Vehicle

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11858569-B2
Application number	US-202017762934-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 26, 2020
Priority date	Dec 27, 2019
Publication date	Jan 2, 2024
Grant date	Jan 2, 2024

Abstract

A vehicle is provided with a vehicle body, N (N is an integer equal to or larger than 2) wheels including one or more front wheels and one or more rear wheels, a force generator, and a force controller. The N wheels include one or more turn wheels turnable in the width direction of the vehicle. The force generator is configured to generate a force which changes a yaw angular acceleration. The force controller is configured to control the force generator. A gravity center of the vehicle body is located away from a rotation center of the vehicle toward front side or rear side when the vehicle turns. The force controller controls the force generator to control a roll torque in the width direction acting on the vehicle body.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A vehicle comprising:
a vehicle body;
N (N is an integer equal to or larger than 2) wheels including one or more front wheels and one or more rear wheels, the N wheels including one or more turn wheels turnable in a width direction of the vehicle;
a force generator configured to generate a force which changes a yaw angular acceleration; and
a force controller configured to control the force generator, wherein:
a gravity center of the vehicle body is located away from a rotation center of the vehicle toward front side or rear side when the vehicle turns, and
the force controller controls the force generator to control a roll torque in the width direction acting on the vehicle body,
the force generator is configured to apply a turning torque on the one or more turn wheels, the turning torque being a torque for controlling a turn of the one or more turn wheels in the width direction,
a roll torque resulting from a component of yaw angular acceleration resulting from a turn of the one or more turn wheels and a positional difference between the gravity center and the rotation center is referred to as first type roll torque, and
the force controller is configured to:
determine reference information indicating a reference direction as a reference of direction and a reference magnitude as a reference of magnitude for the first type roll torque to act on the vehicle body;
control the force generator so that the direction of the first type roll torque is the same as the reference direction and a magnitude of an additional angular velocity increases with an increase in the reference magnitude when a vehicle velocity is constant and an angle of a turn of the one or more turn wheels is constant, the additional angular velocity being an additional angular velocity of the turn of the one or more turn wheels by applying of the turning torque; and
control the force generator so that the direction of the first type roll torque is the same as the reference direction and the magnitude of the additional angular velocity decreases with an increase in the vehicle velocity when the reference magnitude is constant and the angle of the turn of the one or more turn wheels is constant.

2. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein
a condition that each of the vehicle velocity, the reference direction, the reference magnitude, and a yaw angular velocity of the vehicle is maintained constant is referred to as first condition, and
the force controller causes the force generator to generate the turning torque having a magnitude which decreases with an increase in a difference between an angle of turn of the one or more turn wheels and an angle of turn indicative of straight forward traveling under the first condition.

3. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein
the reference information indicates a reference roll direction from a roll angle of the vehicle body to a reference roll angle, and an angle difference magnitude, the angle difference magnitude being a magnitude of difference between the roll angle of the vehicle body and the reference roll angle,
the reference roll direction indicates the reference direction, and
the angle difference magnitude indicates the reference magnitude.

4. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein
the reference information indicates a roll angular acceleration of the vehicle body,
a magnitude of the roll angular acceleration indicates the reference magnitude, and
a direction opposite to a direction of the roll angular acceleration indicates the reference direction.

5. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein
the force controller controls the force generator using the reference information, the vehicle velocity, and an angle of turn of the one or more turn wheels, and
a magnitude of the turning torque increases with an increase in the reference magnitude, decreases with an increase in the vehicle velocity, and decreases with an increase in a difference between the angle of the turn of the one or more turn wheels and an angle of turn indicative of straight forward traveling.

6. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein
the one or more front wheels include the one or more turn wheels,
the gravity center of the vehicle body is located away from and on front side of the rotation center, and
the direction of the turning torque is opposite to the reference direction.

7. The vehicle of claim 1 , wherein
the force controller is configured to control the force generator so that the direction of the first type roll torque is the same as the reference direction and the magnitude of the additional angular velocity decreases with an increase in a difference between the angle of the turn of the one or more turn wheels and an angle of turn indicative of straight forward traveling when the reference magnitude is constant and the vehicle velocity is constant.

Assignees

• Aisin Corp

Inventors

• Araki Keizo
• Mizuno Akira
• Kubo Shota

Classifications

• B62D6/003 Primary

  in order to control vehicle yaw movement, i.e. around a vertical axis (B62D6/007 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B62D9/02

  combined with means for inwardly inclining vehicle body on bends · CPC title

• B62D61/08

  with single front wheel · CPC title

• B62D6/00 Primary

  Arrangements for automatically controlling steering depending on driving conditions sensed and responded to, e.g. control circuits (means for initiating a change in direction B62D1/00; steering valves B62D5/06; combined with means for inclining the vehicle body or wheels on bends B62D9/00) · CPC title

• B62K5/10 Primary

  with means for inwardly inclining the vehicle body on bends · CPC title