JP2016007979A - Vehicle rolling state notification device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a vehicle rolling state notification device capable of reliably prompting a driver to recognize information on a rollover risk of a vehicle derived from rolling of the vehicle.SOLUTION: In a vehicle rolling state notification device, a vehicle speed sensor 20 detects a vehicle speed V of a vehicle, and a camera 19 images a travel road ahead of the vehicle. A travel road curvature estimation unit 22 estimates a curvature ρ of the travel road on the basis of image information provided by the camera 19. Based on the vehicle speed V and the curvature ρ of the travel road, a rolling prediction unit 23 predicts a predictive roll angle φ, which is attained when the vehicle travels on the travel road of the curvature ρ at the vehicle speed V, on the basis of the vehicle speed V and the curvature ρ of the travel road. A cap support control unit 24 decides whether the predictive roll angle φ has exceeded a rollover risk criterial threshold φs. If the predictive roll angle φ exceeds the rollover risk criterial threshold φs, cap tiling control is performed so that a tile angle of a cab with respect to a chassis frame becomes φc.

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle roll state notification device.

  Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-256947 describes a vehicle rollover prevention device applied to a semi-tractor. In this device, a lateral G is calculated based on the vehicle wheel speed V and the turning radius R of the vehicle, and an expected roll angle after a predetermined time has elapsed with reference to a map in which an expected roll angle corresponding to the lateral G is set. θ ′ is calculated. Furthermore, a roll urgency level, which is a scale indicating the magnitude of the risk of vehicle rollover with respect to the expected roll angle θ ′, is determined, and the determined roll urgency level is a roll indicator that displays a roll state of the vehicle in a pictorial diagram; The driver is notified using an alarm device such as a buzzer.

JP 2002-256947 A

  However, the warning via the driver's vision such as the roll indicator of the device of Patent Document 1 may be difficult to be recognized by the driver who is driving the vehicle while watching the front of the vehicle. Further, a warning via the driver's hearing such as an alarm device may not be easily perceived by the driver in a noisy driving environment. As described above, in the warning via the driver's vision or hearing, information on the risk of rollover may not be reliably transmitted to the driver depending on the driving situation of the vehicle.

  Then, this invention aims at provision of the roll state alerting | reporting apparatus which can make a driver | operator recognize reliably the information about the rollover risk of the vehicle resulting from the roll of a vehicle.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is a vehicle roll state notification device provided in a vehicle having a cab disposed above a front portion of a vehicle body frame, comprising vehicle speed detection means, travel path curvature estimation means, A cab support means, a roll prediction means, and a cab inclination control means are provided. The vehicle speed detection means detects the vehicle speed of the vehicle. The traveling road curvature estimation means estimates the curvature of the traveling road ahead of the vehicle. The cab support means supports the cab with respect to the vehicle body frame such that the inclination of the roll direction of the cab relative to the vehicle body frame of the vehicle can be changed. The roll prediction means predicts the roll direction and roll angle of the vehicle based on the vehicle speed detected by the vehicle speed detection means and the curvature of the travel path estimated by the travel path curvature estimation means. The cab inclination control means determines whether the roll angle of the vehicle predicted by the roll prediction means exceeds a predetermined roll angle, and determines that the predicted roll angle exceeds a predetermined roll angle, the roll prediction means The cab tilting control for the cab support means is executed so that the cab is tilted in the predicted roll direction.

  When the vehicle travels on a curved road, centrifugal force acts on the vehicle, the vehicle body rolls in a direction opposite to the direction of the turning center of the vehicle, and if the response such as deceleration of the vehicle is delayed, there is a possibility that the vehicle rolls over. is there. On the other hand, in the above configuration, when there is a curved road ahead of the traveling vehicle, the traveling road curvature estimation means estimates the curvature of the curved road ahead of the vehicle, and the vehicle speed detected by the vehicle speed detection means and the traveling road curvature estimation. Based on the curvature of the curved road estimated by the means, the roll prediction means predicts the roll direction and roll angle of the vehicle. That is, the roll state of the vehicle when the vehicle enters the curved road while maintaining the vehicle speed detected by the vehicle speed detecting means is predicted. If the predicted roll angle exceeds a predetermined roll angle, the cab tilt control means executes cab tilt control for tilting the cab in the predicted roll direction with respect to the vehicle body frame.

  Thus, before the vehicle enters the curve road ahead of the vehicle, the roll state of the vehicle when traveling on the curve road is predicted, and when the predicted roll angle exceeds a predetermined roll angle, it is predicted. The driver is informed of the roll state of the vehicle by tilting the cab with respect to the vehicle body frame. In other words, the driver is informed of the roll state of the vehicle that is likely to occur when the vehicle enters the curved road before the vehicle enters the curved road. The driving operation can be executed, and the risk of the vehicle rollover can be avoided in advance.

  Further, since the driver is notified of the predicted roll state of the vehicle by the inclination of the cab, the driver can experience the predicted roll state of the vehicle by the inclination of the cab and may occur. It is possible to accurately recognize the roll state of a high vehicle and accurately determine the risk of rollover caused by the roll of the vehicle.

  The cab tilt control is executed only when it is determined that the predicted roll angle exceeds a predetermined roll angle. Therefore, by setting a roll angle that needs to be alerted to the driver as a predetermined roll angle, for example, when the polarity of the travel path ahead of the vehicle is relatively small, or when the vehicle is traveling at a low speed In this way, it is possible to prevent the driver from feeling uncomfortable by executing the cab tilting control even when the risk of vehicle rollover is low and the need for alerting the driver is low. Can do.

  The vehicle may be a connected vehicle that is towed by a trailer connected to a tractor having a cab.

  In the said structure, it is not necessary to provide a new apparatus etc. in the trailer side by providing the roll state alerting | reporting apparatus of a vehicle in the tractor side of a connection vehicle. For this reason, what is necessary is just to connect the existing trailer to a tractor, and the rolling state alert | report of a connected vehicle can be performed easily.

  The vehicle roll state notification device may include an imaging unit. The imaging means images the traveling road ahead of the vehicle and outputs the image information, and the traveling road curvature estimation means estimates the curvature of the traveling road ahead of the vehicle based on the image information output by the imaging means.

  In the above configuration, since the traveling path curvature estimation means estimates the curvature of the traveling road based on the image information of the traveling road ahead of the vehicle output by the imaging means, for example, a vehicle position sensor such as a GPS mounted on the vehicle and a map Compared to the case where the curvature of the traveling road is estimated based on the data, the curvature of the traveling road ahead of the vehicle can be estimated with a simple configuration.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, it becomes possible to make a driver | operator recognize reliably the information about the rollover risk of the vehicle resulting from the roll of a vehicle.

It is a side view which shows typically the connection vehicle by which the trailer was connected with the tractor. It is a rear view of the tractor of FIG. It is a block diagram for demonstrating cab support control. It is the external appearance perspective view which looked at the coupler from back upper direction. It is the external appearance perspective view which looked at the coupler from the front. FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view of FIG. 4. It is a block diagram which shows the structure of a roll state alerting | reporting apparatus. It is a map which shows the relationship between an estimated roll angle and a cab inclination angle. It is a flowchart which shows a cab support control process.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the figure, FR indicates the front of the vehicle, and UP in the figure indicates the upper side of the vehicle. Further, in the following description, the front-rear direction means the front-rear direction of the vehicle, and the left-right direction means the left-right direction in a state facing the front of the vehicle.

  As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, the vehicle 1 of the present embodiment is a coupled vehicle including a tractor 2 and a trailer 3 pulled by the tractor 2, and the vehicle width direction center of the front lower surface of the trailer 3. A king pin 30 protrudes downward from this portion, and a biaxial coupler 4 is provided at the center of the rear upper surface of the tractor 2 in the vehicle width direction. The trailer 3 is coupled to the tractor 2 by releasably coupling the king pin 30 to the coupler 4. The tractor 2 includes a chassis frame (vehicle body frame) 5, a cab 8, a cab suspension (cab support means) 10, a chassis suspension 16, and an ECU (Electronic Central Unit) 21.

  The chassis frame 5 has a pair of left and right side frames 6 (6L, 6R) extending substantially in parallel in the vehicle front-rear direction, and a plurality of linear shapes that are arranged at predetermined intervals in the vehicle front-rear direction and extend in the vehicle width direction. The cross frame 7 is included. Each cross frame 7 is substantially orthogonal to the side frame 6, and both ends of the cross frame 7 are coupled to the side frame 6.

  The cab 8 has a cab bottom frame 9 that forms the bottom of the cab 8 and is disposed above the front portion of the chassis frame 5.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the cab suspension 10 is composed of a pair of left and right cab suspensions 10FL and 10FR on the front side and a pair of cab suspensions 10BL and 10BR on the rear side, and rolls the cab 8 with respect to the chassis frame 5. The cab 8 is supported with respect to the chassis frame 5 so that the inclination of the direction can be changed. The front cab suspensions 10FL and 10FR are provided between the left and right corners of the front of the cab bottom frame 9 and the side frame 6, and the rear cab suspensions 10BL and 10BR are provided on the left and right sides of the cab bottom frame 9, respectively. Provided between the corners and the side frames 6.

  The cab suspension 10 is configured by an air spring, and compressed air is supplied from the air tank 14 to the cab suspensions 10FL, 10FR, 10BL, and 10BR via the air supply solenoid valves 12 (12FL, 12FR, 12BL, and 12BR), respectively. Supplied. The compressed air supplied to the respective cab suspensions 10FL, 10FR, 10BL, 10BR is exhausted via the exhaust solenoid valves 13 (13FL, 13FR, 13BL, 13BR).

  The input port of the air supply solenoid valve 12 communicates with the air tank 14 via the air pipe 15, and the output port of the air supply solenoid valve 12 communicates with the cab suspension 10 via the air pipe 15. Further, the input port of the exhaust solenoid valve 13 communicates with the cab suspension 10 via the air pipe 15, and the output port of the exhaust solenoid valve 13 is open to the atmosphere. The supply solenoid valve 12 and the exhaust solenoid valve 13 are both two-way normally closed solenoid valves. When the solenoid valve is in a non-excited state, any one of the supply solenoid valve 12 and the exhaust solenoid valve 13 is electromagnetic. Also in the valve, the input port and the output port are not in communication. That is, the supply and exhaust of compressed air to the cab suspension 10 are both shut off. When the air supply solenoid valve 12 is energized, the input port and the output port of the air supply solenoid valve 12 are in communication with each other, and compressed air is supplied from the air tank 14 to the cab suspension 10 for the time during which each solenoid valve is excited. The air pressure of the cab suspension 10 increases in accordance with the excitation time, and the vertical distance of the cab 8 relative to the chassis frame 5 increases. When the exhaust solenoid valve 13 is energized, the input port and the output port of the exhaust solenoid valve 13 are in communication with each other, and the compressed air in the cab suspension 10 is exhausted to the atmosphere only for the time during which each solenoid valve is energized. The air pressure of the cab suspension 10 decreases according to the excitation time, and the vertical distance of the cab 8 relative to the chassis frame 5 decreases. For this reason, for example, the supply solenoid valve 12 and the exhaust solenoid valve 13 are controlled so that compressed air is supplied to the cab suspension 10 on either one of the left and right sides and the compressed air is discharged from the cab suspension 10 on the other side. Thus, the inclination of the cab 8 in the roll direction with respect to the chassis frame 5 can be changed.

  Displacement sensors 11FL, 11FR, 11BL, and 11BR are provided at the bottom of the cab bottom frame 9 near the cab suspensions 10FL, 10FR, 10BL, and 10BR, and the vertical distance between the cab bottom frame 9 and the side frame 6 is provided. Are detected, and the detection results are output to the ECU 21, respectively.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the chassis suspension 16 is composed of a pair of left and right chassis suspensions 16L and 16R. The chassis suspensions 16L and 16R are provided between the axle 17 of the rear wheel 18 of the tractor 2 and the left and right side frames 6L and 6R, respectively, and support the chassis frame 5 with respect to the axle 17.

  The chassis suspension 16 is constituted by an air spring. When the load acting on the chassis suspension 16 from the side frame 6 increases, the chassis suspension 16 is compressed and the air pressure in the chassis suspension 16 increases, and the magnitude of the load increases. Accordingly, the height in the vertical direction of the side frame 6 with respect to the axle 17 decreases. When the load acting on the chassis suspension 16 from the side frame 6 decreases, the chassis suspension 16 extends in the vertical direction due to the air pressure in the chassis suspension 16, and the vertical direction of the side frame 6 with respect to the axle 17 according to the magnitude of the load. Increases in height. Note that the chassis suspension that supports the chassis frame 5 with respect to the axle 17 is not limited to the one configured by the air spring of the present embodiment, and may be configured by a leaf spring, for example.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, the coupler 4 includes a lower mount member 31 supported by the side frame 6 and an upper movable member 32 to which the trailer 3 (see FIG. 1) is detachably connected. Prepare.

  The mount member 31 includes a mounting plate 33, a pair of left and right brackets 34, and a beam shaft 35. Coupler mounts 36L and 36R are fixed to the left and right side frames 6L and 6R, respectively, and the mounting plate 33 is placed and fixed on the coupler mounts 36L and 36R in a state of striding over the left and right side frames 6L and 6R. The The left and right brackets 34 are arranged opposite to each other above the left and right side frames 6L and 6R, and are placed on and fixed to the mounting plate 33. Both left and right ends of the beam shaft 35 are rotatably supported by the left and right brackets 34 via bearings (not shown), and the rotation shaft of the beam shaft 35 extends in the vehicle width direction.

  The movable member 32 includes a coupler base 37, a rolling shaft 38, and a coupling mechanism 39. The coupling mechanism 39 includes a pair of left and right jaws 40, a yoke (not shown), a lock guard 41, a cam plate (not shown), and the like, and is disposed on the lower surface side of the coupler base 37.

  The rolling shaft 38 is rotatably supported by the beam shaft 35 via a bearing (not shown) in a state where it passes through the approximate center of the beam shaft 35 in the vehicle width direction in the front-rear direction. Extends in the front-rear direction. The coupler base 37 is fixed to the front end portion and the rear end portion of the beam shaft 35 protruding forward and backward from the rolling shaft 38 and tilts integrally with the rolling shaft 38. Thereby, the movable member 32 is supported by the mount member 31 so as to be tiltable about the rotation axis of the rolling shaft 38. Between the left and right lower surfaces of the coupler base 37 and the upper surface of the beam shaft 35, a coil spring 41 (only the left side is shown in FIG. 5) for stabilizing the tilting position of the coupler base 37 around the rotation axis of the rolling shaft 38. ) Is inserted in a compressed state.

  A notch-shaped pin entry groove 42 that opens to the rear is formed substantially at the center of the coupler base 37 in the vehicle width direction, and left and right jaws 40 are disposed on the left and right of the front end portion of the pin entry groove 42. The front ends of the left and right jaws 40 are rotatably supported by the coupler base 37 so that the rear opens and closes left and right. The yoke has a U-shape surrounding the left and right jaws 40 from the outside and is supported by the coupler base 37 so as to be slidable in the front-rear direction while being urged rearward by a spring (not shown). . The outer surfaces of the left and right jaws 40 are in sliding contact with the left and right inner surfaces of the yoke that moves back and forth. When the left and right jaws 40 are in sliding contact with the yoke, the left and right jaws 40 rotate in the opening direction as the yoke moves forward, and the yoke retracts as the left and right jaws 40 rotate in the closing direction. An operation handle 43 is connected to the yoke via a cam plate. When the operator pulls the operation handle 43 against the biasing force of the spring, the cam plate rotates and the yoke moves forward, The rear opens. The lock guard 41 is disposed behind the jaw 40, and its rear end is rotatably supported by the coupler base 37 so as to tilt in the vertical direction. The lock guard 41 is biased upward by a spring (not shown), enters between the rear ends of the left and right jaws 40 with the rear sides of the left and right jaws 40 open, and rotates the jaws 40 in the closing direction. To prevent.

  When connecting the trailer 3 to the tractor 2, the operation handle 43 is pulled to open the rear of the jaw 40, the tractor 2 is retracted from the front of the trailer 3 to be stopped, and between the pin entry groove 42 and the left and right jaws 40. The kingpin 30 is entered from behind. When the lock guard 41 is pushed down to the lower side of the jaw 40 by the lower end of the entering king pin 30 and the tractor 2 is further retracted, the left and right jaws 40 are rotated in the closing direction by receiving the pressure by the king pin 30 and the jaw 40 The yoke is retracted by the sliding contact and the biasing force of the spring, the jaw 40 is sandwiched between the left and right by the yoke in the closed position, and the king pin 30 is rotatably sandwiched by the left and right jaws 40. The retracted yoke is prevented from advancing by the cam plate, whereby the connected state between the king pin 30 and the connecting mechanism 39 (jaw 40) is maintained.

  When the king pin 30 is connected to the connecting mechanism 39, the king pin 30 rotates, thereby allowing the trailer 3 to rotate relative to the tractor 2 in the yaw direction, and the beam shaft 35 rotates relative to the mounting plate 33. The relative rotation of the trailer 3 in the pitch direction with respect to the tractor 2 is allowed. Further, when the rolling shaft 38 (coupler base 37) rotates with respect to the beam shaft 35, rotation of the trailer 3 in the roll direction relative to the tractor 2 is allowed. That is, the coupler base 37 (movable member 32) tilts left and right with respect to the beam shaft 35 (mounting member 31) from the neutral position where it is not tilted left and right, so that the relative rotation in the roll direction of the trailer 3 with respect to the tractor 2 occurs. Permissible.

  As shown in FIG. 7, the tractor 2 is provided with a camera 19 and a vehicle speed sensor 20. The camera 19 is fixed toward the front of the tractor 2 at the center front in the vehicle width direction inside the front window of the cab 8. The camera 19 is a CCD camera or the like, which captures an image of a traveling road ahead of the vehicle 1 and outputs the captured image information to the ECU 21. The vehicle speed sensor 20 detects the vehicle speed V (m / s) of the vehicle 1 and outputs the detected vehicle speed V to the ECU 21.

  The ECU 21 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), and a RAM (Random Access Memory). The CPU reads the cab support control processing program stored in the ROM and executes the cab support control process, thereby, as shown in FIG. 7, the traveling path curvature estimation unit 22, the roll prediction unit 23, and the cab support control unit. 24 functions. The RAM functions as a temporary storage area for image information output from the camera 19, detection values detected by the displacement sensor 11 and the vehicle speed sensor 20, and CPU calculation results. The RAM also functions as various setting values, a map setting area, and the like.

  The travel path curvature estimation unit 22 estimates the curvature ρ (1 / m) of the travel path ahead of the vehicle 1 based on the image information of the travel path output from the camera 19, and outputs the estimation result to the roll prediction unit 23. Specifically, an edge is extracted from the image information output by the camera 19 using a Sobel filter or the like, a straight line component is extracted using a Hough transform or the like, a white line indicating a lane is recognized, and the shape of the traveling road is determined. To detect. In order to estimate the curvature of the traveling road from the shape of the traveling road, a known method (for example, a method described in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2013-039881 in which a Kalman filter is applied to the estimation of the road curvature) is used. That is, the traveling road curvature estimation unit 22 functions as traveling road curvature estimation means.

Based on the vehicle speed V of the vehicle 1 detected by the vehicle speed sensor 20 and the curvature ρ of the travel path ahead of the vehicle 1 estimated by the travel path curvature estimation unit 22, the roll prediction unit 23 moves the vehicle 1 forward at the vehicle speed V. The roll direction and roll angle φ (deg) of the vehicle 1 when entering the travel path are predicted, and the prediction result is output to the cab support control unit 24. Specifically, the lateral acceleration G (m / s ² ) that acts on the vehicle 1 when the vehicle 1 turns on a traveling path having a curvature ρ at a vehicle speed V is calculated from a known relationship of G = ρ · V ^2. To do. Further, the roll direction and roll angle φ of the vehicle 1 when G is applied to the vehicle 1 after lateral acceleration are obtained by a known method (for example, the lateral acceleration of the vehicle, the vehicle weight, the distance between the vehicle center of gravity and the roll center, Prediction is performed using a method described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2009-214592 that calculates a roll angle of a vehicle based on roll rigidity. That is, the roll prediction unit 23 functions as a roll prediction unit. The weight (kg) of the vehicle 1 necessary for the prediction, the distance (m) between the vehicle center of gravity and the roll center, and the roll rigidity (deg / N · m) are set in advance in the setting area of the ECU 21.

  The cab support control unit 24 calculates an inclination angle (cab inclination angle) φc of the cab 8 with respect to the chassis frame 5 of the tractor 2 based on the predicted roll angle φ output by the roll prediction unit 23, The exhaust solenoid valve 13 is controlled so that the inclination of the cab 8 with respect to the chassis frame 5 becomes the cab inclination angle φc. For the calculation of the cab inclination angle φc, for example, a map in which the relationship between the predicted roll angle φ and the cab inclination angle φc as shown in FIG. 8 is set is referred to. In the map, a rollover risk determination threshold ± φs (predetermined roll angle) with a high rollover risk of the vehicle 1 is set, and the absolute value of the predicted roll angle φ is within the absolute value of the rollover risk determination threshold φs When the cab inclination angle φc does not occur and the absolute value of the predicted roll angle φ exceeds the rollover risk determination threshold value φs, the cab inclination angle φc is the same as the predicted roll angle φ according to the increase or decrease of the predicted roll angle φ. The relationship between the predicted roll angle φ and the cab inclination angle φc is set so as to increase or decrease in the roll direction.

  The map is set in advance in the setting area of the ECU 21. Further, the relationship of the cab inclination angle φc with respect to the predicted roll angle φ is not limited to the proportional relationship as shown in the map of FIG. 8. For example, the increase in the absolute value of the cab inclination angle φc with respect to the increase in the predicted roll angle φ absolute value. An upper limit may be set for.

  When the predicted roll angle φ is within the rollover risk determination threshold value ± φs, the cab support control unit 24 performs cab normal control for maintaining the inclination angle of the cab 8 with respect to the chassis frame 5 to be zero. Further, when the predicted roll angle φ exceeds the rollover risk determination threshold ± φs, cab tilt control is performed to tilt the cab 8 with respect to the chassis frame 5 so that the cab tilt angle becomes φc. That is, the cab support control unit 24 functions as a cab inclination control unit.

  Next, cab normal control and cab tilt control executed by the cab support control unit 24 will be described.

  Here, the inclination angles φcf and φcb of the front portion and the rear portion of the cab 8 are approximately expressed by the equations (1) and (2), respectively.

φcf≈ (Hcfl−Hcfr) / Lcf (1)
φcb≈ (Hcbl−Hcbr) / Lcb (2)
However,
Hcfl: vertical distance between the front left side of the cab bottom frame 9 and the left side frame 6L Hcfr: vertical distance between the front right side of the cab bottom frame 9 and the right side frame 6R Lcf: displacement sensor Distance in the vehicle width direction between 11FL and the displacement sensor 11FR Hcbl: Vertical distance between the rear left side of the cab bottom frame 9 and the left side frame 6L Hcbr: Right rear side of the cab bottom frame 9 and the right side frame 6R Lcb: distance in the vehicle width direction between the displacement sensor 11BL and the displacement sensor 11BR, and when the cab 8 is tilted to the right, the inclination angles of the front and rear of the cab 8 The signs of φcf and φcb are both positive, and when the cab 8 is tilted leftward, the signs of the tilt angles φcf and φcb are both negative.

  In the normal cab control, the displacement of the cab 8 in the roll direction with respect to the chassis frame 5 is zero (Hcfl and Hcfr are each a predetermined distance hcf0 and Hcbl and Hcbr are each a predetermined distance hcb0). Feedback control is executed according to the detection value of the sensor 11.

  Specifically, for example, when Hcfl increases from hcf0, the exhaust solenoid valve 13FL is excited for a predetermined time to decrease the air pressure of the cab suspension 10FL to decrease Hcfl, and when Hcfl decreases from hcf0. Then, the air supply solenoid valve 12FL is excited for a predetermined time to increase the air pressure of the cab suspension 10FL to increase Hcfl, and control Hcfl to be a predetermined distance hcf0. Similarly, Hcfr, Hcbl, and Hcbr are controlled to have a predetermined distance hcf0 and a predetermined distance hcb0, respectively.

  In the cab tilt control, feedback control is executed according to the detection value of the displacement sensor 11 so that the tilt of the cab 8 in the roll direction with respect to the chassis frame 5 becomes the cab tilt angle φc.

  Specifically, when the calculated cab inclination angle φc occurs in the plus direction (first quadrant in FIG. 8), the ECU 21 excites the air supply solenoid valve 12FL for a predetermined time to increase the air pressure of the cab suspension 10FL. Thus, Hcfl is increased from hcf0, the exhaust solenoid valve 13FR is excited for a predetermined time to lower the air pressure of the cab suspension 10FR, and Hcfr is decreased from hcf0, whereby the inclination angle φcf of the front portion of the cab 8 is reduced. The cab inclination angle φc is controlled. At the same time, the air supply solenoid valve 12BL is excited for a predetermined time to increase the air pressure of the cab suspension 10BL to increase Hcbl above hcb0, and the exhaust electromagnetic valve 13BR is excited for a predetermined time to decrease the air pressure of the cab suspension 10BR. Thus, by controlling Hcbr to be smaller than hcb0, the inclination angle φcb of the rear portion of the cab 8 is controlled to be the cab inclination angle φc.

  On the other hand, when the calculated cab inclination angle φc occurs in the minus direction (the third quadrant in FIG. 8), the ECU 21 excites the exhaust electromagnetic valve 13FL for a predetermined time to lower the air pressure of the cab suspension 10FL to reduce the Hcfl. Is reduced from hcf0, and the air supply solenoid valve 12FR is excited for a predetermined time to increase the air pressure of the cab suspension 10FR to increase Hcfr above hcf0, whereby the inclination angle φcf of the front portion of the cab 8 becomes the cab inclination. Control is performed so that the angle φc is obtained. At the same time, the exhaust solenoid valve 13BL is excited for a predetermined time to lower the air pressure of the cab suspension 10BL to reduce Hcbl from hcb0, and the air supply solenoid valve 12BR is excited for a predetermined time to increase the air pressure of the cab suspension 10BR. Thus, by increasing Hcbr beyond hcb0, control is performed so that the inclination angle φcb of the rear portion of the cab 8 also becomes the cab inclination angle φc.

  In the cab tilt control of this embodiment, the vertical distance between the cab bottom frame 9 on one of the left and right sides of the cab 8 and the side frame 6 is increased, and the cab bottom frame 9 and the side frame 6 on the other side are increased. Although the cab tilt control is not limited to this, for example, the cab bottom frame 9 on either one of the left and right sides and the side frame 6 is held at a predetermined distance. The inclination of the cab 8 may be controlled by changing the distance between the cab bottom frame 9 and the side frame 6 by controlling the air pressure of the front and rear cab suspensions 10 on the other side. In this case, the support of the cab 8 on one side is not limited to the air spring, and may be supported by, for example, a coil spring.

  Next, the cab support control process executed by the ECU 21 will be described based on the flowchart shown in FIG. This process is started when the vehicle 1 is started (for example, when the engine is turned on) and is repeatedly executed every predetermined time.

  When this process is started, the ECU 21 acquires image information of the traveling road ahead of the vehicle 1 imaged by the camera 19 (step S1), and estimates the curvature ρ of the traveling road based on the acquired image information ( Step S2). Next, the ECU 21 acquires the vehicle speed V (step S3), and predicts the roll direction and the roll angle φ of the vehicle 1 based on the travel path curvature ρ and the vehicle speed V (step S4). Next, it is determined whether or not the predicted roll angle φ exceeds the rollover risk determination threshold value φs (step S5). When the predicted roll angle φ exceeds the rollover risk determination threshold φs, the process proceeds to step S6. In step S6, the cab inclination angle φc corresponding to the predicted roll angle φ is calculated with reference to the map, and the process proceeds to step 7. In step 7, the cab tilt control is executed so that the inclination angle of the cab 8 with respect to the chassis frame 5 becomes φc, and the process is terminated.

  When it is determined in step S5 that the predicted roll angle φ is equal to or less than the rollover risk determination threshold φs, the process proceeds to step S8, and the cab normal control is executed so that the inclination angle of the cab 8 with respect to the chassis frame 5 becomes zero. To finish the process.

  In general, when a vehicle travels on a curved road, centrifugal force acts on the vehicle, the vehicle body rolls in a direction opposite to the direction of the turning center of the vehicle, and there is a risk of vehicle rollover if a response such as deceleration of the vehicle is delayed There is sex. On the other hand, in this embodiment, when there is a curved road ahead of the traveling vehicle 1, the traveling road curvature estimation unit 22 estimates the curvature ρ of the curved road, and the roll prediction unit 23 uses the vehicle speed V and the curved road. Based on the curvature ρ, the roll state (roll direction and roll angle φ) of the vehicle 1 when the vehicle 1 enters the curved road while maintaining the vehicle speed V is predicted. When the predicted roll angle φ is within the rollover risk determination threshold φs, the cab normal control is executed so that the inclination angle of the cab 8 with respect to the chassis frame 5 becomes zero, and the predicted roll angle φ exceeds the rollover risk determination threshold φs. If so, the cab tilt control is executed so that the tilt angle of the cab 8 with respect to the chassis frame 5 becomes φc.

  Thus, before the vehicle 1 enters the curved road ahead of the vehicle 1, the roll state of the vehicle 1 when traveling on the curved road is predicted, and the predicted roll angle φ exceeds the rollover risk determination threshold φs. The predicted roll state is notified to the driver by tilting the cab 8 with respect to the chassis frame 5. That is, the driver is informed of the roll state of the vehicle 1 that is likely to occur when the vehicle 1 enters the curved road before the vehicle 1 enters the curved road. A driving operation such as deceleration can be executed, and the risk of rollover of the vehicle 1 can be avoided in advance.

  Further, since the driver is notified of the predicted roll state of the vehicle by the inclination of the cab, the driver can experience the predicted roll state of the vehicle by the inclination of the cab and may occur. It is possible to accurately recognize the roll state of the high vehicle 1 and accurately determine the risk of rollover caused by the roll of the vehicle 1.

  The cab tilt control is executed only when it is determined that the predicted roll angle φ exceeds the rollover risk determination threshold value φs. Therefore, for example, when the rate ρ of the traveling road ahead of the vehicle 1 is relatively small, or when the vehicle 1 is traveling at a low speed, there is a low risk of rollover of the vehicle 1 and there is a need to alert the driver. In spite of the low case, it is possible to prevent the driver from feeling uncomfortable by executing the cab tilt control.

  Further, the roll state notification device of the present embodiment is provided on the tractor 2 side of the vehicle 1, and it is not necessary to provide any new device or the like on the trailer 3 side. For this reason, it is only necessary to connect an existing trailer to the tractor 2, and the roll state notification of the connected vehicle can be easily executed.

  Further, since the curvature ρ of the traveling road is estimated based on the image information of the traveling road ahead of the vehicle 1 output from the camera 19, for example, the vehicle is mounted with a position sensor such as GPS and map data. The curvature of the traveling road ahead of the vehicle 1 can be estimated with a simple configuration compared to the case of estimating the curvature of the vehicle.

  The vehicle 1 is not limited to the coupled vehicle of the present embodiment in which the trailer 3 is coupled to the tractor 2, and may be, for example, a freight vehicle in which a box-type cargo bed is provided behind the cab 8.

  In addition, the estimation of the curvature ρ of the traveling road ahead of the vehicle 1 is not limited to the present embodiment in which the estimation is based on the image information of the camera 19 mounted on the vehicle 1. Map information may be mounted, and the curvature of the traveling road may be estimated based on the map information or the like.

  As mentioned above, although the embodiment to which the invention made by the present inventor is applied has been described, the present invention is not limited by the discussion and the drawings that form part of the disclosure of the present invention according to this embodiment. That is, it is needless to say that other embodiments, examples, operation techniques, and the like made by those skilled in the art based on this embodiment are all included in the scope of the present invention.

  The present invention can be applied to various tractors as a trailer roll state notification device for a connected vehicle.

1 Vehicle 5 Chassis frame (body frame)
6 Side frame (body frame)
8 Cab 10 Cab suspension (cab support means)
12, 13 Solenoid valve 19 Camera (imaging means)
20 Vehicle speed sensor (vehicle speed detection means)
21 ECU
22 Traveling path curvature estimation unit (traveling path curvature estimation means)
23 Roll prediction part (roll prediction means)
24 Cab support controller (cab tilt control means)

Claims (3)

A vehicle roll state notification device provided in a vehicle having a cab disposed above a front part of a body frame,
Vehicle speed detecting means for detecting the vehicle speed of the vehicle;
Traveling road curvature estimation means for estimating the curvature of the traveling road ahead of the vehicle;
Cab support means for supporting the cab with respect to the vehicle body frame so that the inclination of the roll direction of the cab relative to the vehicle body frame of the vehicle can be changed;
Roll prediction means for predicting the roll direction and roll angle of the vehicle based on the vehicle speed detected by the vehicle speed detection means and the curvature of the travel path estimated by the travel path curvature estimation means;
It is determined whether the roll angle of the vehicle predicted by the roll prediction unit exceeds a predetermined roll angle, and when it is determined that the predicted roll angle exceeds the predetermined roll angle, the roll prediction unit A trailer roll state notification device comprising: cab tilt control means for performing cab tilt control on the cab support means so as to tilt the cab in a predicted roll direction. The vehicle roll state notification device according to claim 1,
The trailer roll state informing device, wherein the vehicle is a connected vehicle that is pulled by a trailer connected to the tractor having the cab. The vehicle roll state notification device according to claim 1 or 2,
Imaging means for imaging the traveling road ahead of the vehicle and outputting the image information;
The trailer roll state notifying device, wherein the traveling road curvature estimation means estimates the curvature of the traveling road ahead of the vehicle based on the image information output by the imaging means.

Images