JP2006044528A - Rear wheel steering device and motorcycle equipped with it - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a rear wheel steering device capable of realizing a stable turning travel motion while improving an operating property and a motorcycle equipped with it. <P>SOLUTION: A rear arm 52 is connected to a main body frame of a car body free to vertically oscillate. A drive shaft 51 is held on the rear arm 52 free to rotate, and the drive shaft 51 is connected to an axis of rotation 43 of a rear wheel through a constant velocity type adjustable joint 51j. A connecting part 45a of an axis supporting member 45 is mounted on a supporting part 52a through a rotating connecting shaft 53a. The axis of rotation 43 of the rear wheel is connected to a rear wheel hub 42. A rear wheel wheel 41 on which the rear wheel 4 is installed is connected to the rear wheel hub 42. An actuator 16 is provided on the rear arm 52. A knuckle arm 46 is integrally formed on an upper part of a cylindrical part 45c of the axis supporting member 45 so as to extend slantwise in the Z direction. The axis supporting member 45 and the rear wheel 4 oscillate around the rotating connecting shaft 53a as its center as the actuator 16 works. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a rear wheel steering device for steering a rear wheel of a motorcycle and a motorcycle including the same.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, front and rear wheel steering devices that steer rear wheels in accordance with steering of front wheels of a motorcycle have been developed (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  The front and rear wheel steering device includes, for example, a rear wheel steering device, a control unit, and a plurality of sensors. A rear wheel is attached to the rear wheel steering device so as to be swingable in a predetermined direction.

  Various information such as the vehicle speed, the steering angle of the steering wheel, the yawing and rolling of the vehicle body is detected by the plurality of sensors, and the operation of the rear wheel steering device is controlled by the control unit based on the detected various information. Thus, the rear wheels are steered so that the rear wheels swing about the vertical axis of the vehicle body.

In this way, by steering the rear wheels together with the front wheels, the movement of the center of gravity of the body in the turning direction when the rider turns is reduced, and the operability during turning is improved.
JP-A-5-246370

  In a motorcycle equipped with the above-described front and rear wheel steering devices, when the rider further opens the accelerator during turning, the torque transmitted to the rear wheels increases, the vehicle speed increases and the rear wheels are steered. In this case, since the driving force by the rear wheel acts in the tangential direction of the rear wheel, the driving force of the rear wheel acts in a direction different from the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body.

  Thus, when the driving force of the rear wheels acts in a direction different from the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body, yawing and rolling moments are generated.

  In general, when a motorcycle turns, the balance of gravity, centrifugal force, yawing moment and rolling moment is maintained by the rider moving the center of gravity in the turning direction and tilting the vehicle body. Thereby, the stable turning traveling is realized.

  However, if the driving force of the rear wheels increases during turning, and the driving force works in a direction different from the front-rear direction of the vehicle body, the rider will be newly subjected to gravity, centrifugal, according to newly generated yawing and rolling moments. The balance of force, yawing moment and rolling moment must be adjusted. As a result, there are cases where skill is required to perform stable turning.

  An object of the present invention is to provide a rear wheel steering device capable of realizing stable turning while improving operability and a motorcycle including the same.

  A rear wheel steering device according to a first aspect of the invention is a rear wheel steering device that steers a rear wheel of a motorcycle, a main body frame that rotatably and steerably holds a front wheel, a main body frame, and a rear wheel. And a rear wheel support mechanism that supports the wheel so as to be tiltable with respect to an axis parallel to the vertical direction of the main body frame, and a swing that swings the rear wheel so as to tilt with respect to an axis parallel to the vertical direction of the main body frame A moving device.

  In this rear wheel steering device, the front wheels are supported by the main body frame so as to be rotatable and steerable, and the rear wheels are supported by the rear wheel support mechanism so as to be rotatable and tiltable with respect to an axis parallel to the vertical direction of the main body frame. The Further, the rear wheel is swung by a rocking device so as to be inclined with respect to an axis parallel to the vertical direction of the main body frame.

  As described above, the rear wheels are inclined with respect to the axis parallel to the vertical direction of the main body frame, so that the rider moves the center of gravity in the turning direction and realizes a tilting operation of the vehicle body in order to achieve a stable turning. , Operability is improved.

  Further, since the tangential direction of the rear wheels is not different from the front-rear direction of the main body frame during turning, an increase in the yawing and rolling moment of the vehicle body during turning is suppressed, and stable turning is realized.

  Information detecting means for detecting information related to the behavior of the motorcycle and control means for controlling the operation of the swinging device based on the information detected by the information detecting means may be further provided.

  In this case, information on the behavior of the motorcycle is detected, and control is performed based on the detected information on the operation of the swing device. As a result, the inclination angle of the rear wheel with respect to the axis parallel to the vertical direction of the main body frame can be adjusted based on the information related to the behavior of the motorcycle. As a result, the rider's movement is further reduced, operability is further improved, and more stable turning is realized.

  The information detecting means includes speed detecting means for detecting the vehicle speed, turning angle detecting means for detecting the turning angle of the front wheel, yaw rate detecting means for detecting the yaw rate, roll rate detecting means for detecting the roll rate, and lateral acceleration of the vehicle body. At least one of the lateral acceleration detection means to detect may be included.

  In this case, the operation of the swinging device is controlled based on at least one of the vehicle speed, the front wheel turning angle, the yaw rate, the roll rate, and the lateral acceleration of the vehicle body.

  Accordingly, it is possible to adjust the inclination angle of the rear wheel with respect to the axis parallel to the vertical direction of the main body frame based on the detected information. As a result, the rider's movement is further reduced, operability is further improved, and more stable turning is realized.

  An inclination angle detecting means for detecting the inclination angle of the rear wheel may be further provided, and the control means may feedback control the operation of the swinging device based on the inclination angle detected by the inclination angle detecting means.

  In this case, the tilt angle of the rear wheel is detected, and the operation of the swing device is feedback controlled based on the detected tilt angle. As a result, the rider's movement is further reduced, the operability is further improved, and more stable turning is realized.

  A motorcycle according to a second invention includes a front wheel and a rear wheel, a main body frame that rotatably and steerably holds the front wheel, a main body frame, the rear wheel that is rotatable and parallel to the vertical direction of the main body frame. A rear wheel support mechanism that supports the shaft so as to be tiltable, a swing device that swings the rear wheel so as to tilt with respect to an axis parallel to the vertical direction of the main body frame, and a drive for rotating the rear wheel Drive means for generating force, and drive force transmission means for transmitting the drive force generated by the drive means to the rear wheels.

  In this motorcycle, the front wheels are supported by the main body frame so as to be rotatable and steerable, and the rear wheels are supported by the rear wheel support mechanism so as to be rotatable and tiltable with respect to an axis parallel to the vertical direction of the main body frame. The rear wheel is swung by a rocking device so as to be inclined with respect to an axis parallel to the vertical direction of the main body frame. Further, a driving force for rotating the rear wheel is generated by the driving means, and the generated driving force is transmitted to the rear wheel by the driving force transmitting means.

  As described above, the rear wheels are inclined with respect to the axis parallel to the vertical direction of the main body frame, so that the rider moves the center of gravity in the turning direction and realizes a tilting operation of the vehicle body in order to achieve a stable turning. , Operability is improved.

  Further, since the tangential direction of the rear wheels is not different from the front-rear direction of the main body frame during turning, an increase in the yawing and rolling moment of the vehicle body during turning is suppressed, and stable turning is realized.

  The driving force transmitting means may include a rotating member rotated by the driving means and a constant velocity universal joint that transmits the rotating force of the rotating member to the rear wheel.

  In this case, the rotating member is rotated by the driving means, and the rotational force of the rotating member is transmitted to the rear wheel by the constant velocity universal joint. Thereby, the driving force of the driving means is transmitted to the rear wheel via the rotating member and the constant velocity universal joint without being affected by the inclination angle of the rear wheel with respect to the axis parallel to the vertical direction of the main body frame.

  In the rear wheel steering device and the motorcycle including the same according to the present invention, the rear wheel is inclined with respect to an axis parallel to the vertical direction of the main body frame, so that the rider has a center of gravity in order to achieve stable turning. The movement of tilting the vehicle body while moving in the turning direction is reduced, and the operability is improved.

  Further, since the tangential direction of the rear wheels is not different from the front-rear direction of the main body frame during turning, an increase in the yawing and rolling moment of the vehicle body during turning is suppressed, and stable turning is realized.

  Hereinafter, a rear wheel steering apparatus and a motorcycle including the same according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described.

  FIG. 1 is an external side view of a motorcycle according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  In the motorcycle 100, the front wheel 1 is rotatably held by a front fork 2. The front fork 2 is provided at the front portion of the main body frame 6 so as to be swingable in the left-right direction. A handle 3 is attached to the upper end of the front fork 2.

  When the rider operates the handle 3, the front fork 2 swings in the left-right direction of the vehicle body. Thereby, the front wheel 1 is steered.

  An engine 7 is held at the center of the main body frame 6. A fuel tank 8 is provided at the top of the engine 7, and a front seat 9 a and a rear seat 9 b are provided behind the fuel tank 8.

  A rear arm 52 (see FIGS. 2 and 3) is connected to the main body frame 6 so as to extend rearward of the engine 7. The rear arm 52 holds the rear wheel 4 and the chain sprocket 54 rotatably.

  A vehicle speed sensor 11 is provided near the lower end portion of the front fork 2, and a cutting angle sensor 12 is provided near the upper end portion of the front fork 2. A bank angle sensor 13 is provided below the front seat 9a, and a yaw rate sensor 14a, a roll rate sensor 14b, and a lateral acceleration sensor 14c are provided below the rear seat 9b.

  A rear wheel inclination angle sensor 17 is provided on the rear wheel 4 side of the rear arm 5. Further, a control device 15 is provided below the front seat 9a, and an actuator 16 is provided on the rear wheel 4 side of the rear arm 5. Details of the plurality of sensors 11, 12, 13, 14a, 14b, 14c, and 17, the control device 15, and the actuator 16 will be described later.

  2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in the motorcycle 100 of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB of the motorcycle 100 shown in FIG. 2 and 3, the left-right direction of the vehicle body is defined as the X direction, the front-rear direction of the vehicle body is defined as the Y direction, and the vertical direction of the vehicle body is defined as the Z direction, as indicated by arrows.

  As shown in FIG. 2, one end of a rear arm 52 extending in the Y direction is connected to the main body frame 6 via a rotary connecting shaft 53c. Thereby, the rear arm 52 can swing up and down.

  The rear arm 52 has a wide portion 52 d formed wide in the X direction around the connection portion with the main body frame 6. A narrow portion 52c that is narrower than the wide portion 52d is formed so as to extend in the Y direction from a position biased in the X direction from the wide portion 52d.

  Two support portions 52a and 52b extend in parallel with each other in the X direction from the center and end portions of the narrow portion 52c.

  A drive shaft holding hole 52h extending in the X direction is formed in the narrow portion 52c between the support portions 52a and 52b. The drive shaft 51 is inserted into the drive shaft holding hole 52h. As a result, the drive shaft 51 is rotatably held by the rear arm 52. One end of the drive shaft 51 is connected to a constant velocity universal joint 51j.

  2 and 3, the constant velocity universal joint 51j is simply shown. However, the constant velocity universal joint 51j is formed so as to cover an inner race that holds one end of the drive shaft 51 and the inner race. The outer race, the inner race, and a plurality of balls and boots attached between the outer races.

  The constant velocity universal joint 51j is located between the support portions 52a and 52b and is connected to a rear wheel rotation shaft 43 described later. A chain sprocket 54 is connected to the other end of the drive shaft 51. A chain 55 is hung on the chain sprocket 54.

  Connection portions 45a and 45b of the axle support member 45 are attached to the front end portions of the support portions 52a and 52b via the rotation connection shafts 53a and 53b. Thus, the axle support member 45 can swing with respect to the support portions 52a and 52b of the rear arm 52 as shown by an arrow P in FIG. 3 about the rotation coupling shafts 53a and 53b.

  The connecting portions 45a and 45b of the axle support member 45 are each formed in an L shape on the XY plane and are provided so as to face each other. The axle support member 45 is formed with a cylindrical portion 45c extending in the X direction from the connecting portions 45a and 45b.

  A rear wheel rotating shaft 43 is rotatably held via a bearing 44 inside the cylindrical portion 45c. One end of the rear wheel rotating shaft 43 is connected to a constant velocity universal joint 51j. The other end of the rear wheel rotation shaft 43 is connected to the rear wheel hub 42. Note that one end of the rear wheel rotation shaft 43 may be integrally formed with the outer race of the constant velocity universal joint 51j.

  The rear wheel hub 42 has a substantially circular shape (not shown) in the ZY plane. A rear wheel 41 is connected to the rear wheel hub 42. A rear wheel 4, that is, a rear wheel tire is mounted on the outer periphery of the rear wheel 41.

  1 is transmitted to the chain sprocket 54 via the chain 55, and the chain sprocket 54 rotates. As the chain sprocket 54 rotates, the drive shaft 51 rotates as indicated by an arrow K in FIG. Thereby, the rear wheel rotating shaft 43 rotates, and the rear wheel hub 42, the rear wheel wheel 41, and the rear wheel 4 rotate.

  In the present embodiment, the drive shaft 51 and the rear wheel rotation shaft 43 are connected via the constant velocity universal joint 51j, so that the drive shaft 51 and the rear wheel rotation shaft 43 are misaligned. Even in this case, the rotational force of the constant velocity joint 51 is transmitted to the rear wheel rotation shaft 43.

  The actuator 16 is provided on the narrow portion 52 c of the rear arm 52. A knuckle arm 46 is integrally formed on the upper portion of the tubular portion 45c of the axle support member 45 so as to extend while being inclined with respect to the Z direction.

  The actuator 16 includes a servo motor, for example. In this example, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, the rotation shaft 161 of the servomotor protrudes from the substantially central portion of the actuator 16 in the Y direction.

  One end of a rotating arm 162 is connected to the rotating shaft 161. One end of a tie rod 164 is swingably connected to the other end of the rotating arm 162. The other end of the tie rod 164 is swingably connected to the upper end of the knuckle arm 46.

  When the actuator 16 operates, the rotating shaft 161 rotates. As a result, the other end of the rotating arm 162 swings in the direction of arrow Q about the rotating shaft 161. Accordingly, the upper end portion of the knuckle arm 46 moves in the X direction via the tie rod 164. As a result, as described above, the axle support member 45 swings as indicated by the arrow P around the rotation connecting shafts 53a and 53b.

  In this way, the actuator 16 operates to tilt the rear wheel 4 with respect to the Z direction in the XZ plane. In the following description, the inclination angle of the rear wheel 4 with respect to the Z direction is referred to as a rear wheel inclination angle θ.

  The actuator 16 is controlled by the control device 15. Below, the control system of the rear-wheel steering device of the motorcycle 100 according to the present embodiment will be described.

  FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an example of a control system of the rear wheel steering device of the motorcycle 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the rear wheel steering device 10 of the motorcycle 100 includes a vehicle speed sensor 11, a cut angle sensor 12, a bank angle sensor 13, a yaw rate sensor 14a, a roll rate sensor 14b, a lateral acceleration sensor 14c, a control device 15, An actuator 16 and a rear wheel tilt angle sensor 17 are provided.

  Here, electric power is supplied from the battery 20 to the rear wheel steering device 10. The vehicle speed sensor 11 detects the speed of the motorcycle 100 based on the rotational speed of the front wheel 1. The cutting angle sensor 12 detects the cutting angle of the handle 3. The bank angle sensor 13 detects an inclination angle (bank angle) in the lateral (left / right) direction of the vehicle body.

  The yaw rate sensor 14a detects the yaw rate of the vehicle body, that is, the angular velocity of the vehicle body in the yawing direction. The roll rate sensor 14b detects the roll rate of the vehicle body, that is, the angular velocity of the vehicle body in the rolling direction. The lateral acceleration sensor 14c detects lateral acceleration acting on the vehicle body during turning. The rear wheel tilt angle sensor 17 detects the rear wheel tilt angle θ.

  The control device 15 is constituted by, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and a storage device or a microcomputer. Detection values of the vehicle speed sensor 11, the turning angle sensor 12, the bank angle sensor 13, the yaw rate sensor 14a, the roll rate sensor 14b, and the lateral acceleration sensor 14c are input to the control device 15. The control device 15 controls the operation of the actuator 16 based on each input detection value.

  When the control device 15 controls the operation of the actuator 16, the rear wheel inclination angle θ of the rear wheel 4 is adjusted. The adjusted rear wheel inclination angle θ is detected by the rear wheel inclination angle sensor 17, and the detected rear wheel inclination angle θ is input to the control device 15. Thus, the actuator 16 is feedback controlled based on the rear wheel inclination angle θ.

  For example, the control device 15 controls the operation of the actuator 16 based on the operation of the rider's handle 3 and adjusts the rear wheel inclination angle θ of the rear wheel 4. In this case, the control device 15 controls the actuator 16 based on the turning angle of the handle 3 obtained by the turning angle sensor 12.

  5-7 is a figure which shows the example which the control apparatus 15 adjusts rear-wheel inclination | tilt angle (theta) based on rider's handle | steering-wheel 3 operation. In FIGS. 5 to 7, the motorcycle 100 is simply shown in order to briefly explain the operations of the handle 3 and the rear wheel 4. Here, with the rider's position at the center, the front of the motorcycle 100 is represented by the symbol F, the rear is represented by the symbol B, the left direction of the motorcycle 100 is represented by the symbol L, and the right direction is represented by the symbol R. In the following description, it is assumed that the motorcycle 100 is traveling at a constant speed.

  As shown in FIG. 5, when the rider wants to travel forward F, the rider holds the handle 3 so as not to be cut in the left direction L and the right direction R. Thereby, the tangential direction of the front wheel 1 coincides with the longitudinal axis of the motorcycle 100.

  In this case, the control device 15 controls the operation of the actuator 16 based on the detection value input from the turning angle sensor 12 so that the rear wheel inclination angle θ of the rear wheel 4 becomes 0 °. As a result, the tangential direction of the rear wheel 4 coincides with the longitudinal axis of the motorcycle 100 as with the front wheel 1.

  As shown in FIG. 6, the rider turns the handle 3 in the left direction L when he / she wants to turn left diagonally forward. Thereby, the tangential direction of the front wheel 1 coincides with the axis of the traveling direction of the motorcycle 100.

  In this case, the control device 15 controls the operation of the actuator 16 based on the detection value input from the cutting angle sensor 12 so that the upper part of the rear wheel 4 is directed obliquely upward to the left as indicated by the thick arrow S. The rear wheel inclination angle θ of the rear wheel 4 is adjusted. At this time, the tangential direction of the rear wheel 4 coincides with the longitudinal axis of the vehicle body of the motorcycle 100.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the rider turns the handle 3 in the right direction R when he / she wants to turn right and forward. Thereby, the tangential direction of the front wheel 1 coincides with the axis of the traveling direction of the motorcycle 100.

  In this case, the control device 15 controls the operation of the actuator 16 based on the detection value input from the cutting angle sensor 12 so that the upper part of the rear wheel 4 faces diagonally upward to the right as indicated by the thick arrow S. The rear wheel inclination angle θ of the rear wheel 4 is adjusted. At this time, the tangential direction of the rear wheel 4 coincides with the longitudinal axis of the vehicle body of the motorcycle 100.

  As shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, by adjusting the rear wheel inclination angle θ of the rear wheel 4, a reaction force is generated against the yawing and rolling moments that act when the vehicle is turning left diagonally forward. As a result, the rider's movement of moving the center of gravity of the body in the turning direction is reduced, and operability is improved.

  Further, since the tangential direction of the rear wheel 4 coincides with the longitudinal axis of the motorcycle 100, even when the rider further opens the accelerator, the driving force generated by the rear wheel 4 is reduced in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body. Does not work in the direction different from the axis. Thereby, generation | occurrence | production of the yawing and rolling moment is reduced and the stable turning driving | running | working is maintained.

  In the motorcycle 100 according to the present embodiment, the control device 15 may adjust the rear wheel inclination angle θ of the rear wheel 4 as follows.

  FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining another example of a method of adjusting the rear wheel inclination angle θ by the control device 15 of FIG.

  FIG. 8A is a diagram for explaining a method in which the control device 15 of FIG. 4 adjusts the rear wheel inclination angle θ of the rear wheel 4 based on the gravity, bank angle, and centrifugal force of the vehicle body during turning. It is. FIG. 8A shows the rear wheel 4 when the motorcycle 100 is viewed from the rear. The vehicle body is indicated by a white circle, and the center of gravity of the vehicle body is indicated by a point GC.

  In this case, the control device 15 adjusts the rear wheel inclination angle θ as follows.

  Based on the speed of the motorcycle 100 detected by the vehicle speed sensor 11 and the yaw rate detected by the yaw rate sensor 14a, the control device 15 calculates the centrifugal force a acting in the horizontal direction opposite to the turning direction.

  Here, the weight of the motorcycle 100 is stored in the control device 15 in advance. The control device 15 calculates the gravity G acting in the vertical direction based on the bank angle of the motorcycle 100 detected by the bank angle sensor 13.

  As shown in FIG. 8A, when the magnitude and direction of the centrifugal force a and the gravity G are represented by vectors, in order for the motorcycle 100 to turn stably, the resultant force of the centrifugal force a and the gravity G The vertical axis z of the vehicle body must be inclined in the direction indicated by the vector Ga.

  Therefore, the control device 15 controls the operation of the actuator 16 so that the axis z and the direction of the vector Ga coincide, that is, the angle α formed by the axis z and the vector Ga is 0 °, thereby controlling the rear wheel 4. The rear wheel inclination angle θ is adjusted. As a result, the bank angle of the motorcycle 100 is adjusted, and the angle α becomes 0 °, thereby maintaining stable turning. As a result, the rider's movement of moving the center of gravity of the body in the turning direction is reduced, and operability is improved.

  FIG. 8B illustrates a method in which the control device 15 of FIG. 4 adjusts the rear wheel inclination angle θ of the rear wheel 4 based on the gravity, bank angle, centrifugal force, and lateral acceleration of the vehicle body when turning. FIG. FIG. 8B shows a schematic plan view of the motorcycle 100 and the rear wheel 4 when the motorcycle 100 is viewed from the rear. The vehicle body is indicated by a white circle, and the center of gravity of the vehicle body is indicated by a point GC.

  In this case, the control device 15 adjusts the rear wheel inclination angle θ as follows.

  First, as described with reference to FIG. 8A, the control device 15 adjusts the rear wheel inclination angle θ of the rear wheel 4 based on the gravity, bank angle, and centrifugal force of the vehicle body.

  Subsequently, based on the speed v of the motorcycle 100 detected by the vehicle speed sensor 11 and the yaw rate ω detected by the yaw rate sensor 14a, the control device 15 performs a lateral acceleration (hereinafter, calculated) that acts in the horizontal direction opposite to the turning direction. Called lateral acceleration.) A1 is calculated. The calculated lateral acceleration a1 has the same magnitude as the centrifugal force a. FIG. 8B shows the speed v, yaw rate ω, and calculated lateral acceleration a1 of the motorcycle 100. FIG. 8B shows a lateral acceleration (hereinafter referred to as detected lateral acceleration) a2 detected by the lateral acceleration sensor 14c.

  The control device 15 calculates the gravity G acting in the vertical direction based on the bank angle of the motorcycle 100 detected by the bank angle sensor 13 as described above.

  The control device 15 compares the direction of the vector Ga1 indicating the resultant force of the calculated lateral acceleration a1 and the gravity G with the direction of the vector Ga2 indicating the resultant force of the detected lateral acceleration a2 and the gravity G. Therefore, the control device 15 further adjusts the rear wheel inclination angle θ of the rear wheel 4 based on the angle β formed by the vector Ga1 and the vector Ga2.

  As a result, the bank angle of the motorcycle 100 is more accurately adjusted in consideration of the yawing moment, and stable turning travel is maintained. As a result, the rider's movement of moving the center of gravity of the body in the turning direction is reduced, and operability is improved.

  In addition to the above, the control device 15 of the motorcycle 100 according to the present embodiment uses the rear wheel 4 by another method based on the detection values obtained from the plurality of sensors 11, 12, 13, 14 a, 14 b, 14 c, 17. The rear wheel inclination angle θ may be controlled.

  As described above, in the motorcycle 100 according to the present embodiment, the front wheel 1 corresponds to the front wheel, the rear wheel 4 corresponds to the rear wheel, the main body frame 6 corresponds to the main body frame, and the rear wheel steering device 10 performs the rear wheel steering. The rear arm 52, the bearing 44, the axle support member 45, the knuckle arm 46, and the tie rod 164 correspond to a rear wheel support mechanism, and the actuator 16 corresponds to a swing device.

  The speed of the motorcycle 100, the turning angle of the steering wheel 3, the lateral inclination angle of the vehicle body, the yaw rate of the vehicle body, the roll rate of the vehicle body, and the lateral acceleration acting on the vehicle body correspond to information on the behavior of the motorcycle. The sensor 11, the cut angle sensor 12, the bank angle sensor 13, the yaw rate sensor 14a, the roll rate sensor 14b, and the lateral acceleration sensor 14c correspond to information detection means, and the control device 15 corresponds to the control means.

  Further, the rear wheel inclination angle sensor 17 corresponds to an inclination angle detecting means, the rear wheel inclination angle θ corresponds to an inclination angle, the engine 7 corresponds to a driving means, the chain sprocket 54 corresponds to a rotating member, and a driving shaft. 51, the constant velocity universal joint 51j and the rear wheel rotating shaft 43 correspond to a constant velocity universal joint.

  The present invention can be effectively used as a steering device for a motorcycle.

1 is an external side view of a motorcycle according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line AA in the motorcycle of FIG. FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line BB in the motorcycle of FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of a control system of a rear wheel steering device for a motorcycle according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows the example which a control apparatus adjusts a rear-wheel inclination angle based on a rider's steering wheel operation. It is a figure which shows the example which a control apparatus adjusts a rear-wheel inclination angle based on a rider's steering wheel operation. It is a figure which shows the example which a control apparatus adjusts a rear-wheel inclination angle based on a rider's steering wheel operation. It is a figure for demonstrating another example about the adjustment method of the rear-wheel inclination angle by the control apparatus of FIG.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Front wheel 3 Handle 4 Rear wheel 6 Main body frame 7 Engine 10 Rear wheel steering device 11 Vehicle speed sensor 12 Cutting angle sensor 13 Bank angle sensor 14a Yaw rate sensor 14b Roll rate sensor 14c Lateral acceleration sensor 15 Control device 16 Actuator 17 Rear wheel inclination angle sensor 43 Rear wheel rotation shaft 44 Bearing 45 Axle support member 46 Knuckle arm 51 Drive shaft 52 Rear arm 54 Chain sprocket 100 Motorcycle 164 Tie rod 51j Constant velocity universal joint θ Rear wheel tilt angle

Claims (6)

A rear wheel steering device for steering a rear wheel of a motorcycle,
A main body frame that holds the front wheels rotatably and steerable;
A rear wheel support mechanism that is provided on the main body frame and supports the rear wheel so as to be rotatable and tiltable with respect to an axis parallel to the vertical direction of the main body frame;
A rear wheel steering device comprising: a swing device that swings the rear wheel so as to tilt with respect to an axis parallel to the vertical direction of the main body frame. Information detecting means for detecting information on the behavior of the motorcycle;
2. The rear wheel steering apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a control unit that controls an operation of the swing device based on information detected by the information detection unit. The information detecting means includes a speed detecting means for detecting a vehicle speed, a turning angle detecting means for detecting a turning angle of a front wheel, a yaw rate detecting means for detecting a yaw rate, a roll rate detecting means for detecting a roll rate, and a lateral acceleration of the vehicle body. The rear wheel steering apparatus according to claim 2, further comprising at least one of lateral acceleration detecting means for detecting A tilt angle detecting means for detecting a tilt angle of the rear wheel;
4. The rear wheel steering apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the control means feedback-controls the operation of the swing device based on an inclination angle detected by the inclination angle detection means. With front and rear wheels,
A main body frame that holds the front wheels rotatably and steerable;
A rear wheel support mechanism that is provided on the main body frame and supports the rear wheel so as to be rotatable and tiltable with respect to an axis parallel to the vertical direction of the main body frame;
A swinging device that swings the rear wheel so as to tilt with respect to an axis parallel to the vertical direction of the main body frame;
Driving means for generating a driving force for rotating the rear wheel;
A motorcycle comprising driving force transmitting means for transmitting the driving force generated by the driving means to the rear wheel. The driving force transmission means is
A rotating member rotated by the driving means;
The motorcycle according to claim 5, further comprising a constant velocity universal joint that transmits a rotational force of the rotating member to the rear wheel.

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