Motorcycle Torque Control Preventing Wheelie
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional traction control systems (TCS) for motorcycles can lead to vehicle instability and premature wheelie occurrence by reducing engine power after detecting spin-up, rather than effectively preventing the wheelie state.
Innovation Solution
A torque control apparatus that detects changes in engine torque, driver request torque, and accelerator pedal position to anticipate and prevent wheelie states by adjusting engine torque and brake torque based on preset thresholds and vehicle dynamics, including bank, pitch, and gear information.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If engine power is reduced after detecting spin-up of the drive wheel, then the drive wheel can efficiently transfer force to the road surface, but the vehicle body becomes unstable and wheelie state may occur
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary detection of wheelie state using acceleration sensors before spin-up occurs, and preemptively reduces engine torque to prevent the harmful effect. This is achieved by detecting acceleration in the vertical direction exceeding a threshold, which indicates impending wheelie, and reducing torque before the front wheel actually lifts.
Solution Approach 2:
The system applies counter-action by reducing engine torque when wheelie conditions are detected, opposing the force that would cause the front wheel to lift. The acceleration sensor detects the tendency toward wheelie, and the control system applies braking force or reduces torque to counteract the lifting tendency before it becomes a full wheelie state.
2Ease of operation
If engine power is reduced after wheelie state is detected, then the front wheel can return to the original state, but the vehicle body becomes unstable during the wheelie state
Solution Approach 1:
The system detects wheelie state early through acceleration sensors measuring vertical acceleration, and immediately reduces engine torque to prevent the wheelie from developing further. This preliminary detection and response prevents the instability that would occur if torque reduction happened after the wheelie was fully established.
3Reliability
If conventional TCS reduces engine power after detecting spin-up, then traction control is achieved, but wheelie state occurs before power reduction
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary detection of wheelie tendency using acceleration sensors that measure vertical acceleration. When the acceleration exceeds a threshold indicating impending wheelie, the system preemptively reduces engine torque before the spin-up detection would normally trigger power reduction. This prevents the wheelie from occurring in the first place.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses feedback from acceleration sensors to continuously monitor vehicle dynamics and detect wheelie tendency. The acceleration information is fed back to the control system, which adjusts engine torque in real-time to prevent wheelie, creating a closed-loop control that responds to actual vehicle behavior rather than relying solely on wheel speed differential.
Data Source
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AI summary
To suppress occurrence of a wheelie of a motorcycle. A torque control apparatus includes a the detection unit that detects a state in which the front wheel of the motorcycle is likely to be lifted up based on at least one of engine information of the motorcycle, accelerator operation information of the driver of the motorcycle, and information of the vehicle body or wheel of the motorcycle. The torque control apparatus further includes an output unit that, when the detection unit detects the state in which the front wheel is likely to be lifted up, outputs a torque smaller than a request torque of the driver as a request torque for an the engine of the motorcycle or outputs the difference between the request torque of the driver and a torque smaller than the request torque of the driver as a brake torque.