Saddle-type vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10099748-B2
Application number	US-201615005786-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 25, 2016
Priority date	Jul 25, 2013
Publication date	Oct 16, 2018
Grant date	Oct 16, 2018

Abstract

A saddle-type vehicle can be driven by finer control by judging the driver's demand based on operation of the driver relative to the vehicle when the engine is started from the idle-stop state. A saddle-type vehicle can include bar handle mounted on its opposite tip ends a grasping grip grasped by the driver and a throttle grip for an accelerator operation; an engine controller for automatically stopping an engine and making the engine an idle-stop state: and a clutch. The saddle-type vehicle can include a judgment controller for judging a driver's demand based on operation conditions of the driver relative to the vehicle and a clutch controller for selecting a travel state and a stopped state.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A saddle-type vehicle which can be driven by a driver straddling on a seat with steering a bar handle comprising:
a bar handle having opposite tip ends and mounted on its opposite tip ends a grasping grip configured to be grasped by a driver and a throttle grip for an accelerator operation;
an engine control means for automatically stopping an engine and transitioning the engine to an idle-stop state;
a clutch for transmitting a driving power of the engine to a wheel and cutting off the transmission of driving power of the engine at arbitrary timings;
a judgment means for judging a driver's demand based on operation conditions of the driver relative to the vehicle when the engine is started from the idle-stop state; and
a clutch control means for arbitrarily selecting between a travel state travelling via transmission of the driving power of engine to the driving wheel by controlling the clutch corresponding to the driver's demand judged by the judgment means and a stopped state in which the driving power of the engine is substantially not transmitted to the driving wheel and the stopped state of vehicle is kept,
wherein the vehicle further includes a gear shift control means for controlling a transmission and wherein, under the stopped state, an idle-neutral control for keeping the stopped state of the vehicle under an idling state by performing an invalid stroke shortening for bringing the clutch close to an OFF state in a state just before a clutch torque capacity of the clutch rises from 0 and a neutral control for setting a state in which the driving power of the engine is not transmitted to the driving wheel by setting the clutch to the OFF state without performing the invalid stroke shortening are selectively performed corresponding to the driver's demand judged by the judgment means.

2. The saddle-type vehicle of claim 1 wherein the vehicle further comprises two operation means for performing braking operation, at least one of which being a first brake means mounted on one tip end of the bar handle and the other being a second brake means, and wherein the engine is started from the idle-stop state when both the first and second brake means are changed to a non-operation state.

3. The saddle-type vehicle of claim 1 wherein during the travel state, steady travel control including a start control or a gear shift control when an accelerator operation is performed, and a creep control enabling travel under the idling state of engine without any accelerator operation are selectively performed corresponding to the driver's demand judged by the judgment means.

4. The saddle-type vehicle of claim 3 wherein the vehicle further comprises at least one detection sensor for detecting whether a main stand or a side stand are used, whether the seat is used, or whether the grasping grip or the throttle grip are grasped, and wherein the judgment means can change the state of vehicle to the stopped state based on at least one detection of the at least one detection sensor.

5. The saddle-type vehicle of claim 1 wherein the travel state is a state in which the driving power of the engine is transmitted to the driving wheel by controlling the clutch during the start of engine.

6. The saddle-type vehicle of claim 1 wherein the vehicle further comprises at least one detection sensor for detecting whether a main stand or a side stand are used, whether the seat is used, or whether the grasping grip or the throttle grip are grasped, and wherein the judgment means can change the state of vehicle to the stopped state based on at least one detection of the at least one detection sensor.

7. The saddle-type vehicle of claim 1 wherein the idle-neutral control is performed when the engine is started from the idle-stop state without the driver's operation.

8. The saddle-type vehicle of claim 1 wherein the transmission is a stepwise variable transmission.

9. The saddle-type vehicle of claim 1 wherein the transmission is a continuously variable transmission.

10. A saddle-type vehicle which can be driven by a driver straddling on a seat with steering a bar handle comprising:
a bar handle having opposite tip ends and mounted on its opposite tip ends a grasping grip configured to be grasped by a driver and a throttle grip configured for use in an accelerator operation;
an engine controller configured to automatically stop an engine and transition the engine to an idle-stop state;
a clutch configured to transmit a driving power of the engine to a wheel and cutting off the transmission of driving power of the engine at arbitrary timings;
a judgment controller configured to judge a driver's demand based on operation conditions of the driver relative to the vehicle when the engine is started from the idle-stop state; and
a clutch controller configured to arbitrarily select between a travel state travelling via transmission of the driving power of engine to the driving wheel by controlling the clutch corresponding to the driver's demand judged by the judgment controller and a stopped state in which the driving power of the engine is substantially not transmitted to the driving wheel and the stopped state of vehicle is kept,
wherein the vehicle further includes a gear shift controller configured to control a transmission and wherein, under the stopped state, an idle-neutral control configured to keep the stopped state of vehicle under an idling state by performing an invalid stroke shortening for bringing the clutch close to an OFF state in a state just before a clutch torque capacity of the clutch rises from 0 and a neutral control configured to set a state in which the driving power of the engine is not transmitted to the driving wheel by setting the clutch to the OFF state without performing the invalid stroke shortening are selectively performed corresponding to the driver's demand judged by the judgment controller.

11. The saddle-type vehicle of claim 10 wherein the vehicle further comprises two operation controllers configured to perform braking operation, at least one of which being a first brake mounted on one tip end of the bar handle and the other being a second brake, and wherein the engine is started from the idle-stop state when both the first and second brakes are changed to a non-operation state.

12. The saddle-type vehicle of claim 10 wherein during the travel state, steady travel control including a start control or a gear shift control when an accelerator operation is performed, and a creep control enabling travel under the idling state of engine without any accelerator operation are selectively performed corresponding to the driver's demand judged by the judgment controller.

13. The saddle-type vehicle of claim 12 wherein the vehicle further comprises at least one detection sensor configured to detect whether a main stand or a side stand are used, whether the seat is used, or whether the grasping grip or the throttle grip are grasped, and wherein the judgment controller can change the state of vehicle to the stopped state based on at least one detection of the at least one detection sensor.

14. The saddle-type vehicle of claim 10 wherein the travel state is a state in which the driving power of the engine is transmitted to the driving wheel by controlling the clutch during the start of engine.

15. The saddle-type vehicle of claim 10 wherein the vehicle further comprises at least one detection sensor configured to detect whether a main stand or a side stand are used, whether the seat is used, or whether the grasping grip or the throttle grip are grasped, and wherein the judgment controller can change the s

Assignees

• Fcc Kk

Inventors

• Ohashi Tatsuyuki
• Miyachi Kazuyoshi
• Makita Shouji
• Chiba Ryouhei
• Iida Kaoru
• Sato Makoto

Classifications

• B62M25/08 Primary

  with electrical or fluid transmitting systems · CPC title

• B60W2540/10

  Accelerator pedal position · CPC title

• B60W2540/12

  Brake pedal position · CPC title

• B60W10/11

  Stepped gearings · CPC title

• F02D17/00 Primary

  Controlling engines by cutting out individual cylinders; Rendering engines inoperative or idling (controlling or rendering inoperative by varying inlet or exhaust valve operating characteristics F02D13/00) · CPC title