JP5194724B2 - Connected vehicle control device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a connected vehicle control device in which a towed vehicle is connected via a connecting portion provided at a rear end of the towed vehicle.

  As a control device for a connected vehicle, there is one that controls the trajectory of the towed vehicle by individually controlling the left and right driving forces of the towed vehicle based on the rudder angle of the towed vehicle that pulls the towed vehicle (Patent Document). 1). In addition, Patent Documents 2 and 3 exist as prior art documents related to the present invention.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-157652 JP 2006-256455 A Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-124051

  In general, the front-rear balance of the load acting on the front and rear wheels, that is, the load received by the front wheels and the rear wheels from the road surface, changes with speed changes such as acceleration and deceleration of the vehicle. In the case of a connected vehicle, the towed vehicle is connected via a connecting part located at the rear end of the towed vehicle as compared to the case where the towed vehicle is self-propelled, so that the load balance between the front and rear during towing is reduced. Is more behind when it is self-propelled. For this reason, the connected vehicle has lower running stability and maneuverability than when the towing vehicle is self-propelled.

  The control device of Patent Document 1 can stabilize the behavior of the towed vehicle when the connected vehicle turns, but does not consider the change in the balance of the load before and after the change in the speed of the connected vehicle. For this reason, depending on the traveling state of the connected vehicle, the behavior of the towed vehicle and the towed vehicle may be disturbed, and the traveling stability and controllability may be impaired.

  Then, an object of this invention is to provide the control apparatus of the connection vehicle which can suppress the fall of driving | running stability and the controllability accompanying the change of the driving | running | working state of a connection vehicle.

In the control device of the present invention, a to-be-towed vehicle is connected via a connecting portion provided at a rear end of a self-propelled towing vehicle, and a control target that can affect a vertical load acting on the connecting portion is Applied to a connected vehicle provided in a towed vehicle, and provided with a load control means for operating the control target so that the vertical load changes according to the traveling state of the connected vehicle, the load control means, When the traveling state of the connected vehicle shifts from the steady state to the acceleration state, the vertical load having a value larger than the value in the steady state is set as a target load so that the load distribution of the rear wheel of the tow vehicle increases. On the other hand, the vertical load having a value smaller than the value in the steady state so that the load distribution of the front wheels of the tow vehicle increases when the traveling state of the connected vehicle shifts from the steady state to the deceleration state. It was calculated as the target load, and the vertical load by Rukoto to operate the controlled object such that the target load, to solve the problems described above (claim 1).

  According to this control device, a vertical load acting on the connecting portion is changed by operating a control target provided in the towed vehicle according to the traveling state of the connected vehicle, and thereby the towed vehicle capable of self-running. The load distribution of the front and rear wheels can be optimized. As a result, it is possible to prevent the behavior of the towed vehicle and the towed vehicle from being disturbed, and it is possible to suppress a decrease in traveling stability and maneuverability associated with a change in the traveling state of the connected vehicle.

  The configuration of the tow vehicle of the present invention is not limited as long as it can be self-propelled. For example, a passenger vehicle or a connection truck that is a connection vehicle provided with a connection portion that can connect a towed vehicle at the rear end portion. It may be a tractor. The towed vehicle may be a camping cabin, which is often connected to a passenger car, a motor boat carrier, or a trailer of a connected truck.

  There is no particular limitation on the control target provided in the towed vehicle. In other words, any object that can affect the vertical load acting on the connecting portion can be a control target. For example, in one aspect of the present invention, the towed vehicle is provided as a wheel positioned behind the connecting portion and the control target, and applies at least one of a driving force and a braking force to the wheel. Possible wheel drive means, and the load control means drives the wheel by operating the wheel drive means so that the vertical load changes according to the traveling state of the connected vehicle. At least one of force and braking force may be applied (claim 2). According to this aspect, the driving force is applied to the wheel of the towed vehicle located rearward of the connecting portion so that an upward force is applied to the connecting portion, and conversely, the braking force is applied to the wheel so that the connecting portion is directed downward. Each can be given power. The magnitude of the upward or downward force can be adjusted by adjusting the magnitude of the driving force or the braking force. Therefore, depending on the traveling state of the connected vehicle, the driving balance or braking force is appropriately applied to the wheel of the towed vehicle to change the load balance of the rear wheel and the front wheel of the towed vehicle, thereby ensuring the traveling stability of the connected vehicle. can do.

  Further, in another aspect, the towed vehicle is provided with a wheel positioned rearward of the connecting portion and the control target, and the wheel is moved in a state in which the position of the wheel is movable in the front-rear direction. Movable support means for supporting, and the load control means operates the movable support means so that the load in the vertical direction changes according to the traveling state of the coupled vehicle. May be changed (Claim 3). According to this aspect, the magnitude of the vertical load acting on the connecting part can be changed by changing the front-rear position of the wheel of the towed vehicle located behind the connecting part. For example, when the position of the wheel where the load acting on the connecting portion is 0 is set as the reference position, the upward force is applied to the connecting portion by moving the wheel forward from the reference position, and conversely from the reference position. A downward force can be applied to the connecting portion by positioning the wheel rearward. The magnitude of the upward or downward force can be adjusted by adjusting the distance from the reference position to the wheel. Accordingly, by changing the front and rear positions of the wheels of the towed vehicle as appropriate according to the traveling state of the connected vehicle, the load distribution of the rear wheel and the front wheel of the towed vehicle is changed to ensure the running stability of the connected vehicle. Can do. In addition, since driving or braking of the wheels of the towed vehicle is not involved in order to change the load distribution of the towed vehicle, there is no possibility that the acceleration or deceleration of the towed vehicle and the acceleration or deceleration of the towed vehicle will not be inconsistent. Therefore, the running stability and maneuverability of the connected vehicle can be further improved.

  In this aspect, the load control means may set, as a reference position, the position of the wheel at which the vertical load becomes a predetermined value when the connected vehicle is in a steady state. When the type of the towed vehicle, the type of the load, or the position of the load changes, the position of the center of gravity of the entire towed vehicle changes. For this reason, if the position of the wheel of the towed vehicle is fixed, the vertical load acting on the connecting portion cannot be kept constant. According to this aspect, when the connected vehicle is in a steady state as the reference position of the wheel, the vertical load is set at a predetermined value, so that the type or position of the load loaded on the towed vehicle changes. However, it is possible to keep the vertical load at a predetermined value. This enables control independent of the type of towed vehicle, the type of load, and the position of the load. Note that the steady state includes both a state where the connected vehicle is stationary and a state where the vehicle is traveling at a constant speed.

  As described above, according to the present invention, the vertical load acting on the connecting portion is changed by operating the control target provided on the towed vehicle according to the traveling state of the connected vehicle. It is possible to optimize the load distribution between the front wheels and the rear wheels of the towing vehicle that can run. As a result, it is possible to prevent the behavior of the towed vehicle and the towed vehicle from being disturbed, and it is possible to suppress a decrease in traveling stability and maneuverability associated with a change in the traveling state of the connected vehicle.

(First form)
FIG. 1 schematically shows a connected vehicle to which a control device according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied. The connected vehicle 1 includes a passenger car 2 as a tow vehicle capable of self-propelling and a trailer 3 as a towed vehicle to be pulled by the passenger car 2. The passenger car 2 and the trailer 3 are connected via a hitch 4 as a connecting portion provided at the rear end of the passenger car 2. The passenger car 2 has a front wheel 5 that is steered and a rear wheel 6 that is a driving wheel. The passenger car 2 is equipped with an internal combustion engine (not shown) as a driving source for traveling, and is configured to be able to self-run by transmitting the power of the internal combustion engine to the rear wheels 6. That is, the passenger car 2 can travel alone without towing the trailer 3.

  The trailer 3 has a wheel 7 positioned behind the hitch 4 and a loading platform 8 on which the load L is placed, and is configured as a semi-trailer type trailer that supports the weight of the load L by the hitch 4 and the wheel 7. Has been. In addition, the trailer 3 includes an electric motor 9 that can apply a driving force to the wheel 7 and a brake 10 that applies a braking force opposite to the driving force to the wheel 7.

  2-4 is explanatory drawing explaining the change of the load which acts on each of the front wheel 5 and the rear wheel 6 of the passenger car 2 accompanying the change of the up-down direction load which acts on the hitch 4. FIG. 2 shows a standard state of the vertical load acting on the hitch 4, FIG. 3 shows a state where a vertical load having the same direction and a smaller magnitude than the standard state of FIG. 2 is applied, and FIG. 4 shows the standard state of FIG. The state where the up-down direction load with the same direction and big magnitude | size compared with the state acted is shown, respectively. In these drawings, the length of the arrow symbol represents the magnitude of the load, and the direction represents the direction of the load.

  As shown in these drawings, the weight W of the load L placed on the loading platform 8 is borne by the hitch 4 and the wheels 7. Since the rear wheel 6 of the passenger car 2 bears most of the vertical load Fc acting on the hitch 4, the load Fr acting on the rear wheel 6 increases or decreases as the load Fc increases or decreases. As a result, the distribution of the load borne by the passenger car 2 can be changed by the change in the load Fr of the rear wheel 6. That is, in the standard state of FIG. 2, the load Fr acting on the rear wheel 6 of the passenger car 2 is larger than the load Ff acting on the front wheel 5, and the distribution of the load borne by the passenger car 2 is biased toward the rear wheel 6. As shown in FIG. 3, when the magnitude of the vertical load Fc is reduced from this standard state, the load Fr acting on the rear wheel 6 is reduced, so that the load bias on the rear wheel 6 can be reduced. In the case of FIG. 3, the front-rear distribution of the load borne by the passenger car 2 is reversed with respect to the standard state, and the load distribution is close to the self-propelled state of the passenger car 2 (the state where the trailer 3 is not pulled). . Contrary to FIG. 3, when the magnitude of the vertical load Fc is increased from the standard state as shown in FIG. 4, the load Fr acting on the rear wheel 6 increases and the load on the rear wheel 6 is biased. Can be increased.

  Thus, by appropriately changing the load Fc acting on the hitch 4, it is possible to optimize the load distribution to the front wheels 5 and the rear wheels 6 of the passenger car 2. The connected vehicle 1 can change the vertical load Fc as shown in FIGS. 2 to 4 by applying a driving force or a braking force to the wheels 7 by an electric motor 9 and a brake 10 provided in the trailer 3. it can. FIGS. 5 and 6 are explanatory diagrams for explaining changes in the load state of the hitch 4 when a driving force or a braking force is applied to the wheel 7 of the trailer 3. FIG. 5 shows a case where the driving force is applied to the wheel 7. FIG. 6 shows a case where a braking force is applied to the wheel 7.

  As shown in FIG. 5, when the trailer 3 is traveling in the forward direction D, the driving force T1 in the forward rotation direction (counterclockwise in FIG. 5) is applied to the wheels 7 using the power of the electric motor 9. Then, the reaction force M1 in the direction opposite to the driving force T1 acts on the trailer 3. As a result, an upward load fu acts on the hitch 4. Therefore, by operating the electric motor 9 and applying the driving force T1 while the connected vehicle 1 is traveling, the vertical load acting on the hitch 4 is reduced by an amount corresponding to the load fu. In other words, as the driving force T1 is increased, the vertical load acting on the hitch 4 can be reduced. On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 6, when the trailer 3 is traveling in the forward direction D, the brake 10 is operated to apply the braking force T2 in the backward direction (clockwise in FIG. 6) to the wheel 7. The trailer 3 is subjected to a reaction force M2 in a direction opposite to the braking force T2. As a result, a downward load fd acts on the hitch 4. Therefore, by operating the brake 10 and applying the braking force T2 while the connected vehicle 1 is traveling, the vertical load acting on the hitch 4 increases by an amount corresponding to the load fd. In other words, as the braking force T2 is increased, the vertical load acting on the hitch 4 can be increased. As described above, in this embodiment, the driving force or the braking force can be applied to the wheel 7 to affect the vertical load acting on the hitch 4. That is, the combination of the electric motor 9 and the brake 10 that can provide driving force and braking force corresponds to the wheel driving means according to the present invention, and functions as a control object according to the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the operation of the electric motor 9 and the brake 10 is performed by a control device 20 that performs various controls on the connected vehicle 1. The control device 20 is configured as a computer having a microprocessor (not shown) and peripheral devices such as ROM and RAM necessary for its operation. The control device 20 controls the motor 9 and the brake 10 of the trailer 3 as well as the control of each part of the passenger car 2, for example, the control of the internal combustion engine, the brake control such as the vehicle stability control (VSC), the vehicle dynamics integrated management (VDIM). The braking / driving force control represented by (1) can be executed. Here, control highly relevant to the present invention will be described, and description of other control will be omitted.

  The control device 20 includes a load sensor 21 that outputs a signal corresponding to the vertical load acting on the hitch 4, a vehicle speed sensor 22 that outputs a signal corresponding to the traveling speed (vehicle speed) of the connected vehicle 1, and an unillustrated one. An accelerator opening sensor 23 that outputs a signal corresponding to the amount of operation of the accelerator pedal and a steering angle sensor 24 that outputs a signal corresponding to the amount of operation of a steering wheel (not shown) are electrically connected to each other. Signals from the sensors 22 to 24 are input.

  FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing an example of a control routine for vehicle travel control. The program of this routine is held in the ROM of the control device 20, read out in a timely manner, and repeatedly executed at a predetermined cycle. As shown in FIG. 7, first, the control device 20 determines whether or not the trailer 3 is being pulled in step S1. This determination is made based on the presence or absence of the vertical load generated in the hitch 4 with reference to the output signal of the load sensor 21. In addition, you may provide the detection means which detects the connection of the trailer 3 for this determination.

  If the trailer 3 is being pulled, the process proceeds to step S2, and if not, the subsequent process is skipped and the current routine is terminated. In step S <b> 2, the vertical load acting on the hitch 4 is acquired based on the output signal of the load sensor 21. Next, in step S3, the traveling state of the connected vehicle 1 is acquired. As this running state, parameters to be reflected in the operation of the electric motor 9 and the brake 10, for example, the vehicle speed of the connected vehicle 1, the operation amount of the accelerator pedal, the steering angle of the passenger car 2, etc. are acquired based on signals from the sensors 22 to 24. Is done.

  Next, in step S4, a vertical load (target load) acting on the hitch 4 to be targeted in this routine is calculated. This calculation is performed based on the traveling state acquired in step S3. For example, when the connected vehicle 1 is in a traveling state in which the steady state shifts from the steady state to the acceleration state, the value is larger than the vertical load in the steady state so that the load distribution to the drive wheels of the passenger car 2, that is, the rear wheels 6 is increased. A target load is calculated. When the connected vehicle 1 is in a traveling state in which the steady state shifts from the steady state to the deceleration state, a target load having a value smaller than the vertical load in the steady state is calculated so that the load distribution to the front wheels 5 increases. Further, when the connected vehicle 1 is in a traveling state in which the vehicle travels from a straight traveling state to a turning state, a target load having a value smaller than the vertical load in the steady state is calculated so that the load distribution to the front wheels 5 increases. Furthermore, when the connected vehicle 1 is in a driving state that falls into an oversteer state or a spin state, in order to prevent these, the load distribution to the rear wheels 6 is increased so as to be larger than the vertical load in the steady state. A target load for the value is calculated.

  Next, in step S5, the vertical load acting on the hitch 4 is changed by operating at least one of the electric motor 9 or the brake 10 so that the target load calculated in step S4 can be realized. Thereafter, the current routine is terminated. Correspondence between the target load and the operation amounts of the electric motor 9 and the brake 10 can be performed by a map that is created in advance based on an examination result by an experiment or a simulation and stored in the ROM of the control device 20. In this case, the control device 20 specifies the operation amount of the electric motor 9 and the brake 10 that can realize the calculated target load by searching a map stored in the ROM, and the electric motor 9 can obtain the operation amount. And the brake 10 is operated. Instead of such a method, it is also possible to calculate the operation amounts of the electric motor 9 and the brake 10 each time the control routine is executed by substituting the target load into a predetermined mathematical formula stored in the ROM.

  According to the above embodiment, the electric motor 9 and the brake 10 provided in the trailer 3 are operated according to the traveling state of the connected vehicle 1, whereby the load distribution of the front wheels 5 and the rear wheels 6 of the passenger car 2 is optimized. . As a result, it is possible to prevent the behavior of the passenger car 2 and the trailer 3 from being disturbed, and it is possible to suppress a decrease in traveling stability and maneuverability associated with a change in the traveling state of the connected vehicle 1.

(Second form)
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. In addition, about the structure which is common in a 1st form, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to these figures, and description is abbreviate | omitted. FIG. 8 schematically shows a connected vehicle to which the control device according to the second embodiment is applied. As shown in this figure, the trailer 3 according to the second embodiment is provided with a support mechanism 26 as movable support means for supporting the wheel 7 in a state where the wheel 7 can be moved in the front-rear direction. The support mechanism 26 includes a cart portion 27 that rotatably supports the wheel 7, and a guide portion 28 that is provided on the loading platform 8 so as to extend in the front-rear direction and guides the cart portion 27 in the front-rear direction. The carriage unit 27 is provided with an actuator 27 a for moving the carriage unit 27 back and forth while being guided by the guide unit 28. The actuator 27a is configured as a hydraulic actuator using hydraulic pressure, for example. The control device 20 is electrically connected to the actuator 27a. The control device 20 can change the front-rear position of the wheel 7 of the trailer 3 by sending a command to the actuator 27 a so that the carriage unit 27 moves back and forth as an operation to the support mechanism 26.

  9 and 10 are explanatory diagrams for explaining the relationship between the position of the wheel 7 of the trailer 3 and the vertical load acting on the hitch 4. FIG. 9 shows a case where the vertical load is large, and FIG. Each small case is shown. As is apparent from these drawings, the up-down direction load Fc acting on the hitch 4 increases as the position of the wheel 7 moves rearward from the position of the center of gravity G of the load L. That is, as shown in FIG. 10, the load Fc gradually decreases as the position of the wheel 7 of the trailer 3 approaches the position of the center of gravity G from the position of FIG. The vertical load Fc acting on the hitch 4 can be made zero by moving the wheel 7 to the position of the center of gravity G ′ of the trailer 3 including the load L. According to this embodiment, even if the position of the load L changes, the vertical load Fc in the steady state of the connected vehicle 1 can be maintained at a predetermined value by changing the position of the wheel 7 in accordance with the change. Is possible. Further, when the position of the wheel 7 at which the vertical load Fc is held at a predetermined value is set as the reference position P (see FIG. 9), the vertical load Fc is determined by positioning the wheel 7 rearward of the reference position P. Can be increased from a predetermined value, and by positioning the wheel 7 forward of the reference position P, the vertical load Fc can be decreased from the predetermined value.

  11 and 12 are explanatory diagrams for explaining the correspondence between the position of the wheel 7 and the direction of the vertical load Fc acting on the hitch 4, and FIG. 11 shows the position of the wheel 7 where the vertical load Fc is downward. FIG. 12 shows the position of the wheel 7 where the vertical load Fc is upward. As is apparent from these drawings, when it is desired to apply a downward load Fc to the hitch 4, it is only necessary to position the wheel 7 rearward from the position of the center of gravity G ′ of the trailer 3. When an upward load Fc is desired to be applied, the wheel 7 may be positioned ahead of the position of the center of gravity G ′.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, by changing the position of the wheel 7 in the front-rear direction by the support mechanism 26, it is possible to influence the vertical load acting on the hitch 4. That is, the support mechanism 26 that can change the position of the wheel 7 functions as a control target according to the present invention.

  FIG. 13 is a flowchart showing an example of a control routine for vehicle travel control according to the second embodiment. The program of this routine is held in the ROM of the control device 20, read out in a timely manner, and repeatedly executed at a predetermined cycle. In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the process common to the control routine of FIG. 7, and description is abbreviate | omitted. In step S21, the control device 20 determines whether or not the reference position of the wheel 7 of the trailer 3 has been set. As described above, the reference position is the position of the wheel 7 at which the vertical load acting on the hitch 4 has a predetermined value. The predetermined value is appropriately set within a range that does not hinder the traveling of the connected vehicle 1. If the reference position of the wheel 7 has been set, the process proceeds to step S3. If not, the process proceeds to step S22 to set the reference position. Here, the control device 20 operates the support mechanism 26 to move the wheel 7 in a direction in which the difference between the measured value of the vertical load acquired in step S2 and the predetermined value decreases, and the measured value and the predetermined value are moved by the movement. A position where there is no difference from or a position that falls within an allowable range is set as a reference position.

  The subsequent processing is the same as in the first embodiment. That is, in step S3, the traveling state of the connected vehicle 1 is acquired, and in step S4, the target load is calculated. In the next step S23, the movement amount of the wheel 7 that can realize the target load is calculated. The support mechanism 26 is operated to obtain it. Then, the current routine is terminated.

  According to this form, in addition to being able to exert the same effect as the first form, the reference position of the wheel 7 is set, so that the type or position of the load L1 changes or the type of the trailer 3 changes However, the vertical load acting on the hitch 4 can be kept at a predetermined value. Further, since the second mode does not involve driving or braking of the wheels 7 of the trailer 3 in order to change the load distribution of the passenger car 2, there is no possibility that the acceleration / deceleration of the passenger car 2 and the acceleration / deceleration of the trailer 3 are not matched. . Thereby, running stability and controllability of the connected vehicle 1 are further improved.

  In each of the above embodiments, the control device 20 functions as load control means according to the present invention by executing the control routine of FIG. 7 or the control routine of FIG. However, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and can be implemented in various forms within the scope of the gist of the present invention. For example, the first mode and the second mode can be combined. That is, the driving force or the braking force can be applied to the wheel 7 of the trailer 3 and the position of the wheel 7 in the front-rear direction can be changed. In this case, since it becomes possible to use each of the electric motor 9, the brake 10, and the support mechanism 26 functioning as a control target in accordance with the situation, there is an advantage that the range of control can be expanded.

  The above-described controlled objects in each form are merely examples. Therefore, as long as what affects the vertical load acting on the connecting portion is provided in the towed vehicle, the control target according to the present invention is not limited to a specific form. For example, a balance mechanism having a weight that can move in the front-rear direction can be provided in the towed vehicle, and the vertical load can be changed by changing the position of the weight in the front-rear direction. In this case, the balance mechanism functions as a control target according to the present invention.

  The traveling control in each of the above modes can be coordinated with brake control such as VSC executed by the control device 20 for the passenger car 2 and braking / driving force control represented by VDIM. As a result, higher driving stability and maneuverability can be expected.

  The structure of the tow vehicle of the present invention is not limited as long as it can be self-propelled. For example, the tow vehicle can be a passenger car or a connected truck tractor that is a connected vehicle provided with a connecting portion capable of connecting a towed vehicle at the rear end. There may be. The towed vehicle may be a camping cabin, which is often connected to a passenger car, a motor boat carrier, or a trailer of a connected truck.

The figure which showed typically the connection vehicle to which the control apparatus which concerns on one form of this invention was applied. It is explanatory drawing explaining the change of the load which acts on each of the front wheel of a passenger car and the rear wheel accompanying the change of the up-down direction load which acts on a hitch, Comprising: The figure which showed the standard state of the up-down direction load. It is explanatory drawing explaining the change of the load which acts on each of the front wheel of a passenger car and the rear wheel accompanying the change of the vertical load which acts on a hitch, Comprising: The vertical direction load with the same direction and small magnitude compared with a standard state The figure which showed the state which acted. It is explanatory drawing explaining the change of the load which acts on each of the front wheel of a passenger car and the rear wheel accompanying the change of the vertical load which acts on a hitch, Comprising: The up-and-down direction load with the same direction and big magnitude compared with a standard state The figure which showed the state which acted. It is explanatory drawing explaining the change of the load state of a hitch at the time of giving the driving force or braking force with respect to the wheel of a trailer, Comprising: The figure which showed the case where a driving force was given to the wheel. It is explanatory drawing explaining the change of the load state of a hitch at the time of giving the driving force or braking force with respect to the wheel of a trailer, Comprising: The figure which showed the case where the braking force was given to the wheel. The flowchart which shows an example of the control routine of vehicle travel control. The figure which showed typically the connection vehicle to which the control apparatus which concerns on a 2nd form was applied. It is explanatory drawing explaining the relationship between the position of the wheel of a trailer, and the up-down direction load which acts on a hitch, Comprising: The figure which showed the case where an up-down direction load is large. It is explanatory drawing explaining the relationship between the position of the wheel of a trailer, and the up-down direction load which acts on a hitch, Comprising: The figure which showed the case where an up-down direction load is small. It is explanatory drawing explaining the relationship between the position of a wheel, and the direction of the up-down direction load which acts on a hitch, Comprising: The figure which showed the position of the wheel where an up-down direction load becomes downward. It is explanatory drawing explaining the relationship between the position of a wheel, and the direction of the up-down direction load which acts on a hitch, Comprising: The figure which showed the position of the wheel where an up-down direction load becomes upward. The flowchart which shows an example of the control routine of the vehicle travel control which concerns on a 2nd form.

Explanation of symbols

1 Connecting vehicle 2 Passenger car (towing vehicle)
3 Trailer (towed vehicle)
4 Hitch (connection part)
7 Wheel 9 Electric motor (wheel drive means, control target)
10 Brake (wheel drive means, controlled object)
20 Control device (load control means)
26 Support mechanism (movable support means)

Claims (4)

A controlled object that has a front wheel and a rear wheel and is capable of influencing a vertical load acting on the connecting portion via a connecting portion provided at the rear end of the towing vehicle capable of self-propelling. Is applied to a connected vehicle provided in the towed vehicle,
Load control means for operating the control object so that the vertical load changes according to the traveling state of the connected vehicle ;
The load control means is configured to increase or decrease the upper and lower values larger than the values in the steady state so that the load distribution of the rear wheels of the tow vehicle increases when the traveling state of the connected vehicle shifts from the steady state to the accelerated state. While calculating the directional load as a target load, the load distribution of the front wheels of the tow vehicle is smaller than the value in the steady state when the traveling state of the connected vehicle shifts from the steady state to the deceleration state. Calculating the vertical load of the value as a target load, and operating the control target so that the vertical load becomes the target load,
A connected vehicle control device. The towed vehicle includes a wheel positioned behind the connecting portion, and wheel driving means that is provided as the control target and that can apply at least one of a driving force and a braking force to the wheel. And
The load control means operates the wheel driving means to apply at least one of a driving force and a braking force to the wheels so that the vertical load changes according to a traveling state of the connected vehicle. The control device described. The towed vehicle includes a wheel positioned rearward of the connecting portion, and movable support means that is provided as the control target and supports the wheel in a state in which the position of the wheel is movable in the front-rear direction. Have
2. The control device according to claim 1, wherein the load control unit operates the movable support unit to change the position of the wheel such that the vertical load changes according to a traveling state of the coupled vehicle.   The control device according to claim 3, wherein the load control means sets, as a reference position, a position of the wheel at which the vertical load becomes a predetermined value when the connected vehicle is in a steady state.

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