Vehicle control device

Abstract

Provided is a vehicle control device capable of suppressing the floating of the front wheel of a motorcycle when the motorcycle initially moves.　A vehicle control device (1) is provided with an initial-movement support control unit (12) that executes initial movement support processing, in which: in a case where a motorcycle (100) is stopped while the clutch is in a disengaged state and a power source (50) is started by a rider, a rear-wheel brake unit (57) holds the rear wheel in a stopped state so that the rear wheel is in a rear-wheel stop / hold state; and in the rear-wheel stop / hold state, when a throttle operation amount detection unit (63) detects at least a predetermined level of an operation amount of a throttle operation unit, or when a clutch operation detection unit (67) detects a switching operation from the disengaged state to a transmitting state, the rear-wheel brake unit (57) continues to apply a brake force to the rear wheel until a predetermined brake maintaining time elapses, and thereafter, releases the rear-wheel brake.

Description

Vehicle control device

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle control device for controlling the operation of a motorcycle.

[0002] Conventionally, a technique has been proposed for improving the starting performance of motorcycles, in which pressure is applied to the rear brake caliper while it is detected that the motorcycle is stopped, and the pressure on the rear brake caliper is released when it is detected that the motorcycle is starting or the clutch lever is released (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[0003] Patent No. 6652867

[0004] According to the technology described in Patent Document 1, when a motorcycle is started or a clutch release is detected, pressure on the rear brake caliper is released, and power from the engine is immediately transmitted to the rear wheel, thereby improving the starting performance of the motorcycle. However, when starting a motorcycle, the rider opens the throttle to increase the engine speed to a certain level before releasing the clutch lever. However, at the moment the clutch is engaged, the driving force transmitted from the engine to the rear wheel is typically excessive, causing the front wheel to lift up (a wheelie or front-up). If the front wheel lifts up, the rider is unable to use the handlebars to change the direction of the motorcycle, resulting in unstable motorcycle behavior. Therefore, it is desirable to prevent the front wheel from lifting up when starting a motorcycle and improve the rider's operability. The present invention has been made in light of this background, and its object is to provide a vehicle control device that can prevent the front wheel of a motorcycle from lifting up when starting a motorcycle.

[0005] As an aspect for achieving the above object, the present invention controls the operation of a motorcycle (100) including a power source (50), an output change unit (11) that changes the output of the power source in response to operation of a throttle operation unit (62) by a rider, a throttle operation amount detection unit (63) that detects the amount of operation of the throttle operation unit, a clutch (55) that switches between a power transmission state in which power is transmitted from the power source to a rear wheel (53) and a power interruption state in which transmission of power from the power source to the rear wheel is interrupted, a clutch switching unit that switches the clutch between the power transmission state and the power interruption state in response to operation of the clutch operation unit (65) by the rider, a clutch operation detection unit (67) that detects the operation state of the clutch operation unit, and a rear wheel braking unit (57) that brakes the rear wheel. The vehicle control device (1) is configured to, when the driver starts the power source while the motorcycle is stopped and the clutch is in the power cut-off state, switch to a rear wheel stop holding state in which the rear wheel braking unit holds the rear wheel in a stopped state, and when the throttle operation amount detection unit detects an operation amount of the throttle operation unit that is equal to or greater than a predetermined level in the rear wheel stop holding state, or when the clutch operation detection unit detects a switching operation from the power cut-off state to the power transmission state, continue applying a braking force to the rear wheel by the rear wheel braking unit until a predetermined braking maintenance time has elapsed, and then execute a launch support process to release the braking of the rear wheel by the rear wheel braking unit.

[0006] According to the above vehicle control device, it is possible to prevent the front wheel of the motorcycle from lifting up when the motorcycle starts, and by generating a squat force due to the rear wheel braking force through the start support processing, it is possible to reduce anti-squat behavior when starting and stabilize vehicle behavior.

[0007] Fig. 1 is a configuration diagram of a motorcycle equipped with a vehicle control device. Fig. 2 is a configuration diagram of the vehicle control device. Fig. 3 is a flowchart of a starting support process. Fig. 4 is a timing chart when the starting support process is executed. Fig. 5 is an explanatory diagram of the effect of executing the starting support process.

[0008] 1. Configuration of Motorcycle The configuration of a motorcycle 100 equipped with a vehicle control device 1 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Fig. 1. The motorcycle 100 includes an engine 50 as a power source, a rear wheel 53 to which the driving force of the engine 50 is transmitted via a transmission 55, and a front wheel 51.

[0009] The rear wheels 53 are braked by rear brake calipers 57 that are actuated by hydraulic pressure (fluid pressure) applied by a pressure unit 56. The pressure unit 56 is actuated in response to operation of a brake pedal 59 or a control signal input from the vehicle control device 1. The pressure unit 56 and the rear brake calipers 57 constitute a rear wheel braking section of the present disclosure. The front wheels 51 are provided with front wheel speed sensors 52 that detect the rotational speed of the front wheels 51, and the rear wheels 53 are provided with rear wheel speed sensors 54 that detect the rotational speed of the rear wheels 53.

[0010] As indicated by 110, the handlebar 60 is provided at its right end with a right lever 61 that operates the front wheel brake, a right grip 62 that operates the throttle, a throttle sensor 63 (corresponding to the throttle operation amount detection unit of the present disclosure), and a start switch 64. The right grip 62 is rotated by the rider, and the rotation angle (throttle opening) is detected by the throttle sensor 63. The start switch 64 is a switch for starting the engine 50.

[0011] The left end of the handlebar 60 is provided with a left lever 65, which is an operating part for a clutch built into the transmission 55, a left grip 66, a clutch switch 67 (corresponding to the clutch operation detection part in the present disclosure) that detects the operating state of the left lever 65 (clutch-off state with the left lever 65 gripped, or clutch-on state with the left lever 65 released), and a mode switch 68 that switches between enabling (on) and disabling (off) a launch support process described below and for switching between a plurality of modes associated with different gradual reduction patterns of the braking force applied to the rear wheel 53 in the launch support process. The function of switching the clutch between a power transmission state in which power from the engine 50 is transmitted to the rear wheel 53 and a power interruption state in which transmission of power from the engine 50 to the rear wheel 53 is interrupted in accordance with the operation of the left lever 65 corresponds to the clutch switching part in the present disclosure.

[0012] 2. Configuration of the vehicle control device The configuration of the vehicle control device 1 will be described with reference to Figure 2. The vehicle control device 1 is a control unit including a processor 10, a memory 20, an interface circuit (not shown), etc. The memory 20 stores a program 21 for controlling the motorcycle 100, and braking force change pattern data 22, which is data for setting a change pattern for gradually reducing the braking force applied to the rear wheel 53 in the launch support process described below.

[0013] The vehicle control device 1 receives an operation signal from the start switch 64, an operation signal from the mode switch 68, an opening detection signal from the throttle sensor 63, an on / off signal from the clutch switch 67, a speed detection signal from the front wheel speed sensor 52, and a speed detection signal from the rear wheel speed sensor 54. In addition, the operation of the engine 50, the starting motor 58, and the pressurizing unit 56 is controlled by control signals output from the vehicle control device 1.

[0014] The processor 10 loads and executes the program 21, thereby functioning as an engine control unit 11, a launch support control unit 12, and a braking force change pattern determination unit 13. When a start switch 64 is operated, the engine control unit 11 activates a starting motor 58 to start the engine 50. The engine control unit 11 also controls the output of the engine 50 by changing the opening of an injection (not shown) in accordance with the throttle opening detected by a throttle sensor 63. In this way, the configuration in which the engine control unit 11 changes the output of the engine 50 in accordance with the throttle opening corresponds to the output change unit in the present disclosure.

[0015] When the engine 50 is started and the rider performs a start operation on the motorcycle 100, the start support control unit 12 executes a start support process for suppressing lift-up of the front wheel 51 and starting the motorcycle 100. Details of the start support process will be described later. The braking force change pattern determination unit 13 determines, based on braking force change pattern data 22, a braking force change pattern for gradually reducing the pressure applied to the rear brake caliper 57 by the pressure unit 56, in the start support process, depending on the mode of the start support set by the mode switch 68.

[0016] 3. Start Support Processing The procedure of the start support processing executed by the start support control unit 12 will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

[0017] 3, when the engine 50 is started by the engine control unit 11, the start support control unit 12 proceeds to step S2. In step S2, the start support control unit 12 determines whether the mode switch 68 is set to enable start support. If start support is enabled, the start support control unit 12 proceeds to step S3, and if start support is set to disabled, the start support control unit 12 proceeds to step S8, and ends the processing according to the flowchart in FIG. 3.

[0018] In step S3, the launch support control unit 12 determines whether the vehicle is in the following start standby state: Start standby state: The rotational speed of the front wheels 51 detected by the front wheel speed sensor 52 is equal to or lower than a predetermined determination speed (for example, several km / hour), and the clutch switch 67 is off. Note that the disengaged state of the clutch may also be detected by the hydraulic pressure that operates the clutch.

[0019] If the vehicle is in a start standby state, the start support control unit 12 proceeds to step S4, and if the vehicle is not in a start standby state, the start support control unit 12 proceeds to step S8, where it ends the processing according to the flowchart in Fig. 3. In step S4, the start support control unit 12 starts applying pressure to the rear brake caliper 57 by the pressure unit 56 to brake the rear wheel 53 (rear wheel stop holding state). In this case, the start support control unit 12 may change the braking force applied to the rear wheel 53 depending on the mode set by the mode switch 68.

[0020] In the following step S5, the start support control unit 12 determines whether the throttle opening detected by the throttle sensor 63 is equal to or greater than a start operation threshold value for determining a start operation, and when the throttle opening is equal to or greater than the start operation threshold value, the process proceeds to step S6. In step S6, the start support control unit 12 executes a start support process in which the pressure applied to the rear brake caliper 57 by the pressure unit 56 is gradually reduced to gradually reduce the braking force on the rear wheels 53. Here, the start support control unit 12 gradually reduces the braking force on the rear wheels 53 in accordance with the braking force change pattern determined by the braking force change pattern determination unit and corresponding to the mode set by the mode switch 68. The gradual reduction in braking force may be performed by reducing the braking force linearly (steplessly) or by reducing the braking force in stages.

[0021] In the next step S7, the start support control unit 12 determines whether or not a start support end condition is met. The start support end condition is basically the elapse of a preset braking maintenance time from the time when the start support process was started in step S6. However, if the start support control unit 12 recognizes that the start of the motorcycle 100 has been completed based on the speed detected by the rear wheel speed sensor 54 or the front wheel speed sensor 54 before the braking maintenance time has elapsed, the start support process may be terminated at the time when the completion of starting is recognized. In this case, a certain amount of braking maintenance time is also ensured before the start support process is terminated.

[0022] Then, when the start support end condition is met, the start support control unit 12 ends the start support processing and proceeds to step S8, and when the start support end condition is not met, proceeds to step S6 and continues the start support processing.

[0023] 4. Effects of Executing the Start Support Process The effects obtained by executing the start support process will be described with reference to Figures 4 and 5. First, Figure 4 is a timing chart showing, on a common time axis t, the progression of changes in rear wheel speed Vr, rear brake pressure (pressure applied to rear brake caliper 57) Rbp, rear suspension stroke amount Rst, actual throttle opening Thd, and clutch switch 67 when motorcycle 100 starts.

[0024] In G1 of Fig. 4, A1 indicates the rear wheel speed Vr when the starting support process is not performed (hereinafter referred to as starting support off), and A2 indicates the rear wheel speed Vr when the starting support process is performed (hereinafter referred to as starting support on). In G2 of Fig. 4, B1 indicates the target hydraulic pressure (control target value) of the rear brake pressure Rbp when starting support is on, and B2 indicates the actually generated hydraulic pressure (measured value).

[0025] G3 in Fig. 4 indicates the stroke amount Rst of the rear suspension when launch support is off by C1, and the stroke amount Rst of the rear suspension when launch support is on by C2. G4 in Fig. 4 indicates the actual throttle opening degree Thd when launch support is off by D1, and the actual throttle opening degree Thd when launch support is on by D2. G5 in Fig. 4 indicates the change in the clutch switch 67 when launch support is off by E1, and the change in the clutch switch 67 when launch support is on by E2.

[0026] 4, at time t1 when the throttle opening degree Thd becomes equal to or greater than the start operation threshold value Jth, the start support control unit 12 starts the start support process, the target rear brake pressure B1 decreases, and the actual rear brake pressure B2 decreases accordingly. At the following time t2, the clutch switch 67 switches from on to off, the clutch enters a power transmission state, and transmission of driving force from the engine 50 to the rear wheels 53 via the transmission 55 begins. At the following time t3, the start support process ends, and the rear brake pressure RBp becomes zero (braking of the rear wheels 53 is released).

[0027] In G1, there is little difference between the increase in rear wheel speed Vr when start support is off, as indicated by A1, and the increase in rear wheel speed Vr when start support is on, as indicated by A2, and therefore it has been confirmed that executing the start support process does not result in a significant difference in the acceleration performance of the motorcycle 100. In G3, there is less variation in the stroke amount Rst of the rear suspension when start support is on, as indicated by C2, than the variation in the stroke amount Rst of the rear suspension when start support is off, as indicated by C1, and therefore it has been confirmed that executing the start support process suppresses variation in the stroke amount of the rear suspension when the motorcycle 100 starts, and thereby achieves stable start acceleration.

[0028] In G4, the actual throttle opening degree Thd when start support is on, as indicated by D2, is smaller than the actual throttle opening degree Thd when start support is off, as indicated by D1, and as described above, there is no significant difference in acceleration performance, so it has been confirmed that power transmission efficiency is improved by executing the start support processing.In G5, the clutch engagement timing when start support is off, as indicated by E1, is approximately the same as the clutch engagement timing when start support is on, as indicated by E2, so it has been confirmed that the power transmission conditions from the engine 50 to the rear wheels 53 are the same.

[0029] Next, in Figure 5, the vertical axis is set to acceleration and the horizontal axis is set to time, and F1 represents the difference in acceleration between front wheel 51 and rear wheel 53 when motorcycle 100 starts off when starting support is off (= acceleration of rear wheel 53 - acceleration of front wheel 51), and F2 represents the difference in acceleration between front wheel 51 and rear wheel 53 when motorcycle 100 starts off when starting support is on.

[0030] Comparing F1 and F2, the maximum difference in acceleration is equal to or less than the threshold value Ath in F2, whereas it is greater than the threshold value Ath by ΔA in F1. This confirms that by executing the start support process, the difference in acceleration between the front wheel 51 and the rear wheel 53 when the motorcycle 100 starts moving is reduced, and lift-up of the front wheel 51 is suppressed.

[0031] 5. Other Embodiments In the above embodiment, the vehicle control device 1 is provided with the braking force change pattern determination unit 13, and the braking force change pattern for gradually reducing the braking force of the rear wheels 53 in the start support process is determined in accordance with the operation of the mode switch 68. However, the braking force change pattern determination unit 13 may be omitted.

[0032] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the braking force change pattern when gradually reducing the braking force of the rear wheels 53 during the start support processing is determined in accordance with the operation of the mode switch 68, but the braking force change pattern when gradually reducing the braking force of the rear wheels 53 during the start support processing may also be determined in accordance with other conditions. For example, the braking force change pattern when gradually reducing the braking force of the rear wheels 53 during the start support processing may also be determined in accordance with the μ of the road surface (detected, for example, from the difference in speed detected by the front wheel speed sensor 52 and the rear wheel speed sensor 54).

[0033] In the above embodiment, a motorcycle 100 powered by an engine 50 was exemplified, but even when a motorcycle powered by an electric motor is the subject of control, by applying the present invention and executing the start support process, it is possible to suppress the above-mentioned lift-up occurring when starting off and to stabilize the vehicle behavior when starting off.

[0034] 2 is a schematic diagram showing the functional configuration of the vehicle control device 1 divided by main processing content to facilitate understanding of the present invention, but the configuration of the vehicle control device 1 may be divided by other divisions. Furthermore, the processing of each component may be executed by one hardware unit or multiple hardware units. Furthermore, the processing of each component shown in FIG. 3 may be executed by one program or multiple programs.

[0035] 6. Configurations Supported by the Above-described Embodiments The above-described embodiments are specific examples of the following configurations.

[0036] (Configuration 1) A vehicle for controlling the operation of a motorcycle (100) comprising: a power source (50); an output change unit (11) that changes the output of the power source in response to operation of a throttle operation unit (62) by a rider; a throttle operation amount detection unit (63) that detects the amount of operation of the throttle operation unit; a clutch (55) that switches between a power transmission state in which power is transmitted from the power source to a rear wheel (53) and a power interruption state in which transmission of power from the power source to the rear wheel is interrupted; a clutch switching unit that switches the clutch between the power transmission state and the power interruption state in response to operation of the clutch operation unit (65) by the rider; a clutch operation detection unit (67) that detects the operation state of the clutch operation unit; and a rear wheel braking unit (57) that brakes the rear wheel. The vehicle control device is equipped with a launch support control unit (12) that, when the power source is started by the driver while the motorcycle is stopped and the clutch is in the power cut-off state, switches to a rear wheel stop holding state in which the rear wheel braking unit holds the rear wheel in a stopped state, and when, in the rear wheel stop holding state, the throttle operation amount detection unit detects an operation amount of the throttle operation unit that is equal to or greater than a predetermined level, or the clutch operation detection unit detects a switching operation from the power cut-off state to the power transmission state, continues to apply braking force to the rear wheel by the rear wheel braking unit until a predetermined braking maintenance time has elapsed, and then executes a launch support process in which the rear wheel braking unit releases braking of the rear wheel. According to the vehicle control device of configuration 1, when the start support control unit recognizes the timing for the motorcycle to start through operation of the throttle operation unit or the clutch operation unit by the rider, it continues applying braking force to the rear wheel by the rear wheel brake unit until the brake maintenance time has elapsed, and then executes a start support process to release the braking of the rear wheel by the rear wheel brake unit. This suppresses excessive torque that is generated instantaneously when the clutch is engaged when the motorcycle starts, preventing the front wheel from excessively lifting up, and makes it possible to keep the vehicle body low while canceling the anti-squat behavior using brake squat force, thereby stabilizing vehicle body behavior.

[0037] (Configuration 2) The vehicle control device according to Configuration 1, wherein the start support control unit gradually reduces the braking force applied to the rear wheel by the rear wheel braking unit during the braking maintenance time. According to the vehicle control device of Configuration 2, the behavior of the motorcycle when starting can be stabilized by gradually reducing the braking force applied to the rear wheel by the rear wheel braking unit and then releasing the braking of the rear wheel by the rear wheel braking unit.

[0038] (Configuration 3) The vehicle control device according to Configuration 2, further comprising a braking force change pattern determination unit (13) that determines, in accordance with predetermined change conditions, a braking force change pattern for gradually reducing the braking force applied to the rear wheels by the rear wheel braking unit during the braking maintenance time. According to the vehicle control device of Configuration 3, it is expected that a start support process suited to the driver will be executed by changing the change pattern of the braking force applied to the rear wheels by the rear wheel braking unit in accordance with change conditions such as the driver's driving skill, the driver's driving preferences, and the road surface conditions of the road on which the vehicle is traveling.

[0039] 1...vehicle control device, 10...processor, 11...engine control unit, 12...launch support control unit, 13...braking force change pattern determination unit, 20...memory, 21...program, 22...braking force pattern data, 50...engine (power source), 51...front wheel, 52...front wheel speed sensor, 53...rear wheel, 54...rear wheel speed sensor, 55...transmission, 56...pressurizing unit, 57...rear brake caliper, 58...starting motor, 60...handlebar, 61...right lever, 62...right grip, 63...throttle sensor, 64...start switch, 65...left lever, 66...left grip, 67...clutch switch, 100...motorcycle.

Claims

1. A vehicle control device (1) for controlling the operation of a motorcycle (100) comprising: a power source (50); an output change unit (11) that changes the output of the power source in response to operation of a throttle operation unit (62) by a rider; a throttle operation amount detection unit (63) that detects the amount of operation of the throttle operation unit; a clutch (55) that switches between a power transmission state in which power is transmitted from the power source to a rear wheel (53) and a power interruption state in which transmission of power from the power source to the rear wheel is interrupted; a clutch switching unit that switches the clutch between the power transmission state and the power interruption state in response to operation of the clutch operation unit (65) by the rider; a clutch operation detection unit (67) that detects the operation state of the clutch operation unit; and a rear wheel braking unit (57) that brakes the rear wheel, a start support control unit (12) that, when the power source is started by the rider while the motorcycle is stopped and the clutch is in the power cut-off state, switches to a rear wheel stop holding state in which the rear wheel brake unit holds the rear wheel in a stopped state, and, when the throttle operation amount detection unit detects an operation amount of the throttle operation unit that is equal to or greater than a predetermined level or the clutch operation detection unit detects a switching operation from the power cut-off state to the power transmission state in the rear wheel stop holding state, continues applying a braking force to the rear wheel by the rear wheel brake unit until a predetermined brake maintenance time has elapsed, and then executes a start support process to release the braking of the rear wheel by the rear wheel brake unit.

2. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein the start support control unit gradually reduces the braking force applied to the rear wheels by the rear wheel braking unit during the braking maintenance time.

3. A vehicle control device as described in claim 2, further comprising a braking force change pattern determination unit (13) that determines a braking force change pattern for gradually reducing the braking force applied to the rear wheels by the rear wheel braking unit during the braking maintenance time in accordance with predetermined change conditions.

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