than a predetermined value. A behavior control device (20) according to claim 2.

5. 3. The behavior control device (20) according to claim 2, wherein the angular velocity sensor (13) is a pitch rate sensor that detects a pitch rate.

6. The configuration controls the behavior of the lean vehicle (100) without being based on the output of any angular velocity sensor other than the pitch rate sensor. A behavior control device (20) according to claim 5.

7. The acceleration information is acquired based on the output of one of the acceleration sensors (11). A behavior control device (20) according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

8. The acceleration information is acquired based on the outputs of the two acceleration sensors (11, 12) that detect acceleration information in different directions. A behavior control device (20) according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

9. The vehicle is equipped with a behavior control device (20) according to any one of claims 1 to 6. Lean vehicle (100).

10. A behavior control method for controlling the behavior of a lean vehicle (100), comprising: an acceleration information acquisition step (S2) of acquiring acceleration information in the vertical direction of the vehicle body of the lean vehicle (100) based on the output of at least one acceleration sensor; a vehicle speed information acquisition step (S3) of acquiring vehicle speed information of the lean vehicle (100); an angular velocity information acquisition step (S4) of acquiring angular velocity information using the acceleration information and the vehicle speed information; It is equipped with A configuration in which the behavior of the lean vehicle (100) is controlled without being based on the output of an angular velocity sensor. Behavior control method.

11. A behavior control method for controlling the behavior of a lean vehicle (100), comprising: an acceleration information acquisition step (S2) of acquiring acceleration information in the vertical direction of the vehicle body of the lean vehicle (100) based on the output of at least one acceleration sensor; a vehicle speed information acquisition step (S3) of acquiring vehicle speed information of the lean vehicle (100); a first angular velocity information acquisition step (S4) of acquiring first angular velocity information using the acceleration information and the vehicle speed information; a second angular velocity information acquisition step of acquiring second angular velocity information based on an output of the angular velocity sensor (13); a comparison step of comparing the first angular velocity information with the second angular velocity information; A behavior control method comprising:

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