Automatic Brake Control for Motorcycle Driver Feedback
Solution Overview
Problem
Automatic brake devices for saddle riding vehicles, such as motorcycles, often cause a feeling of strangeness in drivers due to inadequate consideration of both obstacle avoidance and driver input during braking.
Innovation Solution
An automatic brake device with independently actuable front and rear brakes, a brake modulator that includes collision possibility determining means, automatic brake control means, and brake operation determining means, which adjusts braking forces based on driver input and road conditions to maintain a natural braking experience or perform limit braking as necessary.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If automatic brake control is implemented to avoid collision with front obstacles, then obstacle avoidance capability is improved, but driver acceptance and naturalness of braking feel deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The system continuously monitors driver brake operation status and uses this feedback to dynamically adjust automatic brake control strategy. When driver brake operation is detected, the system adapts by maintaining the ratio between front and rear brake forces, preserving the natural braking feel expected by the driver. This feedback mechanism resolves the contradiction by making the automatic system responsive to driver intent rather than imposing a fixed braking pattern.
Solution Approach 2:
The brake control system dynamically switches between different control modes based on real-time detection of driver brake operation. The control characteristics are not static but adapt according to whether the driver is applying brakes, allowing the system to transition smoothly between fully automatic collision avoidance mode and driver-assisted mode that maintains natural braking feel.
2Reliability
If braking forces are increased automatically to ensure safe obstacle avoidance, then collision prevention is improved, but braking naturalness and driver comfort deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The system uses feedback from driver brake operation detection to modulate the automatic brake force application. When the driver is already applying brakes, the automatic system adjusts its force application to maintain the natural ratio between front and rear brakes, preventing the harmful effect of unnatural braking feel while still ensuring collision prevention through coordinated force distribution.
Solution Approach 2:
The system changes the braking force parameters dynamically based on driver input detection. By adjusting the ratio and magnitude of front and rear brake forces according to whether the driver is braking, the system maintains optimal parameters for both collision avoidance and natural braking experience under different operating conditions.
3Power
If the brake system actuates both front and rear brakes simultaneously for maximum braking effect, then braking power is improved, but the feeling of strangeness and unnaturalness increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system monitors driver brake operation as feedback to determine whether to maintain natural brake force ratios or apply maximum braking power. When driver braking is detected, the system preserves the natural front-rear brake force distribution that drivers expect, avoiding the strange feeling caused by simultaneous equal-force application while still achieving effective braking through coordinated control.
Solution Approach 2:
The brake force distribution parameters are changed based on driver input detection. The system adjusts the ratio of front to rear brake forces dynamically, switching between maintaining natural ratios for driver comfort and optimizing force distribution for maximum braking power when collision avoidance is the priority and driver input is absent.
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~3
Figure 4
AI summary
Object To reduce a feeling of strangeness of a driver at a time of automatic brake control in an automatic brake device for a saddle riding type vehicle. Solving Means A brake modulator 10 that controls actuation of front and rear brakes 2 and 3 includes a collision possibility determining unit 19, an automatic brake control unit 21, and a brake operation determining unit 20. When the collision possibility determining unit 19 determines that there is a possibility of collision, and the brake operation determining unit 20 determines that brake operation by a driver is present, the automatic brake control unit 21 changes a manner of increasing braking forces of the front and rear brakes 2 and 3 according to the brake operation by the driver.