Control apparatus of hybrid leaning vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11415988-B2
Application number	US-201916714082-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 13, 2019
Priority date	Dec 18, 2018
Publication date	Aug 16, 2022
Grant date	Aug 16, 2022

Abstract

A control apparatus of a hybrid leaning vehicle includes: a travel mode request section that requests one travel mode selected from a plurality of travel modes including a first travel mode in which an engine is stopped and an electric motor is operated and a second travel mode in which the engine is operated; and a travel mode setting section. When the travel mode request section requests the second travel mode during travel in the first travel mode, the travel mode setting section, upon determining that a steady turning condition is satisfied, sets the second travel mode as the travel mode to be executed and, upon determining that the steady turning condition is not satisfied, prohibits the second travel mode from being set as the travel mode to be executed.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A control apparatus of a hybrid leaning vehicle, the hybrid leaning vehicle including an engine configured as an internal combustion engine and an electric motor serving as a drive source for travel of the hybrid leaning vehicle, the control apparatus comprising:
memory that stores a program; and
a processor configured to implement, according to the program:
a travel mode request section that requests one travel mode selected from a plurality of travel modes including a first travel mode in which the engine is stopped and the electric motor is operated and a second travel mode in which the engine is operated; and
a travel mode setting section that determines whether a steady turning condition is satisfied and that, depending on a result of the determination, sets the travel mode requested by the travel mode request section as a travel mode to be executed, the steady turning condition including a condition that the leaning vehicle is determined to be in a predetermined steady turning state, wherein

the steady turning state is a state in which a physical quantity affecting a vehicle body of the hybrid leaning vehicle is steady when a rider is making a turn by banking the vehicle body,
when the travel mode request section requests the second travel mode during travel in the first travel mode, the travel mode setting section, upon determining that the steady turning condition is satisfied, sets the second travel mode as the travel mode to be executed, and
when the travel mode request section requests the second travel mode during travel in the first travel mode, the travel mode setting section, upon determining that the steady turning condition is not satisfied, prohibits the second travel mode from being set as the travel mode to be executed.

2. The control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the physical quantity includes an angular velocity of the vehicle body of the leaning vehicle about a front-rear axis of the vehicle body, and
upon determining that the angular velocity has an absolute value less than a predetermined threshold, the travel mode setting section determines that the condition is satisfied.

3. The control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the physical quantity includes a steering angular velocity of the leaning vehicle, and
upon determining that the steering angular velocity has an absolute value less than a predetermined threshold, the travel mode setting section determines that the condition is satisfied.

4. The control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the hybrid leaning vehicle is a parallel hybrid leaning vehicle including the engine as a drive source for travel of the parallel hybrid leaning vehicle and a clutch disposed in a power transmission route between the engine and a drive wheel,
the second travel mode is a mode in which the engine is operated with the clutch disengaged,
the plurality of travel modes further includes a third travel mode in which the engine is operated with the clutch engaged,
the travel mode setting section determines whether a predetermined shock accepting condition is satisfied,
when the travel mode request section requests the third travel mode during travel in the second travel mode, the travel mode setting section, upon determining that the shock accepting condition is satisfied, sets the third travel mode as the travel mode to be executed, and
when the travel mode request section requests the third travel mode during travel in the second travel mode, the travel mode setting section, upon determining that the shock accepting condition is not satisfied, prohibits the third travel mode from being set as the travel mode to be executed.

5. The control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the steady turning state is a state in which a change rate of the physical quantity has an absolute value less than a predetermined threshold.

6. The control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the steady turning state includes a state in which a change rate of turning radius of the vehicle is less than a predetermined threshold, and
upon determining that the change rate of turning radius is less than the predetermined threshold, the travel mode setting section determines that the condition is satisfied.

7. The control apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein
the steady turning state includes a state in which a change rate of lateral tire force of the vehicle is less than a predetermined threshold, and
upon determining that the change rate of lateral tire force is less than the predetermined threshold, the travel mode setting section determines that the condition is satisfied.

8. A control apparatus of a hybrid leaning vehicle, the hybrid leaning vehicle including an engine configured as an internal combustion engine and an electric motor serving as a drive source for travel of the hybrid leaning vehicle, the control apparatus comprising:
a memory that stores a program; and
a processor configured to implement, according to the program:
a travel mode request section that requests one travel mode selected from a plurality of travel modes including a first travel mode in which the engine is stopped and the electric motor is operated and a second travel mode in which the engine is operated; and
a travel mode setting section that determines whether a condition is satisfied and that, depending on a result of the determination, sets the travel mode requested by the travel mode request section as a travel mode to be executed, wherein

the condition is a condition that an angular velocity of a vehicle body of the leaning vehicle about a front-rear axis of the vehicle body has an absolute value less than a predetermined threshold when a rider is making a turn by banking the vehicle body, or a steering angular velocity of the leaning vehicle has an absolute value less than a predetermined threshold when a rider is making a turn by banking the vehicle body,
when the travel mode request section requests the second travel mode during travel in the first travel mode, the travel mode setting section, upon determining that the condition is satisfied, sets the second travel mode as the travel mode to be executed, and
when the travel mode request section requests the second travel mode during travel in the first travel mode, the travel mode setting section, upon determining that the condition is not satisfied, prohibits the second travel mode from being set as the travel mode to be executed.

9. A control apparatus of a hybrid leaning vehicle, the hybrid leaning vehicle including an engine configured as an internal combustion engine and an electric motor serving as a drive source for travel of the hybrid leaning vehicle, the control apparatus comprising:
a memory that stores a program including instructions of controlling the engine; and
a processor configured to prohibit, according to the program, the engine from starting up in a state in which a power transmission route between the engine and a drive wheel is disengaged upon determining that the vehicle is turning in a state in which the engine is stopped and the electric motor is operated.

10. The control apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein the state includes a change rate of a turning radius of the vehicle being greater than or equal to a predetermined threshold.

11. The control apparatus according to claim 9 , wherein the state excludes a predetermined steady turning state.

Assignees

• Kawasaki Motors Ltd

Inventors

• Yanase Daisuke
• Kawai Daisuke
• Hirokami Tatsuya
• Terai Shohei
• Obayashi Kosuke
• Nakayama Kyotaro

Classifications

• Y02T10/62

  Hybrid vehicles · CPC title

• B60K2006/4825

  Electric machine connected or connectable to gearbox input shaft · CPC title

• B60K6/48

  Parallel type · CPC title

• B62D6/008

  Control of feed-back to the steering input member, e.g. simulating road feel in steer-by-wire applications · CPC title

• B62D6/04

  responsive only to forces disturbing the intended course of the vehicle, e.g. forces acting transversely to the direction of vehicle travel · CPC title