Motorcycle Engine-Brake ACC for Safe Inter-Vehicle Deceleration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing motorcycle ACC systems face challenges in safely performing braking control without spilling the rider, as they lack seat belts and require complex sensor systems to prevent rider ejection, making unintended braking control risky and costly.
Innovation Solution
A motorcycle-drive assistance apparatus that includes an object detection unit, road-surface gradient angle calculation unit, own-vehicle speed calculation unit, deceleration-start inter-vehicle distance calculation unit, engine-brake acceleration value calculation unit, and engine-brake acceleration value storage unit, which calculates and stores acceleration values to initiate engine brake deceleration when the inter-vehicle distance becomes critical, ensuring rapid deceleration without unintended braking.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If automatic braking control is implemented in motorcycle ACC systems, then inter-vehicle distance maintenance is improved, but rider safety deteriorates due to high probability of rider spilling without seat belts
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the braking mechanism from friction brake to engine brake, fundamentally altering the deceleration method. Engine brake provides smoother, more gradual deceleration that is less likely to cause rider spilling while still maintaining effective inter-vehicle distance control
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces engine brake as an intermediary deceleration mechanism between the rider's throttle input and the friction brake system. This intermediary provides a buffer that reduces sudden deceleration forces on the rider while maintaining collision avoidance capability
2Speed
If friction brake is used for automatic braking control, then deceleration effectiveness is improved, but rider safety deteriorates due to sudden deceleration causing spilling
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the braking parameter from high-intensity friction brake to lower-intensity engine brake for automatic control. Engine brake provides sufficient deceleration for safety while maintaining smoother deceleration profiles that prevent rider spilling
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses engine brake as a cushioning mechanism before potential friction brake application. The engine brake absorbs some deceleration demand and provides a transition that cushions the rider against sudden friction brake activation
3Reliability
If sensors are mounted in handle grips to detect rider grasp, then unintended braking prevention is improved, but system complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes the existing handle grip sensor serve multiple functions: it detects both rider grasp status and triggers both engine brake and friction brake control. This eliminates the need for separate sensors while maintaining comprehensive unintended braking prevention
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the sensor detection function with the dual-brake control system. The same sensor input that detects rider grasp now controls both engine brake and friction brake activation, consolidating components and reducing system complexity
Data Source
AI summary
There is provided a motorcycle-drive assistance apparatus that makes rapid deceleration by an engine brake possible so that braking control unintended by a rider can be avoided. The motorcycle-drive assistance apparatus is configured in such a way that a deceleration-start inter-vehicle distance calculation unit calculates a deceleration-start inter-vehicle distance, by use of an acceleration value read from an engine-brake acceleration value storage unit, based on an own-vehicle speed calculated by an own-vehicle speed calculation unit and a road-surface gradient angle calculated by a road-surface gradient angle calculation unit and in such a way that when the inter-vehicle distance between an own vehicle and another vehicle, detected by an object detection unit, becomes smaller than the calculated deceleration-start inter-vehicle distance, deceleration of the own vehicle through the engine brake is started.