Accelerator Grip Control for Downhill Speed Management on Motorcycles
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing straddle-type vehicles lack intuitive and simple operations for controlling vehicle speed on downhill roads, affecting their operability.
Innovation Solution
A controller that enables and disables vehicle speed control based on rotational operations of the accelerator grip, using a first trigger to initiate and a second trigger to terminate the control mode, allowing for intuitive speed management on downhill roads.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If conventional vehicle speed control systems are used on downhill roads, then speed control functionality is provided, but the operation complexity increases and operability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The accelerator grip is designed to serve multiple functions: its primary function for acceleration and a secondary function as a switch operation for vehicle speed control. By integrating the switch function into the existing accelerator grip structure, the system avoids adding separate control devices, thereby maintaining simplicity while enabling speed control functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The operation for switching vehicle speed control is merged with the accelerator grip rotation operation. The control unit detects rotation of the accelerator grip beyond a reference angle and interprets it as a switch trigger, combining the acceleration control input with the speed control mode switch into a single unified operation.
2Reliability
If vehicle speed control is enabled on downhill roads, then speed management is improved, but the operational simplicity deteriorates due to complex control inputs
Solution Approach 1:
The accelerator grip serves dual purposes: controlling acceleration and triggering vehicle speed control mode. This multi-functionality ensures that the same intuitive input mechanism used for acceleration also activates speed control, maintaining operational simplicity while improving speed management reliability on downhill roads.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses the rider's natural acceleration input (accelerator grip rotation) to automatically trigger speed control activation. The control unit monitors the accelerator grip operation and self-activates the speed control function when the grip is rotated beyond the reference angle, eliminating the need for separate switch operations.
3Device complexity
If the accelerator grip is used as a switch operation, then the number of control devices is reduced, but the detection complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The accelerator grip is designed to function both as an acceleration control device and as a switch trigger. The control unit detects when the grip rotation exceeds a predetermined reference angle and interprets this as a switch command, thereby eliminating the need for separate switches while using existing sensor capabilities.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the detection parameter from standard acceleration input to rotation angle threshold detection. By monitoring whether the accelerator grip rotation exceeds a reference angle, the control unit can distinguish between normal acceleration operations and speed control activation commands, managing detection complexity through parameter-based differentiation.
Data Source
AI summary
The invention obtains a controller and a control method capable of improving operability of a straddle-type vehicle. In a controller 20 and a control method according to the invention, an execution section of the controller 20 executes a control mode in which vehicle speed control is enabled in response to a first trigger and the vehicle speed control is disabled in response to a second trigger. In the vehicle speed control, a vehicle speed of a straddle-type vehicle 1 is controlled on the basis of a target vehicle speed in the case where it is determined that the straddle-type vehicle 1 travels on a downhill road. The execution section executes the control mode on the basis of rotational operation information as information on a rotational operation to rotate an accelerator grip, which is located at a reference position in an unloaded state by a rider of the straddle-type vehicle 1 and changes drive power generated to the straddle-type vehicle 1 when being rotated within an angle range located in a first direction with the reference position being a reference, within an angle range located in a second direction as a reverse direction from the first direction with the reference position being the reference.