JP2018095230A - Travel control device for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a travel control device for a vehicle which controls a roll angle of a vehicle body in linkage with a steering angle of a steering wheel mechanically, without electronic control, for improving centripetal force without increasing a load to an occupant in vehicle turning time, and excellent in smoothness of an operation for achieving high speed turning, and comfort of driving.SOLUTION: A travel control device for vehicle comprises: a steering mechanism 14 for rotating wheel support parts 12a, 12b which support steered wheels according to an operation of a steering wheel in turning of a vehicle to a lateral direction, for changing a steering angle of the steered wheels; a suspension mechanism 22 for changing a roll angle of the vehicle body; and a linkage mechanism 26 for connecting the steering mechanism 14 and the suspension mechanism 22, and changing a roll angle of the vehicle body to a direction of increasing centripetal force by the suspension mechanism 22 in linkage with change of the steering angle by the steering mechanism 14.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a vehicular travel control apparatus that changes the roll angle of a vehicle body in conjunction with the steering angle of a steered wheel during steering of the vehicle.

When the moving object turns, a centrifugal force corresponding to the speed is generated, and the object tries to push the object outside the turning radius.
For example, in many vehicles equipped with a prime mover as in Patent Document 1, when turning, the centripetal force caused by friction between the wheels (tires) and the ground is balanced with centrifugal force. The passenger is pulled outside the turning radius by centrifugal force. Therefore, in order to reduce the passenger's load and realize a comfortable riding comfort, it is necessary to turn under the condition that the centrifugal force is small, and for that purpose, the speed during turning must be reduced.
In recent years, with the aim of improving the driving comfort and safety of automobiles, the operation of the driver's accelerator, steering, brake, etc. is controlled by electronic control instead of mechanical coupling. Development of a vehicle control device that reflects the generation mechanism is active. Such a vehicle control device is required to have high reliability so that functions relating to driving, steering, and braking of the vehicle do not fail. For example, in Patent Document 2, as a vehicle control device, an operation control device that centrally controls a control unit related to braking force, driving force, and steering angle by an electronic control device (electric control device (microcomputer)) serving as one master. Is described.

Japanese Patent No. 5707008 JP 2003-263235 A

However, in the vehicle control device using the electronic control device as in Patent Document 2, a sensor for monitoring the operation amount of the driver and the state of the vehicle is input to one master electronic control device (master ECU) to control the vehicle. Since the internal combustion engine control device, the brake control device, and the steering control device that are actuators are integratedly controlled, there is a problem that if the master ECU fails, no maneuvering is possible. Therefore, in order to ensure safety, the reliability of the master ECU must be made extremely high, but there is a problem that the vehicle control device becomes expensive. In addition, since each control device is controlled based on values detected by various sensors, there is a problem that a time lag occurs in the operation, and the smoothness of the operation and the comfort of driving are lacking.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and does not rely on electronic control, but mechanically interlocks with the steering angle of the steered wheels to control the roll angle of the vehicle body. An object of the present invention is to provide a vehicular travel control device that increases the centripetal force without increasing the speed and enables smooth turning and high driving comfort.

A vehicle travel control device according to the present invention that meets the above-described object is provided in a vehicle travel control device that is mounted on a vehicle that steers left and right steering wheels disposed in front of a vehicle body by a steering wheel.
A steering mechanism that changes a steering angle of the steering wheel by rotating a wheel support portion that supports the steering wheel in a left-right direction according to an operation of the steering wheel when the vehicle turns, and a roll angle of the vehicle body A suspension mechanism to be connected, and an interlocking mechanism for connecting the steering mechanism and the suspension mechanism to change a roll angle of the vehicle body in a direction in which a centripetal force is increased by the suspension mechanism in conjunction with a change in the steering angle by the steering mechanism. Have.
As a result, when steering is performed during turning of a vehicle equipped with a vehicle travel control device (hereinafter also referred to as this device) according to the present invention, the vehicle body can be reliably tilted in conjunction with the steering angle. , Increase the centripetal force and enable high-speed turning. On the other hand, the force with which the occupant is pulled in the horizontal direction can be reduced, the influence of centrifugal force can be reduced, and a comfortable ride can be realized.
In addition, when the vehicle equipped with this device turns with a turning radius that allows the turning of a conventional vehicle that turns by balancing the centripetal force generated only by the frictional force between the wheels and the ground with the centrifugal force, In comparison, the centripetal force generated by the frictional force between the wheel and the ground can be afforded, and the operability and the life of the wheel (tire) are improved.
Furthermore, regardless of electronic control, the roll angle of the vehicle body can be mechanically changed in conjunction with the change of the steering angle, so that no time lag occurs in the operation, and operability and ride comfort can be improved. Moreover, it is cheaper than electronic control, does not cause malfunction, and is excellent in reliability and stability of operation.

In the vehicle travel control apparatus according to the present invention, the steering mechanism includes a base portion fixed to the vehicle body, a rack portion that slides in a width direction of the vehicle body in response to an operation of the steering wheel, and the rack portion. Left and right rack shafts extending in the width direction of the vehicle body from both sides of the vehicle body, rack guide portions formed on the base portion for slidably holding the rack shaft, and connecting ball joints at both longitudinal ends. The suspension mechanism has a connecting shaft for connecting the left and right rack shafts and the wheel support portion via the connecting ball joint, and one end side of the suspension mechanism is connected to the base portion on the left and right sides of the vehicle body. An arm portion that is disposed and rotatably holds the wheel support portion on the other end side, left and right suspension bodies that connect the vehicle body and the arm portion, and the base And a slider portion that is slidably held in the width direction of the vehicle body and is coupled to the rack portion via the interlocking mechanism and slides in conjunction with the rack portion, and the width direction of the vehicle body from both sides of the slider portion Left and right slider shafts extending to the base, a slider guide portion formed on the base portion for slidably holding the slider shaft, and connecting the slider shaft and the suspension body to adjust the roll angle of the vehicle body It is preferable to have a roll angle adjustment link portion to be used.
Thereby, the rack part can be reliably slid along the rack guide part only by operating the steering wheel. In addition, as the rack part slides, the wheel support part connected to the connection shaft can be rotated in the left-right direction to steer the steered wheel to a desired steering angle. Further, it is possible to adjust the roll angle of the vehicle body with the roll angle adjusting link portion by slidably sliding the slider portion in conjunction with the sliding of the rack portion.

Here, one end side of the arm portion is connected to the base portion, but it is preferable that the one end side of the arm portion is pivotally supported by the base portion so that the arm portion can swing in the vertical direction. Thus, when the vehicle travels on the uneven surface, the wheel support portion that supports the steered wheel swings up and down together with the arm portion, and the suspension mechanism can absorb the impact.
In addition, the roll angle adjustment link part should just be linked to sliding of a slider part, and can adjust the roll angle of a vehicle body, The structure can be selected suitably. For example, the stroke of the suspension body may be increased or decreased, or the suspension body may be tilted. Specific examples of increasing / decreasing the stroke of the suspension body include expanding / contracting the piston cylinder and moving the position of the stopper that contacts the lower end of the coil spring depending on the structure of the shock absorber used in the suspension body, etc. Are preferably used.

In the vehicle travel control apparatus according to the present invention, it is preferable that the interlock mechanism has an interlock ratio adjusting unit that adjusts an interlock ratio between the steering angle and the roll angle.
Thereby, the interlocking ratio between the steering angle and the roll angle can be optimally adjusted according to the size of the vehicle body, the size of the wheel, the traveling speed, etc., and the versatility is excellent.

In the vehicle travel control apparatus according to the present invention, it is preferable that the interlocking mechanism increases or decreases the interlocking ratio by the interlocking ratio adjusting unit according to the traveling speed of the vehicle.
As a result, the vehicle body can be tilted at an optimum roll angle with respect to the traveling speed that varies in accordance with the curvature of the curve at the time of turning, so that the necessary centripetal force can be obtained and the traveling stability can be improved.

In the vehicular travel control apparatus according to the present invention, the interlock mechanism includes a front-rear direction sliding portion that is held by the rack portion so as to be slidable in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body perpendicular to the sliding direction of the rack portion. A rack-side joint part provided with a rack-side ball joint on one end side and connected to the sliding part in the front-rear direction via the rack-side ball joint, and the slider part perpendicular to the sliding direction of the slider part A vertical sliding portion that is slidably held in the vertical direction of the vehicle body, and a slider-side joint portion that includes a slider-side ball joint on one end side and is connected to the vertical sliding portion via the slider-side ball joint. And through the center of the rack-side ball joint in the neutral state where the steering angle is 0 degree and through the center of the slider-side ball joint and the longitudinal axis parallel to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body. A horizontal reference axis disposed perpendicular to the vertical axis parallel to the vertical direction of the vehicle body and parallel to the width direction of the vehicle body, and the other end side of the rack side joint portion and the slider side joint portion is the A core part rotatably held on a horizontal reference axis, and the interlocking ratio adjusting part is rotatably held around the horizontal reference axis with an intersection point of the front and rear axes and the vertical axis as a fixed center point; An interlocking ratio adjusting shaft that passes through the fixed center point of the core part and is orthogonal to the horizontal reference axis and rotatably supports the core part, and the core part and the interlocking ratio adjusting axis around the horizontal reference axis. It is preferable to have a rotation operation unit that rotates the device.
In the state where the rotation ratio of the interlocking ratio adjusting unit is operated so that the interlocking ratio adjusting axis is vertical and aligned with the vertical axis, the rack side joint is Together with the horizontal reference axis and the core part, it pivots left and right around the vertical axis (= interlocking ratio adjustment axis). At this time, one end side of the slider side joint portion is rotatably connected to the vertical sliding portion via the slider side ball joint, and the other end side is rotatably held by the horizontal reference shaft. The slider-side joint portion rotates on the spot about the vertical axis (= interlocking ratio adjustment axis). As a result, since the slider portion does not slide, the suspension mechanism does not operate, and the vehicle body remains horizontal. That is, when the steering angle is changed by the steering mechanism, the vehicle body can be prevented from being tilted by preventing the suspension mechanism from operating as necessary.
On the other hand, when the rack part slides to the left and right by tilting the interlocking ratio adjustment axis with respect to the vertical axis about the horizontal reference axis by the operation of the rotating operation part, the rack side joint part becomes horizontal. Together with the reference shaft and the core portion, it rotates around the tilted interlocking ratio adjusting shaft. At this time, one end side of the slider side joint portion is rotatably connected to the vertical sliding portion via the slider side ball joint, and the other end side is rotatably held by the horizontal reference shaft. The slider side joint also rotates about the tilted interlocking ratio adjusting shaft. In other words, the entire interlocking mechanism rotates about the interlocking ratio adjustment axis so as to be twisted with respect to the horizontal plane, so that the slider-side ball joint of the slider-side joint moves in the vertical and horizontal directions. The vertical sliding portion connected to the slider side ball joint moves in the horizontal direction together with the slider portion while sliding in the vertical direction. As a result, the roll angle adjustment link portion connected to the slider portion can increase or decrease the stroke of the left and right suspension bodies or tilt the left and right suspension bodies, and change the roll angle of the vehicle body in conjunction with the steering angle. Can do.
The ratio of the horizontal movement amount of the rack part and the horizontal movement amount of the slider part changes according to the inclination angle of the interlocking ratio adjusting shaft, so the interlocking ratio between the steering angle and the roll angle is adjusted by the interlocking ratio adjusting part. Can be adjusted easily.

Here, as a core part, what was formed in the shape of a cube or a sphere is used suitably. The rotation operation unit only needs to be able to rotate the interlocking ratio adjusting shaft around the horizontal reference axis together with the core unit, but can be rotated to the base unit by the rotation operation shaft arranged on the same axis as the horizontal reference axis. Those held in are preferably used. If the motor is connected to the extension line of the rotation operation shaft, the rotation operation portion can be easily rotated, and the inclination angle of the interlocking ratio adjustment shaft can be managed.

The vehicle travel control device according to the present invention can reliably link the steering angle of the steered wheels and the roll angle of the vehicle body when the vehicle is turning by mechanical control. Further, the interlocking ratio between the steering angle of the steered wheel and the roll angle of the vehicle body can be adjusted in accordance with the traveling speed of the vehicle. Furthermore, by tilting the vehicle body when turning the vehicle, the centripetal force can be increased. Compared with conventional vehicles that turn by balancing the centripetal force generated only by the friction between the wheels and the ground with the centrifugal force. The speed that can be output sometimes can be increased. Moreover, the force with which the vehicle occupant is pulled in the lateral (horizontal) direction can be reduced, the influence of centrifugal force can be reduced, and operability and ride comfort are also improved. A vehicle equipped with this apparatus is more reliable than a vehicle that performs existing electronic control because the vehicle body is tilted by a mechanism without relying on computer calculations (electronic control). This device can be introduced into a general vehicle and has high expandability.

1 is a plan view of a vehicle travel control apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a front view of the traveling control device for vehicles. It is a bottom view of the traveling control device for vehicles. It is the front view which abbreviate | omitted the rotation operation part of the traveling control apparatus for vehicles. It is the rear view which abbreviate | omitted the base part of the traveling control apparatus for vehicles. It is AA sectional drawing of FIG. (A), (B), and (C) are a plan view, a side view, and a main part of a main part showing a state before the operation of the interlocking mechanism when the steering mechanism and the suspension mechanism of the vehicle travel control device are not interlocked. FIG. (A), (B), (C) is a main part plan view, a main part side view, and a main part rear view showing the operation of the interlocking mechanism when the steering mechanism and the suspension mechanism of the vehicle travel control device are not interlocked. It is. (A), (B), (C) are main part plan views, main part side views, main parts showing states before operation of the interlocking mechanism when the steering mechanism and suspension mechanism of the vehicle travel control apparatus are interlocked, respectively. FIG. (A), (B), (C) is a main part plan view, a main part side view, and a main part rear view showing the operation of the interlocking mechanism when the steering mechanism and the suspension mechanism of the vehicle travel control device are interlocked. It is. (A) is a principal part front view which shows the state before operation | movement of the traveling control apparatus for vehicles, (B) is a principal part front view which shows 1st operation | movement of the traveling control apparatus for vehicles, (C) is the vehicle. It is a principal part front view which shows the 2nd operation | movement of the traveling control apparatus for vehicles.

Next, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings for understanding of the present invention.
A vehicle travel control apparatus 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention shown in FIGS. 1 to 6 is mounted on a vehicle that steers left and right steering wheels arranged in front of a vehicle body by a steering wheel, and steers the steering wheels. The roll angle of the vehicle body is changed in conjunction with the angle.
First, the vehicle travel control device 10 includes wheel support portions 12a and 12b that support the axles 11a and 11b of left and right steering wheels (not shown) according to the operation of a steering wheel (not shown) when the vehicle turns. A steering mechanism 14 that changes the steering angle of the steered wheels by rotating in the left-right direction around the shaft support portions 13a and 13b is provided.
As shown in FIGS. 1, 3, and 5, the steering mechanism 14 includes a base portion 15 that is fixed to a vehicle body (not shown), and a rack portion that slides in the width direction of the vehicle body in response to operation of the steering wheel. 16, rack shafts 17a and 17b are extended from the left and right sides of the rack portion 16 in the width direction of the vehicle body. The base portion 15 has rack shafts 17a and 17b slidably held by left and right rack shaft guide holes 18a and 18b formed parallel to the width direction of the vehicle body, and a rack guide that guides the sliding of the rack portion 16. A portion 19 is formed. The left and right rack shafts 17a, 17b and the wheel support portions 12a, 12b are connected by connecting shafts 21a, 21b having connecting ball joints 20 at both ends in the longitudinal direction. As a result, the left and right wheel support portions 12a and 12b are moved via the connecting shafts 21a and 21b connected to the rack shafts 17a and 17b by operating the steering wheel to slide the rack portion 16 in the left and right direction of the vehicle body. The steering angle of the steerable wheels can be changed by rotating in the left-right direction around the shaft support portions 13a and 13b.

Next, the vehicle travel control device 10 includes a suspension mechanism 22 that changes the roll angle of the vehicle body.
As shown in FIGS. 1, 2, 4, and 5, the suspension mechanism 22 includes arm portions 24 a and 24 b that are connected to both sides of the base portion 15 and are arranged on both left and right sides of the vehicle body. One end sides of the arm portions 24a and 24b are supported by swing shafts 23a and 23b so as to be swingable in the vertical direction with respect to the base portion 15. Further, the wheel support portions 12a and 12b are rotatably held in the left-right direction by shaft support portions 13a and 13b provided on the other end side of the arm portions 24a and 24b. And the vehicle body fixed to the base part 15 and the arm parts 24a and 24b holding the wheel support parts 12a and 12b are connected by left and right suspension bodies 25a and 25b.
As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the suspension mechanism 22 is slidably held in the width direction of the vehicle body by the base portion 15, is connected to the rack portion 16 via the interlocking mechanism 26, and interlocks with the rack portion 16. The slider portion 27 slides. Slider shafts 28a and 28b extend from the left and right sides of the slider portion 27 in the width direction of the vehicle body. The left and right slider shaft guide holes 29a formed in the base portion 15 in parallel with the width direction of the vehicle body. A slider guide portion 30 that slidably holds the slider shafts 28 a and 28 b by 29 b and guides the sliding of the slider portion 27 is formed.

As shown in FIGS. 2, 4, 5, and 6, the suspension bodies 25a and 25b have cylinder portions 32a and 32b and piston portions 33a and 33b inserted into the cylinder portions 32a and 32b. Inside the cylinder parts 32a and 32b, coil springs 34 are accommodated which abut against the lower ends of the piston parts 33a and 33b and urge the piston parts 33a and 33b upward. Lower end portions of the cylinder portions 32a and 32b are swingably supported in the left and right direction of the vehicle body by cylinder support shafts 35a and 35b provided on the upper surfaces of the arm portions 24a and 24b in parallel with the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body.
Further, support columns 36a and 36b are erected on both the left and right sides of the base portion 15, and suspension support arms 37a and 37b extend from the upper ends of the support columns 36a and 36b toward the outside of the vehicle body. Piston holding members 39a and 39b each having a sliding hole 38 for slidably holding the piston portions 33a and 33b in the vertical direction are attached to the distal ends of the suspension support arms 37a and 37b. The piston holding members 39a and 39b are held by suspension support arms 37a and 37b by piston support shafts 40a and 40b provided in parallel with the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body, and can swing around the piston support shafts 40a and 40b. It has become. Thus, the piston holding members 39a and 39b that hold the piston portions 33a and 33b slidably in the vertical direction are swingably held by the suspension support arms 37a and 37b, so that the suspension bodies 25a and 25b can be expanded and contracted. It is possible to cope with (elevating and lowering the piston portions 33a and 33b) and tilting.
And the front-end | tip part of slider shaft 28a, 28b and piston part 33a, 33b of suspension main body 25a, 25b are connected by the roll angle adjustment link part 41a, 41b. Both end portions of the roll angle adjusting links 41a and 41b are provided at the front ends of the slider shafts 28a and 28b in parallel with the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body, and in the longitudinal direction of the piston portions 33a and 33b. Is held rotatably by piston-side rotation shafts 43a and 43b provided in parallel with the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body.

With the above configuration, when the slider portion 27 moves to the left and right, the suspension main bodies 25a and 25b can be expanded and contracted via the roll angle adjustment link portions 41a and 41b, or the suspension main bodies 25a and 25b around the piston support shafts 40a and 40b. The roll angle of the vehicle body can be adjusted by tilting 25b.
In addition, stopper portions 44 and 45 having outer shapes larger than the piston portions 33a and 33b are provided between the upper ends of the piston portions 33a and 33b and between the piston support shafts 40a and 40b and the piston-side rotation shafts 43a and 43b. Thus, the movable range of the piston portions 33a and 33b can be limited.

Next, an interlocking mechanism 26 that connects the steering mechanism 14 and the suspension mechanism 22 and operates the suspension mechanism 22 in conjunction with the operation of the steering mechanism 14 will be described.
First, as shown in FIG. 5, the interlock mechanism 26 includes a substantially disc-shaped front-rear direction sliding portion 46 that is held by the rack portion 16 so as to be slidable in the front-rear direction of the vehicle body perpendicular to the sliding direction. I have. The rack portion 16 is formed with a rack portion guide hole 47 for slidably holding the front-rear direction sliding portion 46 and two rack-side protrusions 48 disposed facing the inside of the rack portion guide hole 47. The front-rear direction sliding portion 46 is formed with a front-rear direction notch 49 that engages with the rack-side protrusion 48. Thereby, the front-rear direction sliding part 46 does not rotate in the rack part guide hole 47 and can slide reliably in the front-rear direction. The rack-side protruding portion 48 and the front-rear direction notch 49 may be engaged with each other to prevent the front-rear direction sliding portion 46 from rotating, and the shape, number, arrangement, and the like can be selected as appropriate. In addition, when the front-rear direction sliding part 46 is formed in a rectangular shape or a polygonal shape, the rack-side protruding part 48 and the front-rear direction notch part 49 are unnecessary.
As shown in FIGS. 1, 3, and 5, a spherical rack portion joint hole 50 is formed at the center of the longitudinal sliding portion 46. As shown in FIG. 1, the rack-side joint portion 51 connected to the front-rear direction sliding portion 46 has a rack-side ball joint 53 at the center of the bottom surface of the base 52 that is one end side, and a base portion that is the other end side. There are two rack joint side facing pieces 54 disposed on both sides of the upper surface portion of 52. Since the rack side ball joint 53 is rotatably held in the rack part joint hole 50, the rack side joint part 51 is rotatable in any direction with respect to the front-rear direction sliding part 46.

Further, as shown in FIG. 3, the interlocking mechanism 26 includes a substantially disc-shaped vertical sliding portion 55 that is held by the slider portion 27 so as to be slidable in the vertical direction of the vehicle body. I have. The slider portion 27 is formed with a slider portion guide hole 56 that slidably holds the vertical sliding portion 55 and two slider side protrusion portions 57 that are opposed to each other inside the slider portion guide hole 56. The vertical sliding portion 55 is formed with a vertical cutout 58 that engages with the slider-side protrusion 57. As a result, the vertical sliding portion 55 does not rotate in the slider portion guide hole 56 and can surely slide in the vertical direction. The slider-side protrusion 57 and the vertical cutout 58 need only engage with each other to prevent the vertical slide 55 from rotating, and the shape, number, arrangement, etc. thereof can be selected as appropriate. In addition, when the vertical sliding part 55 is formed in a rectangular shape or a polygonal shape, the slider side protrusion 57 and the vertical cutout 58 are not necessary.
As shown in FIGS. 4, 5, and 6, a spherical slider joint hole 59 is formed at the center of the vertical sliding portion 55. The slider-side joint 60 connected to the vertical sliding portion 55 has a slider-side ball joint 62 at the center of the bottom surface of the base 61 on one end side, and faces both sides of the upper surface of the base 61 on the other end. It has two slider joint side facing pieces 63 arranged. The slider side ball joint 62 is rotatably held in the slider part joint hole 59, so that the slider side joint part 60 is rotatable in any direction with respect to the vertical sliding part 55.

Here, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 6, the axis parallel to the longitudinal direction of the vehicle body passing through the center of the rack side ball joint 53 in a neutral state with a steering angle of 0 degrees is defined as the longitudinal axis x, and the slider side ball joint is also the same. An axis passing through the center of 62 and parallel to the vertical direction of the vehicle body is defined as the vertical axis z. At this time, the interlocking mechanism 26 is referred to as a horizontal reference axis 64 (hereinafter, a center line of the horizontal reference axis 64 is referred to as a horizontal reference axis 64) which is disposed perpendicular to the longitudinal axis x and the vertical axis z and parallel to the width direction of the vehicle body. May have). The rack joint side facing piece 54 of the rack side joint portion 51 and the slider joint side facing piece 63 of the slider side joint portion 60 are rotatably held by the horizontal reference shaft 64.
Further, the interlocking mechanism 26 has a cubic core portion 65 that is rotatably held around the horizontal reference axis 64 with the intersection point of the longitudinal axis x and the vertical axis z as a fixed center point p. In addition, the core portion 65 passes through the fixed center point p and is linked to the horizontal reference axis 64 and is linked to an interlocking ratio adjusting shaft 66 (hereinafter, the center line of the interlocking ratio adjusting shaft 66 may be referred to as an interlocking ratio adjusting shaft 66). It is also supported so that it can rotate freely. The rotation operation unit 67 that supports both ends of the interlocking ratio adjustment shaft 66 has a rotation operation shaft 68 disposed on the same axis as the horizontal reference shaft 64 on both the left and right sides. The shaft 68 is rotatably held in an operation shaft holding hole 69 formed in the base portion 15. A combination of the core portion 65, the interlocking ratio adjusting shaft 66, and the rotating operation unit 67 is an interlocking ratio adjusting unit 70. The rotating operation unit 67 is connected to a rotating operation shaft 68 by a motor (not shown). , The interlocking ratio adjusting shaft 66 can be rotated about the horizontal reference shaft 64 together with the core portion 65. The interlock ratio adjusting unit 70 adjusts the interlock ratio between the steering angle and the roll angle. Further, the interlocking ratio adjusting unit 70 can adjust (increase / decrease) the interlocking ratio according to the traveling speed of the vehicle.

The operation of the interlocking mechanism 26 configured as described above will be described.
First, the case where the suspension mechanism 22 is not interlocked with the operation of the steering mechanism 14 will be described.
When the steering mechanism 14 and the suspension mechanism 22 are not interlocked, the interlocking operation adjusting unit 70 of the interlocking ratio adjusting unit 70 is operated to move the interlocking ratio adjusting shaft 66 vertically as shown in FIGS. Thus, the vertical axis z is matched. From this state, as shown in FIG. 8A, when the rack portion 16 is slid in the right direction, the rack side joint portion 51 is connected to the horizontal reference shaft 64 and the horizontal reference shaft 64 as shown in FIGS. Together with the core portion 65, it rotates clockwise about the vertical axis z (= interlocking ratio adjustment shaft 66). At this time, one end side of the slider side joint portion 60 is rotatably connected to the vertical sliding portion 55 via the slider side ball joint 62, and the slider joint side facing piece 63 on the other end side is a horizontal reference axis. 64, the slider-side joint 60 rotates on the spot about the vertical axis z (= interlocking ratio adjustment shaft 66). As a result, since the slider portion 27 does not slide, the suspension mechanism 22 does not operate, and the vehicle body remains horizontal. Therefore, when the rack portion 16 is slid rightward and the steering angle is changed by the steering mechanism 14, the suspension mechanism 22 is prevented from operating and the vehicle body can not be tilted.
In addition, when the rack part 16 slides to the left direction, since the same operation | movement is performed only by reverse | reversing the operation | movement of the left-right direction, description is abbreviate | omitted.

Next, a case where the suspension mechanism 22 is interlocked with the operation of the steering mechanism 14 will be described.
When the steering mechanism 14 and the suspension mechanism 22 are interlocked, the rotation operation unit 67 is operated to move the interlocking ratio adjustment shaft 66 around the horizontal reference axis 64 as shown in FIGS. 9 (A) to (C). The vehicle is tilted forward of the vehicle body with respect to the vertical axis z. From this state, as shown in FIG. 10 (A), when the rack portion 16 is slid in the right direction, the rack side joint portion 51 is moved to the horizontal reference shaft 64 and the horizontal reference shaft 64 as shown in FIGS. 10 (A) to (C). Together with the core portion 65, it rotates around an inclined interlocking ratio adjusting shaft 66. At this time, one end side of the slider side joint portion 60 is rotatably connected to the vertical sliding portion 55 via the slider side ball joint 62, and the slider joint side facing piece 63 on the other end side is a horizontal reference axis. 64, the slider-side joint portion 60 also rotates around the inclined interlocking ratio adjustment shaft 66. That is, since the entire interlocking mechanism 26 rotates so as to be twisted with respect to the horizontal plane around the interlocking ratio adjustment shaft 66, the slider-side ball joint 62 of the slider-side joint portion 60 moves upward and to the left. Accordingly, the vertical sliding portion 55 connected to the slider-side ball joint 62 also moves leftward together with the slider portion 27 while sliding upward.

Therefore, by sliding the rack portion 16 to the right from the state of FIG. 11A, the left wheel support portion 12a is centered on the shaft support portion 13a with the steering mechanism 14 as shown in FIG. 11B. When the steering angle is changed by rotating in the right direction (at the same time, the right wheel support portion 12b is also rotated in the right direction around the shaft support portion 13b), the suspension mechanism 22 operates in conjunction therewith. That is, when the rack portion 16 moves in the right direction, the slider portion 27 moves in the left direction as described above, so that the left slider shaft 28a extending to the slider portion 27 is moved as shown in FIG. The slider-side rotation shaft 42a of the roll angle adjustment link portion 41a connected through this moves to the left. Thereby, the piston side rotation shaft 43a pushed by the roll angle adjustment link portion 41a moves upward, and the piston portion 33a is raised to increase the stroke of the suspension body 25a. At this time, although not shown, the slider-side rotation shaft 42b of the roll angle adjustment link portion 41b connected via the right slider shaft 28b also moves leftward. Thereby, the piston side rotation shaft 43b pulled by the roll angle adjustment link portion 41b moves downward, and the piston portion 33b is lowered to reduce the stroke of the suspension body 25b. As a result, it is possible to adjust the roll angle of the vehicle body in the direction in which the centripetal force is increased by raising the left side of the vehicle body and lowering the right side in conjunction with the change in the steering angle.
Note that when the rack portion 16 slides in the left direction, the same operation is performed only by reversing the left and right operations, and thus the description thereof is omitted.
When the operation of the steering mechanism 14 and the operation of the suspension mechanism 22 are linked as described above, the amount of movement of the rack portion 16 in the left-right direction and the movement of the slider portion 27 in the left-right direction are determined according to the inclination angle of the linkage ratio adjusting shaft 66. Since the ratio of the amount changes, the interlocking ratio between the steering angle and the roll angle can be easily adjusted by operating the interlocking ratio adjusting unit 70. However, if the interlocking ratio adjustment shaft 66 is inclined rearward with respect to the vertical axis z, the rotation direction of the rack side joint portion 51 and the slider side joint portion 60 is reversed, and the sliding direction of the slider portion 27 is reversed. To do. That is, the sliding direction of the rack portion 16 and the slider portion 27 can be switched between the same direction and the reverse direction depending on the inclination direction of the interlocking ratio adjusting shaft 66, so that the suspension bodies 25a and 25b and the roll angle adjustment can be performed. It is necessary to select the inclination direction of the interlocking ratio adjusting shaft 66 according to the structure of the link portions 41a and 41b.

Further, when the vehicle travels on the convex portion, as shown in FIG. 11C, the left wheel support portion 12a that supports the steering wheel swings upward along the swing shaft 23a together with the arm portion 24a. The suspension mechanism 22 can absorb the impact. Further, when the vehicle travels in the recess, the wheel support portion 12a swings downward with the arm portion 24a around the swing shaft 23a, and the suspension mechanism 22 can absorb the impact. Since these operations are the same for the right wheel support portion 12b, the description thereof is omitted.
Note that the operation in FIG. 11B and the operation in FIG. 11C can be performed simultaneously.

Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the configurations described in the above-described embodiments, and can be considered within the scope of the matters described in the claims. Other embodiments and modifications are also included. In particular, the suspension mechanism only needs to be able to adjust the roll angle of the vehicle body by increasing / decreasing the stroke of the suspension body or tilting the suspension body, and the structure of the suspension body and the roll angle adjustment link part is appropriately selected. can do. Also, the interlocking mechanism only needs to be able to operate the suspension mechanism in conjunction with the operation of the steering mechanism, and the structure can be selected as appropriate. For example, it is possible to use the one that transmits the rotation angle of the rotating member that rotates in accordance with the operation of the steering wheel to the reciprocating movement in the left-right direction, and transmits it to the roll angle adjustment link unit to operate the suspension mechanism. it can.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10: Vehicle travel control apparatus, 11a, 11b: Axle, 12a, 12b: Wheel support part, 13a, 13b: Shaft support part, 14: Steering mechanism, 15: Base part, 16: Rack part, 17a, 17b: Rack shaft 18a, 18b: rack shaft guide hole, 19: rack guide portion, 20: connecting ball joint, 21a, 21b: connecting shaft, 22: suspension mechanism, 23a, 23b: swing shaft, 24a, 24b: arm portion, 25a 25b: Suspension body, 26: Interlocking mechanism, 27: Slider part, 28a, 28b: Slider shaft, 29a, 29b: Slider shaft guide hole, 30: Slider guide part, 32a, 32b: Cylinder part, 33a, 33b: Piston Part, 34: coil spring, 35a, 35b: cylinder support shaft, 36a, 36b: support column, 37 37b: Suspension support arm, 38: Sliding hole, 39a, 39b: Piston holding member, 40a, 40b: Piston support shaft, 41a, 41b: Roll angle adjustment link portion, 42a, 42b: Slider side rotation shaft, 43a 43b: Piston side rotation shaft, 44, 45: Stopper part, 46: Front / rear direction sliding part, 47: Rack part guide hole, 48: Rack side projection part, 49: Front / rear direction notch part, 50: Rack part Joint hole 51: Rack side joint part 52: Base part 53: Rack side ball joint 54: Rack joint side facing piece 55: Vertical sliding part 56: Slider part guide hole 57: Slider side protrusion part , 58: vertical cutout, 59: slider joint hole, 60: slider side joint, 61: base, 62: slider side ball join 63: Slider joint side facing piece, 64: Horizontal reference axis, 65: Core portion, 66: Interlocking ratio adjustment shaft, 67: Rotation operation portion, 68: Rotation operation shaft, 69: Operation shaft holding hole, 70: Interlocking ratio adjustment section

The vehicle travel control device according to the present invention can reliably link the steering angle of the steered wheels and the roll angle of the vehicle body when the vehicle is turning by mechanical control. Further, the interlocking ratio between the steering angle of the steered wheel and the roll angle of the vehicle body can be adjusted in accordance with the traveling speed of the vehicle. Furthermore, the load movement is reduced by tilting the vehicle body when the vehicle turns . Due to the characteristics of rubber, which is the material of tires, the friction coefficient decreases as the load increases. Therefore, the decrease in centripetal force is reduced by reducing the load movement . As a result , it is possible to increase the traveling speed that can be output when turning, compared to a vehicle that does not tilt the vehicle body . Moreover, the force with which the vehicle occupant is pulled in the lateral (horizontal) direction can be reduced, the influence of centrifugal force can be reduced, and operability and ride comfort are also improved. A vehicle equipped with this apparatus is more reliable than a vehicle that performs existing electronic control because the vehicle body is tilted by a mechanism without relying on computer calculations (electronic control). This device can be introduced into a general vehicle and has high expandability.

Claims (5)

In a vehicle travel control device mounted on a vehicle that steers left and right steering wheels disposed in front of a vehicle body by a steering wheel,
A steering mechanism that changes a steering angle of the steering wheel by rotating a wheel support portion that supports the steering wheel in a left-right direction according to an operation of the steering wheel when the vehicle turns, and a roll angle of the vehicle body A suspension mechanism to be connected, and an interlocking mechanism for connecting the steering mechanism and the suspension mechanism to change a roll angle of the vehicle body in a direction in which a centripetal force is increased by the suspension mechanism in conjunction with a change in the steering angle by the steering mechanism. A vehicular travel control apparatus comprising: 2. The vehicle travel control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the steering mechanism includes a base portion fixed to the vehicle body, a rack portion that slides in a width direction of the vehicle body in response to an operation of the steering wheel, and the rack. Left and right rack shafts extending from both sides of the vehicle body in the width direction of the vehicle body, rack guide portions formed on the base portion for slidably holding the rack shaft, and connecting ball joints at both longitudinal end portions The suspension shaft has a connecting shaft that connects the left and right rack shafts and the wheel support portion via the connecting ball joint, and one end side of the suspension mechanism is connected to the base portion. Disposed on the other end side to rotatably support the wheel support portion, the left and right suspension bodies connecting the vehicle body and the arm portion, and the base A slider portion that is slidably held in the width direction of the vehicle body by a portion and is connected to the rack portion via the interlocking mechanism and slides in conjunction with the rack portion, and the width of the vehicle body from both sides of the slider portion Left and right slider shafts extending in the direction, a slider guide portion formed on the base portion for slidably holding the slider shaft, and connecting the slider shaft and the suspension body to increase the roll angle of the vehicle body. A vehicular travel control device comprising a roll angle adjustment link portion for adjustment. 3. The vehicle travel control device according to claim 2, wherein the interlocking mechanism includes an interlocking ratio adjusting unit that adjusts an interlocking ratio between the steering angle and the roll angle. 4. The vehicle travel control device according to claim 3, wherein the interlocking mechanism increases or decreases the interlocking ratio by the interlocking ratio adjusting unit according to the traveling speed of the vehicle. 5. The vehicular travel control apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the interlocking mechanism includes a front / rear direction slide slidably held in the front / rear direction of the vehicle body perpendicularly to a sliding direction of the rack portion. A moving part, a rack-side joint part provided with a rack-side ball joint on one end side and connected to the front-rear direction sliding part via the rack-side ball joint, and the slider part orthogonal to the sliding direction of the slider part A vertical sliding portion that is slidably held in the vertical direction of the vehicle body, and a slider that has a slider-side ball joint on one end and is connected to the vertical sliding portion via the slider-side ball joint A side joint portion, a front-rear shaft passing through the center of the rack-side ball joint in a neutral state where the steering angle is 0 degrees and parallel to the front-rear direction of the vehicle body, and the slider-side ball joint A horizontal reference axis that passes through the center and is perpendicular to the vertical axis parallel to the vertical direction of the vehicle body and parallel to the width direction of the vehicle body, and the other end of the rack side joint portion and the slider side joint portion The side is rotatably held by the horizontal reference axis, and the interlocking ratio adjusting part is a core part that is rotatably held around the horizontal reference axis with the intersection of the front and rear axes and the vertical axis as a fixed center point. An interlocking ratio adjusting shaft that passes through the fixed center point of the core part and is orthogonal to the horizontal reference axis and rotatably supports the core part, and the interlocking ratio adjusting axis together with the core part A vehicular travel control device comprising: a rotation operation unit configured to rotate around a reference axis.

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