Control device, vehicle, estimation method, and storage medium

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12187089-B2
Application number	US-202217952581-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 26, 2022
Priority date	Sep 29, 2021
Publication date	Jan 7, 2025
Grant date	Jan 7, 2025

Abstract

The present invention provides a control device of a vehicle, comprising: a detector configured to detect acceleration in a front-and-rear direction generated in the vehicle; and an estimation unit configured to calculate a braking force of the entire vehicle and a pitch angle of the vehicle based on the acceleration detected by the detector, and estimate an amount of nose dive of the vehicle during braking of the vehicle based on the calculated braking force of the entire vehicle and the calculated pitch angle of the vehicle.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A control device of a vehicle, the control device comprising:
a detector configured to detect an acceleration generated in a front-and-rear direction of the vehicle; and
an estimation unit configured to estimate an amount of nose dive of the vehicle during braking of the vehicle by:
calculating a braking force of an entirety of the vehicle and a pitch angle of the vehicle based on the acceleration detected by the detector,
calculating a braking force of a front brake of the vehicle based on the calculated braking force of the entirety of the vehicle and the calculated pitch angle of the vehicle, and
calculating an estimated amount of nose dive of the vehicle based on the calculated braking force of the front brake and a caster angle of the vehicle,

wherein a suspension mechanism of the vehicle is controlled based on the estimated amount of nose dive calculated to control an attitude of the vehicle during the braking of the vehicle.

2. The control device according to claim 1 , wherein the estimation unit comprises:
a first calculation unit configured to calculate the braking force of the entirety of the vehicle based on the acceleration detected by the detector and a weight of the vehicle;
a second calculation unit configured to calculate the pitch angle of the vehicle based on the acceleration detected by the detector;
a third calculation unit configured to calculate the braking force of the front brake of the vehicle based on the braking force of the entirety of the vehicle calculated by the first calculation unit and the pitch angle of the vehicle calculated by the second calculation unit; and
a fourth calculation unit configured to calculate the estimated amount of nose dive of the vehicle based on the braking force of the front brake calculated by the third calculation unit and the caster angle of the vehicle.

3. The control device according to claim 1 , further comprising a controller configured to control the suspension mechanism of the vehicle based on the estimated amount of nose dive calculated to control the attitude of the vehicle during the braking of the vehicle.

4. The control device according to claim 3 , wherein the controller is configured to control the suspension mechanism of the vehicle by performing sky hook control based on the estimated amount of nose dive calculated by the estimation unit, so as to reduce a change in the attitude of the vehicle during the braking of the vehicle.

5. The control device according to claim 4 , wherein the suspension mechanism is a front suspension mechanism of the vehicle, and the controller is configured to perform the sky hook control by controlling the front suspension mechanism of the vehicle based on the estimated amount of nose dive calculated by the estimation unit, so as to reduce the change in the attitude of the vehicle during the braking of the vehicle.

6. The control device according to claim 1 , wherein the vehicle is a straddle type vehicle.

7. A vehicle comprising the control device according to claim 1 .

8. An estimation method for estimating an amount of nose dive of a vehicle during braking of the vehicle, the method comprising:
detecting an acceleration of the vehicle in a front-and-rear direction of the vehicle; and
estimating the amount of nose dive by:
calculating a braking force of an entirety of the vehicle and a pitch angle of the vehicle based on the detected acceleration,
calculating a braking force of a front brake of the vehicle based on the calculated braking force of the entirety of the vehicle and the calculated pitch angle of the vehicle, and
calculating an estimated amount of nose dive of the vehicle based on the calculated braking force of the front brake and a caster angle of the vehicle,

wherein a suspension mechanism of the vehicle is controlled based on the estimated amount of nose dive calculated to control an attitude of the vehicle during the braking of the vehicle.

9. A non-transitory storage medium storing a program for causing a computer to execute the estimation method according to claim 8 .

10. The control device according to claim 1 , wherein the estimation unit is configured to calculate the braking force of the front brake from the calculated braking force of the entirety of the vehicle and the calculated pitch angle of the vehicle, based on information indicating a correspondence between the acceleration of the vehicle in the front-and-rear direction, the pitch angle of the vehicle, and a braking force distribution of the front brake and a rear brake of the vehicle.

Assignees

• Honda Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Kawasaki Yohei
• Wada Yosuke
• Miyagishi Shunichi

Classifications

• B60G2300/12

  Cycles; Motorcycles · CPC title

• B60G2400/102

  vertical · CPC title

• B60G2400/106

  longitudinal with regard to vehicle, e.g. braking · CPC title

• B62K2025/044

  Suspensions with automatic adjustment · CPC title

• B62K25/04 Primary

  for mounting axles resiliently on cycle frame or fork (for sidecars, forecars or the like B62K27/06) · CPC title