Method for reducing the steering torque of a two-wheeler when negotiating curves

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9403575-B2
Application number	US-201314390732-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Feb 8, 2013
Priority date	Apr 4, 2012
Publication date	Aug 2, 2016
Grant date	Aug 2, 2016

Abstract

A method for reducing the steering torque of a two-wheeler when negotiating curves. For the case that the front wheel is braked while negotiating a curve, the damping in an adaptive steering stamper is increased as a function of at least one state variable characterizing the negotiation of a curve.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for reducing a steering torque of a two-wheeler when negotiating a curve, comprising:
detecting, using a sensor, a braking force applied to a front wheel; and
responding to the detected braking force by increasing a damping in an adaptive steering damper as a function of at least one state variable characterizing the negotiation of the curve.

2. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the state variable characterizing the negotiation of the curve is an inclination angle of the two-wheeler, the damping in the steering damper being increased with an increase in a size of the inclination angle.

3. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein the damping in the steering damper is increased with an increased braking torque on the front wheel.

4. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein at least one of a steering angle, the steering torque, a yaw rate, and a vehicle speed are considered as the state variable characterizing the negotiation of the curve.

5. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein a change of the damping in the steering damper is withdrawn after a lapse of a defined time span.

6. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein a change of the damping in the steering damper is only carried out when the state variable characterizing the negotiation of the curve exceeds a threshold value.

7. The method as recited in claim 1 , wherein a change of the damping in the steering damper is withdrawn when the state variable characterizing the negotiation of the curve falls below a threshold value.

8. A control unit comprising:
a processor coupled to a sensor arrangement, wherein the processor is configured to, based on output of the sensor arrangement, reduce a steering torque of a two-wheeler when negotiating a curve by:
detecting a braking force applied to a front wheel; and
responding to the detected braking force by increasing a damping in an adaptive steering damper as a function of at least one state variable characterizing the negotiation of the curve.

9. A two-wheeler comprising:
at least one sensor for ascertaining at least one state variable characterizing a negotiation of a curve and for ascertaining a braking torque acting on a front wheel of the two-wheeler;
an adaptive steering damper; and
a control unit that includes a processor coupled to the at least one sensor, wherein the processor is configured to, based on output of the at least one sensor, reduce a steering torque of a two-wheeler when negotiating a curve responding to the ascertained braking torque by increasing a damping in the adaptive steering damper as a function of at least one state variable characterizing the negotiation of the curve.

10. The two-wheeler as recited in claim 9 , further comprising a sensor for ascertaining an inclination angle.

11. The two-wheeler as recited in claim 9 , further comprising at least one sensor for ascertaining at least one of a steering angle, the steering torque, a yaw rate, and a vehicle speed.

12. The two-wheeler as recited in claim 9 , further comprising an anti-lock braking system.

13. The two-wheeler as recited in claim 9 , further comprising a steering torque actuator for actively setting the steering torque.

Assignees

• Haas Hardy
• Lemejda Markus
• Wahl Anja
• Bosch Gmbh Robert

Inventors

• Haas Hardy
• Lemejda Markus
• Wahl Anja

Classifications

• B62K21/00

  Steering devices · CPC title

• B62K21/08 Primary

  Steering dampers (dampers in general F16F) · CPC title