Vehicle system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11332144-B2
Application number	US-202016752369-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 24, 2020
Priority date	Jan 30, 2019
Publication date	May 17, 2022
Grant date	May 17, 2022

Abstract

A vehicle system comprises an engine driving a vehicle, a front wheel and a rear wheel, a suspension device with an attachment portion to a vehicle body which is located at a higher level than a center axis of the rear wheel, an electromagnetic coupling to distribute a torque of the engine to the front wheel and the rear wheel, a steering wheel to be operated by a driver, a steering angle sensor to detect a steering angle corresponding to operation of the steering wheel, and a controller to control the engine and the electromagnetic coupling. The controller is configured to control the electromagnetic coupling such that the torque distributed to the rear wheel is increased in accordance with turning operation of the steering wheel which is detected by the steering angle sensor.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A vehicle system, comprising:
a power source configured to drive a vehicle;
a front wheel and a rear wheel;
a torque distributing mechanism configured to distribute a torque of the power source to the front wheel and the rear wheel;
a steering wheel to be operated by a driver;
a steering angle sensor configured to detect a steering angle which corresponds to operation of the steering wheel; and
a controller configured to control the power source and the torque distributing mechanism such that the torque distributed to the rear wheel is increased in accordance with a turning operation of the steering wheel which is detected by the steering angle sensor, wherein the controller is configured to suppress operation of the torque distributing mechanism for changing the torque distributed to the rear wheel in a steady turning state of the vehicle after the turning operation of the steering wheel.

2. The vehicle system of claim 1 , further comprising:
a suspension provided with an attachment portion where the suspension is attached to a vehicle body, the attachment portion being located at a higher level than a center axis of the rear wheel.

3. The vehicle system of claim 1 , wherein
the torque distributed to the rear wheel being increased generates a nose-dive-direction pitching of the vehicle.

4. The vehicle system of claim 3 , wherein
the torque distributed to the rear wheel is increased such that an angle of the nose-dive-direction pitching of the vehicle increases in accordance with an increase in the steering angle.

5. The vehicle system of claim 1 , wherein
the torque distributed to the rear wheel is increased in linear proportion with an increase in the steering angle.

6. The vehicle system of claim 1 , wherein
the torque distributing mechanism includes an electromagnetic coupling configured to distribute the torque of the power source to the front wheel and the rear wheel.

7. A vehicle system, comprising:
a power source configured to drive a vehicle;
a front wheel and a rear wheel;
a torque distributing mechanism configured to distribute a torque of the power source to the front wheel and the rear wheel;
a steering wheel to be operated by a driver;
a steering angle sensor configured to detect a steering angle which corresponds to operation of the steering wheel; and
a controller configured to control the power source and the torque distributing mechanism such that the torque distributed to the rear wheel is increased in accordance with a turning operation of the steering wheel which is detected by the steering angle sensor,
wherein the controller is configured to control the power source and the torque distributing mechanism such that when the torque of the power source is the specified value or larger and the turning operation of the steering wheel is performed, the torque generated by the power source is modified by a decrease torque which is set in accordance with the turning operation of the steering wheel and operation of the torque distributing mechanism for increasing the torque distributed to the rear wheel in accordance with the turning operation of the steering wheel is suppressed, and
wherein the controller is configured to suppress operation of the torque distributing mechanism for changing the torque distributed to the rear wheel in a steady turning state of the vehicle after the turning operation of the steering wheel.

8. The vehicle system of claim 7 , further comprising:
a suspension provided with an attachment portion where the suspension is attached to a vehicle body, the attachment portion being located at a higher level than a center axis of the rear wheel.

9. The vehicle system of claim 7 , wherein the torque distributing mechanism includes an electromagnetic coupling configured to distribute the torque of the power source to the front wheel and the rear wheel.

10. A vehicle system, comprising:
a power source configured to drive a vehicle;
a front wheel and a rear wheel;
a torque distributing mechanism configured to distribute a torque of the power source to the front wheel and the rear wheel;
a steering wheel to be operated by a driver;
a steering angle sensor configured to detect a steering angle which corresponds to operation of the steering wheel; and
a controller configured to control the power source and the torque distributing mechanism such that the torque distributed to the rear wheel is increased in accordance with a turning operation of the steering wheel which is detected by the steering angle sensor wherein the controller is configured to control the power source and the torque distributing mechanism such that when the torque of the power source is the specified value or larger and the turning operation of the steering wheel is performed at a steering speed which is at least equal to a steering speed threshold, the torque generated by the power source is modified by a decrease torque which is set in accordance with the steering speed of the turning operation of the steering wheel and operation of the torque distributing mechanism for increasing the torque distributed to the rear wheel in accordance with the turning operation of the steering wheel is suppressed.

11. The vehicle system of claim 10 , wherein the controller is configured to control the power source and the torque distributing mechanism such that when the torque of the power source is the specified value or larger and the turning operation of the steering wheel is performed at the steering speed which is less than the steering speed threshold, the controller refrains from modifying the torque generated by the power source by the decrease torque.

12. The vehicle system of claim 10 , further comprising:
a suspension provided with an attachment portion where the suspension is attached to a vehicle body, the attachment portion being located at a higher level than a center axis of the rear wheel.

13. The vehicle system of claim 10 , wherein the torque distributed to the rear wheel being increased generates a nose-dive-direction pitching of the vehicle.

14. The vehicle system of claim 13 , wherein the torque distributed to the rear wheel is increased such that an angle of the nose-dive-direction pitching of the vehicle increases in accordance with an increase in the steering angle.

15. The vehicle system of claim 10 , wherein the torque distributed to the rear wheel is increased in linear proportion with an increase in the steering angle.

16. The vehicle system of claim 10 , wherein the torque distributing mechanism includes an electromagnetic coupling configured to distribute the torque of the power source to the front wheel and the rear wheel.

17. A vehicle system, comprising:
a power source configured to drive a vehicle;
a front wheel and a rear wheel;
a torque distributing mechanism configured to distribute a torque of the power source to the front wheel and the rear wheel;
a steering wheel to be operated by a driver;
a steering angle sensor configured to detect a steering angle which corresponds to operation of the steering wheel; and
a controller configured to control the power source and the torque distributing mechanism such that the torque distributed to the rear wheel is increased in accordance with a turning operation of the steering wheel which is detected by the steering angle sensor wherein
the torque distributed to the rear wheel is increased in non-linear proportion with an increase in the steering angle.

18. The vehicle system of claim 17 , further comprising:
a suspension provid

Assignees

• Mazda Motor

Inventors

• Imamura Yasumasa
• Nobutani Naoki
• Umetsu Daisuke

Classifications

• F02D41/021

  Introducing corrections for particular conditions exterior to the engine (conjoint control of vehicle sub-units for propelling the vehicle B60W30/18) · CPC title

• B60W10/119

  including control of all-wheel-driveline means, e.g. transfer gears or clutches for dividing torque between front and rear axle (B60W10/14 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B60W2720/16

  Pitch · CPC title

• Y02T10/64

  Electric machine technologies in electromobility · CPC title

• B60W10/04

  including control of propulsion units · CPC title