JP5534724B2 - Vehicle bank angle detection device and headlamp device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a bank angle detection device that can accurately detect a vehicle bank angle during cornering of a vehicle such as a motorcycle and a small planing boat, and a headlamp device using the bank angle detection device.

  When running a motorcycle, the car body is banked and cornered. However, the headlamps of conventional general motorcycles are fixed to the vehicle body, and when the vehicle body is banked, the optical axis of the headlamps also tilts accordingly. The light distribution of the headlight to the inner side in the traveling direction toward the surface decreases, and the field of view ahead of the traveling direction becomes narrower.

  That is, when the motorcycle goes straight, the headlamp irradiation range (light distribution) A is an irradiation range extending in the left-right direction parallel to the horizontal line H as shown in FIG. For example, as shown in FIG. 14, when the traveling direction changes to the left side indicated by the arrow P along the curved lane 90 of the motorcycle, the vehicle body is banked on the left side and cornering, so the irradiation range A of the headlamp is straight ahead. Compared to the case, it tilts to the left. As a result, the irradiation range A of the headlamp to the inner side of the turning direction in which the rider's line of sight faces (the portion B surrounded by a broken circle in the figure), that is, the area to be the traveling destination is reduced. The field of view is narrowed.

  As a headlamp device for solving such a problem, a headlamp lens and a light emitter are rotated in the direction opposite to the banking direction based on the bank angle of the vehicle body detected by the bank angle detecting means. Yes (see Patent Document 1).

JP 2004-155404 A

In the headlamp device of Patent Document 1, a yaw rate sensor such as a gyro is used as the bank angle detection means, and the bank angle δ is defined as follows: v is the vehicle speed of the motorcycle, g is the acceleration of gravity, and R is the yaw rate. Obtained from equation (1).
δ = sin ⁻¹ (v · R / g) (1)
The headlamp irradiation range with a wide field of view is obtained by rotating the headlamp in the direction opposite to the bank angle δ by an angle corresponding to the bank angle δ thus obtained.

  However, the bank angle δ obtained by the equation (1) is a bank angle during steady turning in which the centrifugal force applied to the vehicle body and the gravity component are balanced. In other words, it is not an accurate representation of the transitional bank angle at the start of a bank or during slalom. For this reason, if the lamp is rotated in accordance with the bank angle δ obtained by the equation (1), the rider may feel unnatural or uncomfortable.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and a vehicle bank angle detection device and a head using the same that can improve the estimation accuracy of the bank angle under various traveling conditions including when the bank starts and during slalom traveling. The object is to provide a lamp device.

In order to achieve the above object, a bank angle detection device according to the present invention includes an angular velocity sensor disposed at a predetermined inclination angle θ around a left-right axis with respect to a vertical axis of a vehicle, and a traveling speed of the vehicle. A time sensor that estimates the angular velocity around the longitudinal axis obtained based on the angular velocity ω detected by the angular velocity sensor, the inclination angle θ, and the vehicle traveling speed v. Bank angle estimating means for obtaining an estimated bank angle δ by estimating the bank angle of the vehicle.

  According to this configuration, the roll rate is estimated and the bank angle of the vehicle is estimated by integrating the estimated roll rate P over time, so the bank can be used in various driving conditions including when the bank starts and during slalom driving. The angle can be estimated accurately. In addition, since only one angular velocity sensor is required, the configuration is simplified by suppressing an increase in the number of parts, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

  In the present invention, the bank angle estimator includes an integration circuit that time-integrates the estimated roll rate P and outputs an estimated bank angle δ, and is arranged around the vertical axis of the vehicle based on the estimated bank angle δ and the speed v. It is preferable to have a feedback circuit that obtains an estimated yaw rate that estimates the angular velocity, multiplies the estimated yaw rate by cos θ to obtain a yaw rate component, and negatively feeds back this yaw rate component to the detected value ω of the angular velocity sensor. According to this configuration, since the numerical integration error due to the use of the angular velocity sensor and the estimation error due to the sensor drift are corrected based on the estimated yaw rate, the accumulation of errors with the passage of time is prevented, The bank angle can be estimated accurately.

  In the present invention, the bank angle estimating means uses the inclination angle θ and the traveling speed v of the vehicle to calculate the estimated bank angle δ, where δ ′ is a previously calculated estimated bank angle and g is a gravitational acceleration. The

により算出することができる。

Can be calculated.

  In the present invention, it is preferable that the bank angle estimation means further includes a drift removal circuit that replaces the angular velocity ω with zero when a predetermined angular velocity zero condition is satisfied. According to this configuration, the error due to the drift of the angular velocity sensor is eliminated, and the bank angle can be estimated with higher accuracy. For example, the zero angular velocity condition can be set as a condition such as when traveling straight ahead for a certain time, when traveling is stopped, or when the engine is stopped.

  The headlamp device according to the present invention is based on the bank angle detection device of the present invention, a headlamp that illuminates the front of the vehicle body, a light distribution adjustment mechanism that changes the illumination range of the headlamp, and the estimated bank angle. And a light distribution control means for controlling the light distribution adjusting mechanism and changing the irradiation range so as to irradiate the far side inside the turning direction during turning.

  According to this configuration, as described above, since the bank angle is accurately obtained under various driving conditions by the bank angle detection device, the light distribution control means sets the light distribution adjustment mechanism based on the detected vehicle body bank angle. By controlling, the irradiation range (light distribution) of the headlamp can be appropriately changed. For example, the light distribution adjusting mechanism rotates the irradiation range of the headlamp around the central axis thereof by an angle corresponding to the estimated bank angle in the opposite direction to the banked direction. Thereby, the light distribution of the headlamp increases inward in the turning direction in which the rider's line of sight faces during turning, and a wide field of view can be secured.

  In the present invention, a lamp speed integration circuit for obtaining a lamp angle by time-integrating a lamp speed command value output from the light distribution control means, and a first for obtaining a difference between the estimated bank angle δ and the lamp angle. It is preferable that the light distribution control unit controls the light distribution adjustment mechanism based on an output value of the first subtraction circuit. According to this configuration, the lamp angle, that is, the irradiation range (light distribution range) of the headlamp can be accurately changed according to the bank angle estimation result.

  In the present invention, it is preferable that the light distribution control means controls the light distribution adjustment mechanism using the estimated roll rate P as a lamp speed command. According to this configuration, the responsiveness of the headlamp angle to the estimated bank angle is improved. That is, it is possible to suppress the headlamp angle from being delayed with respect to the estimated bank angle.

  The present invention further includes a ramp speed integration circuit that obtains a ramp angle by time-integrating a ramp speed command value, and the bank angle estimation means obtains the estimated bank angle δ by time-integrating the estimated roll rate P. An angular velocity integrating circuit, and the light distribution control means includes a second subtracting circuit for obtaining a difference between the estimated bank angle δ and the ramp angle, and a predetermined time setting value for the output of the second subtracting circuit. It is preferable to include a division circuit that divides by 1 and an addition circuit that adds the output of the division circuit to the estimated roll rate P to generate the ramp speed command value.

  According to this configuration, by appropriately setting the time set value, it is possible to achieve both accurate followability of the headlamp angle with respect to the estimated bank angle δ and quick response. Here, the lamp angle obtained by time integration of the lamp speed command value may be obtained from an angle value of an encoder attached to the light distribution adjustment mechanism.

A bank angle detection method according to the present invention is a method for obtaining a bank angle of a vehicle body using an angular velocity sensor that is inclined with respect to a vertical axis of a vehicle at a predetermined inclination angle θ around a horizontal axis. An angular velocity ω obtained by combining a roll component P · sin θ including a roll rate P that is an angular velocity around the longitudinal axis of the vehicle and a yaw component R · cos θ including a yaw rate R around the vertical axis of the vehicle, An angular velocity detecting step of sequentially detecting at predetermined time intervals using one sensor, a speed detecting step of detecting the traveling speed v of the vehicle, and an estimated bank angle δ _n of the vehicle at the time point of interest t _n in seeking, in the case of vehicles with vehicle speed v at time t _n of the time t _n is from vehicle estimated bank angle [delta] _n-a and interest obtained in a previous time t _n-a of interest has bank yaw rate R _{n -A} , and when the vehicle turns at the yaw rate R, the estimation step of calculating the yaw component R _n-A · cos θ detected by the angular velocity sensor, and the angular velocity ω _n at the time point of interest t _n subtracting the yaw component _R n-a · _cosθ, seeking roll component _P n · sin [theta, an extraction step of extracting a roll rate _{P n} from the roll component _P n · sin [theta, time of interest from the time _{t o} a predetermined t and a bank angle calculating step of calculating an estimated bank angle of the vehicle at a time point t _n of interest by integrating the roll rate P sequentially extracted up to _n .

  According to this configuration, as described above, the bank angle of the vehicle is estimated by time-integrating the estimated roll rate P. Therefore, the bank angle can be accurately obtained under various driving conditions. In addition, the numerical integration error due to the use of the angular velocity sensor and the estimation error due to sensor drift are corrected by the yaw rate, so that the accumulation of the error with the passage of time is prevented, and the bank angle is made more accurate. It can be calculated.

  According to the bank angle detection device of the present invention or the headlamp device using the same, since the roll rate is estimated and the vehicle bank angle is estimated by integrating the estimated roll rate P with time, the bank start is started. The bank angle can be accurately estimated under various driving conditions including time and slalom driving. In addition, since only one angular velocity sensor is required, an increase in the number of parts is suppressed, the configuration is simplified, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

1 is a side view of a motorcycle equipped with a headlamp device with a bank angle detection device according to a first embodiment of the present invention. It is a longitudinal cross-sectional view of the headlamp in the headlamp apparatus. It is a block diagram which shows schematic structure of a headlamp apparatus. It is a block diagram which shows schematic structure of a bank angle detection apparatus. Fig. 2 is a front view showing a bank state of the motorcycle. It is a figure which shows the relationship between a vehicle body coordinate and a sensor attachment coordinate. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of calculation of an estimated bank angle. It is the graph which contrasted the estimation bank angle data obtained by the bank angle detection apparatus by this invention with the thing by a comparative example. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a headlamp device according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and shows a relationship between an estimated bank angle and a lamp angle. It is a block diagram which shows schematic structure of the said 2nd Embodiment, Comprising: The relationship between an estimated bank angle and a ramp angle is shown. It is a block diagram which shows schematic structure of the said 3rd Embodiment, Comprising: The relationship between an estimated bank angle and a ramp angle is shown. It is a front visual recognition figure which shows the irradiation range at the time of the cornering of the headlamp which concerns on this invention. It is a front view figure which shows the irradiation range of a headlamp when a motorcycle goes straight. It is a front visual recognition figure which shows the irradiation range at the time of the cornering of the conventional headlamp.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a side view of a motorcycle having a headlamp device using the bank angle detection device of the present invention. The motorcycle 1 has a front wheel 5 attached to a front fork 4 pivotally supported by a head pipe 3 at the front end of a body frame 2, and a swing arm 7 pivotally supported by a swing arm bracket 6 at the lower center of the body frame 2. The wheel 8 is attached, and the rear wheel 8 is driven by the engine 9 attached to the lower center of the body frame 2. The front fork 4 is configured to be steered by a handle 10 fixed to the upper end portion. A rear wheel suspension device 15 is attached between the swing arm 7 and the vehicle body frame 2.

  A headlamp 12 constituting the headlamp device 11 is attached to the front fork 4 via a bracket 13. However, in a motorcycle equipped with a cowling, the headlamp 12 may be attached to the vehicle body frame via the cowling.

  FIG. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the headlamp 12. In the headlamp 12, a lens 23 is disposed opposite to a front surface of a bulb 22 that is a light emitter provided in the lamp case 21, and the bulb 22 and the lens 23 are rotatable around a central axis C thereof. Thus, an irradiation range variable mechanism 17 is configured. That is, the lamp case 21 is attached to the annular rim 14 on the front side with a screw body (not shown), and a hook-like reflector 24 disposed so as to surround the bulb 22 is attached to the rim 14 with a hook and screw body (not shown). A lens 23 is rotatably supported on a rotation shaft 26 of a lens column 25 attached to the reflector 24. A rotating base 27 is disposed at the center of the reflector 24 so as to be coaxial with the lens 23. The valve 22 attaches the valve bracket 31 to the center of the rotating base 27, that is, on the central axis C. Is attached through.

  The rotary base 27 is rotatably supported by a fixed base 28 on the outer side thereof, and the fixed base 28 is supported by the reflector 24 via a bracket 58. The rotation base 27 and the outer peripheral portion of the lens 23 are connected by an arm 38. Thus, the bulb 22 and the lens 23 are rotatable relative to the lamp case 21, the rim 14 and the retractor 24. A front cover 30 is attached to the front surface of the retractor 24. A power cord 33 is connected to the valve socket 37.

  An arcuate driven gear 32 is provided on the outer peripheral portion of the rotating base 27 over an angular range of approximately 180 degrees. On the other hand, on the outer peripheral portion of the fixed base 28, the driving machine 18 that rotates the rotating base 27. Is attached. This drive machine 18 consists of a DC motor, for example. In addition, an encoder 29 for detecting the rotation angle of the rotation base 27, that is, the rotation angle of the lens 23 and the valve 22, is provided on the outer periphery of the fixed base 28 at a position away from the drive unit 18 in the circumferential direction. ing. The rotation of the drive machine 18 is transmitted to the rotation base 27 via the circular drive gear 34 and the driven gear 32, whereby the lens 23 is rotationally driven together with the valve 22. Therefore, the driver 18 and the irradiation range variable mechanism 17 constitute a light distribution adjusting mechanism 16.

  The encoder 29 is connected to a circular transmission gear 35 that meshes with the driven gear 32 and rotates, thereby detecting the rotation amount (quantity) or rotation angle of the driving machine 18, and the rotation of the lens 23 and the valve 22 based on this. Detect the angle. The transmission gear 35 has the same number of teeth as that of the drive gear 34 and rotates by the same amount as the drive gear 34. The fixed base 28 is provided with a limit switch 36 for detecting excessive rotation exceeding the set angle range of the rotary base 27 and stopping the driving machine 18. The power cords or signal cords of the driving machine 18, encoder 29 and limit switch 36, and the power cord 33 of the bulb 22 are led out from a cord lead-out hole (not shown) provided in the lamp case 21.

  The lens 23 and the bulb 22 have a general irradiation range property that becomes an irradiation range (light distribution) A that spreads left and right along the horizontal line H in a state where the rotation angle is 0 °. The irradiation range is provided by, for example, providing a light adjusting plate for adjusting the light divergence direction on the bulb 22 and integrally forming a large number of cylindrical lens elements and Fresnel lens elements on the front surface or rear surface of the lens 23. Can do. The structure of the headlamp 12 may be a headlamp in which the irradiation range of the lamp is changed by giving a drive signal, and is not limited to this embodiment. For example, the headlamp 12 may be one that angularly displaces a reflector, a lamp body, or the like, which is a reflector, in addition to the one that angularly displaces the lens 23. The lens 23 is a scattering lens in this embodiment, but is not particularly limited to this.

  As shown in FIG. 3, in addition to the headlamp 12, the headlamp device 11 includes a driving machine 18 and an encoder (rotation position detecting means) 29 provided on the headlamp 12, a bank angle detecting device 19, and a light distribution control means. 20 or the like. As shown in FIG. 6, the vehicle body defines three axial centers that pass through a reference point set in the angular velocity sensor 55, that is, a longitudinal axial center C1, a lateral axial center C2, and a vertical axial center C3. The front / rear axis C1 extends horizontally and in the front / rear direction when the vehicle body is traveling straight at a constant speed. The left and right axis C2 extends horizontally and in the left and right direction when the vehicle body is traveling straight at a constant speed. The vertical axis C3 extends in the vertical direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis C1 and the left and right axis C2 when the vehicle body is in a straight traveling state at a constant speed. The axes C1 to C3 are orthogonal to each other at the sensor reference point. Further, since the axial centers C1 to C3 are set to the angular velocity sensor 55, the orientation of the axial centers C1 to C3 also changes according to the vehicle body by changing the orientation of the angular velocity sensor 55 together with the vehicle body.

  3 detects the angular velocity around the longitudinal axis C1 (FIG. 6) of the vehicle body, that is, the estimated roll rate P, and outputs the estimated bank angle δ, and the light distribution control means 20 outputs the bank angle. The light distribution adjusting mechanism 16 is controlled by the estimated bank angle δ from the detection device 19. Details of the bank angle detector 19 will be described later. The light distribution control means 20 receives the feedback signal from the encoder 29, controls the drive unit 18 of the light distribution adjustment mechanism 16, and rotates the bulb 22 and the lens 23 via the irradiation range variable mechanism 17. The light distribution control means 20 may receive the integral signal of the lamp speed command D instead of the feedback signal from the encoder 29 and control the driver 18 of the light distribution adjustment mechanism 16.

The bank angle detection device 19 includes an angular velocity sensor 55 that is inclined at a predetermined inclination angle θ around the left and right axis C2 (FIG. 6) with respect to the vertical axis C3 (FIG. 6) of the vehicle body, and the traveling of the motorcycle. A speed sensor 57 for detecting the speed; a bank angle estimating means for obtaining an estimated bank angle δ of the motorcycle based on the angular speed ω, the inclination angle θ detected by the angular speed sensor 55, and the traveling speed v detected by the speed sensor 57; 59. The speed sensor 57 and the angular speed sensor 55 sequentially output detection values at predetermined time intervals. For example, the traveling speed v may be obtained from the rotational speed of the wheel, may be obtained from the output value of the acceleration sensor in the front-rear direction, or may be obtained from the transmission ratio and the engine rotational speed.

The angular velocity sensor 55 is, for example, gyroscope, as shown in FIG. 6, in the plane containing the front and rear axis C1 and vertical axis C3, and passes through the lateral axis C2, in advance with respect to the vertical axis C3 The angle is displaced by a predetermined inclination angle θ . The angular velocity ω detected by the angular velocity sensor 55 is an angular velocity around the longitudinal axis C1 because the angle formed by the sensor orthogonal axis C4 orthogonal to the sensor axis C5 and the longitudinal axis C1 is equal to the inclination angle θ. This is the sum of the component P · sin θ of the estimated roll rate P and the component R · cos θ of the estimated yaw rate R that is the angular velocity about the vertical axis C3 . In the present embodiment, with respect to the angular velocity sensor 55 that detects a predetermined angular velocity around the sensor axis C5, the sensor axis C5 is positioned so as to be inclined with respect to the longitudinal axis C1 and the vertical axis C3. The shape and posture of the angle sensor 55 can be arbitrarily selected.

  The details of the bank angle detector 19 are shown in FIG. The bank angle estimation means 59 includes a roll rate estimation circuit 60 that calculates an estimated roll rate P from the output of the angular velocity sensor 55, an angular velocity integration circuit 62 that time-integrates the estimated roll rate P and outputs an estimated bank angle δ, and an estimation. A feedback circuit 64 that obtains an estimated yaw rate R estimated from the angular velocity around the vertical axis C3 (FIG. 6) of the motorcycle based on the bank angle δ and the velocity v and negatively feeds back to the angular velocity ω, and a predetermined straight traveling condition. When the angular velocity zero condition is satisfied, a drift removal circuit 66 for making the angular velocity ω zero is provided.

  The bank angle estimator 59 time-integrates the estimated roll rate P obtained based on the inclination angle θ of the angular velocity sensor 55, the angular velocity ω detected by the angular velocity sensor 55, and the velocity v detected by the velocity sensor 57. Thus, the estimated bank angle δ is calculated.

  The feedback circuit 64 calculates the yaw rate estimating means 68 for calculating the estimated yaw rate R based on the previously calculated estimated bank angle δ ′ and the velocity v, and multiplies the estimated yaw rate R by cos θ to calculate the yaw component of the angular velocity sensor 55. Yaw component estimating means 70 and a negative feedback circuit 72 for negatively feeding back the value of the yaw component to the angular velocity ω that is a detection value of the angular velocity sensor 55 are provided. The negative feedback circuit 72 is a subtracter in this embodiment.

  That is, the estimated bank angle δ is obtained by the estimated roll rate P corrected every time with the estimated yaw rate R. For this reason, it is avoided that the influence of the zero point offset and the integration error of the angular velocity sensor 55 is accumulated over time.

A method for detecting the estimated bank angle δ by the bank angle estimating means 59 will be described with reference to FIGS. Assuming that the turning radius of the motorcycle is r, the gravitational acceleration is g, and the angular velocity (yaw rate of fixed coordinates) set regardless of the posture of the vehicle body is R0, as shown in FIG. The estimated yaw rate R when tilted at a bank angle δ from
R = R0 · cosδ (2)
It is.
On the other hand, the centrifugal force f applied to the center of gravity G of the motorcycle is expressed as follows:
f = m · v · v / r (3)
It is. Here, the mass m is the total mass of the vehicle body and the rider.
R0 is
R0 = v / r (4)
Therefore, when substituting equation (4) into equation (3), the centrifugal force f is
f = m · v · R0 (5)
It becomes.

In addition, when the bank angle δ is between the centrifugal force f applied to the vehicle body and the gravity m · g,
tan δ = f / (m · g) (6)
Therefore, substituting equation (5) into equation (6),
tan δ = v · R0 / g (7)
It becomes. Furthermore, the expression (7) substitutes δ of the expression (2),
tan δ = v · R / (g · cos δ) (8)
It is expressed. From equation (8)
sin δ = v · R / g (9)
From this, the estimated bank angle δ is
δ = sin ⁻¹ (v · R / g) (10)
It becomes.

As shown in FIG. 6, since the angular velocity sensor 55 is installed with an inclination angle θ with respect to the vertical axis C3 , the angular velocity sensor 55 is converted by coordinate conversion from vehicle body coordinates ( solid line ) to sensor mounting coordinates ( broken line ). Is measured by combining the roll component P · sin θ including the roll rate P and the yaw component R · cos θ including the yaw rate R,
ω = P · sin θ + R · cos θ (11)
It becomes. Here, since P and R are not directly measured values, they are hereinafter referred to as an estimated roll rate P and an estimated yaw rate R, respectively.
When the estimated yaw rate R is obtained from the equation (9) and substituted into (11), the estimated roll rate P is

となる。
この推定ロールレートＰを積分することにより、推定バンク角δが算出される。すなわち、前回算出した推定バンク角をδ‘とすると、推定バンク角δは

It becomes.
By integrating the estimated roll rate P, the estimated bank angle δ is calculated. That is, if the previously calculated estimated bank angle is δ ′, the estimated bank angle δ is

となる。

It becomes.

  The yaw rate estimating means 68 of FIG. 4 is based on the above equation (9) and the estimated yaw rate R (= g · sin δ ′ / v) from the previous estimated bank angle δ ′ and the traveling vehicle speed v detected by the vehicle speed sensor 57. Is calculated. The yaw component estimation means 70 multiplies the estimated yaw rate R by cos θ to calculate the yaw component R · cos θ that will be detected by the angular velocity sensor 55. The negative feedback circuit 72 subtracts the yaw component R · cos θ from the angular velocity ω (= P · sin θ + R · cos θ) measured from the angular velocity sensor 55 and includes a roll that will be included in the detected value ω of the angular velocity sensor 55. The component P · sin θ is output.

  The roll rate estimation circuit 60 calculates the estimated roll rate P (the above formula (12)) by dividing the estimated roll component P · sin θ by sin θ. The angular velocity integration circuit 62 integrates the estimated roll rate P to calculate the estimated bank angle δ (the above equation (13)).

  The drift removal circuit 66 replaces the angular velocity ω detected by the angular velocity sensor 55 with zero when a predetermined straight traveling condition or stopping condition in which the bank angle of the vehicle body becomes zero is satisfied. The straight traveling condition is, for example, when the motorcycle is traveling straight for a certain period of time or after a predetermined time has passed without acceleration / deceleration in the auto cruise mode. The stop condition is, for example, when the vehicle is stopped, when the side stand switch is ON, or when the engine is stopped. The drift removal circuit 66 may not be provided.

  The bank angle estimation means 59 and the light distribution control means 20 are built in the control unit 42 of FIG. 3, and are disposed, for example, below the seat 40 of FIG. The angular velocity sensor 55 is preferably arranged in the vicinity of the center of gravity G of the motorcycle body and the rider, but it is not limited to this as long as sufficient rigidity is ensured.

  As can be seen from the above equation (11), the influence of the yaw component R · cos θ increases as the inclination angle θ of the angular velocity sensor 55 decreases, that is, as it approaches 0 °. Conversely, as the inclination angle θ increases, that is, as the angle approaches 90 °, the influence of the roll component P · sin θ increases.

  The flow for calculating the estimated bank angle δ is as shown in FIG. That is, when the process of calculating the estimated bank angle δ starts, first, the process enters a step (S1) for determining whether the drift removal condition, specifically, the straight traveling condition or the stop condition is satisfied. If it is determined that the drift removal condition is satisfied, the angular velocity is stored as zero (S2A). If it is determined that the drift removal condition is not satisfied, the angular velocity detection step S2B is entered. In the angular velocity detection step S2B, the angular velocity ω obtained by combining the roll component P · sin θ including the estimated roll rate P and the yaw component R · cos θ including the estimated yaw rate R is sequentially detected at predetermined time intervals. In the present embodiment, the roll component P · sin θ and the yaw component R · cos θ are detected from one angular velocity sensor 55 (FIG. 6) that is inclined at an inclination angle θ. Even when each sensor for detection is provided, the flow for calculating the estimated bank angle in FIG. 7 can be applied.

Next, after the speed detection step S3 for detecting the traveling speed v of the motorcycle, the bank angle acquisition step S4 is entered. In previous bank angle obtaining step S4, it acquires the estimated bank angle [delta] _n-A obtained from the time t _n of interest in the previous time t _n-A. In this embodiment, the estimated bank angle recorded in the bank angle storing / output step S8 described later is acquired.

Subsequently, the yaw component estimation step S5 is entered. In the yaw component estimation step S5, the yaw rate R _n-A when the motorcycle is tilted at the travel speed v at the time point t _n of interest is calculated with the acquired previous estimated bank angle δ _{n-A. A} yaw component R _n-A · cos θ detected by the angular velocity sensor 55 when turning at the yaw rate R is calculated. In this embodiment, the yaw rate R _n−A = g (sin δ _n−A ) / v.

Further, the roll rate extraction step S6 is entered. In roll rate extraction step S6, the angular velocity omega _n at the time _{t n} of interest, determine the roll component _P n · sin [theta by subtracting the yaw component _R n-A · _cosθ, roll rate from the roll component _P n · sin [theta Extract P _n . Thereafter, the bank angle calculation step S7 is entered. In the bank angle calculation step S7, the calculated estimated bank angle [delta] _n of the motorcycle at the time t _n of interest by integrating the roll rate P are sequentially extracted by the time t _n of interest from the time t _o a predetermined.

Finally, the bank angle storing / output step S8 is entered, and the calculated estimated bank angle δ _n is recorded and output. The recorded estimated bank angle δ _n is acquired as the previous bank angle δ _{n-A in} the previous bank angle acquisition step S4 at the next calculation of the estimated bank angle.

  FIG. 8 is a graph in which the estimated bank angle δ is measured by changing the inclination angle θ of the angular velocity sensor 55 in FIG. 6. The vertical axis represents the estimated bank angle value, and the horizontal axis represents time. Comparative Example 1 is a value measured by a three-axis high-function gyro sensor, and Comparative Examples 2 and 3 and Examples 1 and 2 are values obtained by the bank angle detection device 19 of FIG. Comparative Examples 2 and 3 are examples in which the angular velocity sensor 55 is attached at an inclination angle of 0 ° and 90 °, respectively, and Examples 1 and 2 are examples in which the angular velocity sensor 55 is attached at 30 ° and 60 °, respectively.

  In the comparative example 2, the bank angle δ is calculated based on the inclination angle θ of 0 °, that is, only the yaw rate, and therefore, a sharper bank angle change, for example, an error during slalom is larger than that in the comparative example 1. In Comparative Example 3, the inclination angle θ is 90 °, that is, the bank angle δ is calculated only by integrating the roll rate. Therefore, the movement is smoother than the comparison value 1, but the correction by the feedback circuit 64 is not performed. The drift from the actual value increases with the passage of time due to the cumulative integration error caused by using the angular velocity sensor 55. In Comparative Example 3 in FIG. 8, the entire graph is shifted downward with the passage of time.

  In Examples 1 and 2, the inclination angles θ are 30 ° and 60 °, respectively, and there is almost no accumulation of errors during slalom as in Comparative Example 2 and integration errors over time as in Comparative Example 3, and Comparative Example The value is close to 1 and changes more smoothly than Comparative Example 1. Thus, in Examples 1 and 2, since the bank angle is estimated using the estimated roll rate and the estimated yaw rate, the accuracy is higher than in Comparative Examples 2 and 3 using either the yaw rate or the roll rate. Can be estimated well. The inclination angle θ of the angular velocity sensor 55 in FIG. 6 is preferably 30 to 60 °, more preferably 45 °. However, since the optimum angle varies depending on the accuracy (drift amount) of the angular velocity sensor 55 and the driving characteristics of the vehicle body, even if it is smaller than 30 ° or larger than 60 °, it is included in the present invention.

  FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a circuit for controlling the ramp angle based on the estimated bank angle δ calculated by the bank angle detection device 19 according to the present invention. The headlamp device 11 includes a light distribution control means 20, a lamp speed integration circuit 74 for obtaining a lamp angle α by time-integrating a lamp speed command value D output from the light distribution control means 20, and the estimated bank angle δ. And a ramp line α, and a feedback line 78 that feeds back the output of the ramp speed integrating circuit 74 so that the output is negatively input to the first subtracting circuit 76.

  The first subtraction circuit 76 uses the difference (δ−α) between the estimated bank angle δ output from the bank angle detection device 19 and the ramp angle α output from the ramp speed integration circuit 74 as the ramp angle control deviation δ1. Generate. The light distribution control means 20 outputs a lamp speed command D based on the output value of the first subtraction circuit 76. The ramp speed integration circuit 74 integrates the ramp speed command D and outputs a ramp angle α. The feedback line 78 feeds back the ramp angle α, which is the output of the ramp speed integration circuit 74, so that it is negatively input to the first subtraction circuit 76. The light distribution control means 20 controls the light distribution adjustment mechanism 16 of FIG. 3 based on the lamp speed command D.

  The followability of the lamp angle α to the estimated bank angle δ in the headlamp device of FIG. 9 is determined by the control gain of the light distribution control means 20. The larger the control gain, the better the followability, but it is more susceptible to noise. Therefore, the control gain is designed in consideration of followability and noise resistance. Ultimately, tuning is required to balance the tracking and noise resistance.

  The operation of the light distribution adjusting mechanism 16 rotates the lens 23 and the bulb 22 in FIG. 3 in the direction opposite to the banking direction of the vehicle body, thereby changing the irradiation range (light distribution) A to the lamp speed command D (FIG. 9). Rotate in reverse direction by equal speed. At that time, the rotation angle of the valve 22 and the lens 23 is controlled so that the rotation of the drive unit 18 is, for example, 1 to 2 times the estimated bank δ. The light distribution control means 20 stops the drive unit 18 when the lamp angle α reaches the estimated bank angle δ. As a result, the irradiation range A rotates in an opposite direction to the banked direction by an angle corresponding to the estimated bank angle δ (FIG. 9). The ramp angle α may be derived from the rotation amount of the driving machine 18 detected by the encoder 29.

  When the motorcycle changes its traveling direction to the left side indicated by the arrow P along a curved lane 90, for example, as shown in FIG. 12, the irradiation range A of the headlamp device 11 is set to the horizontal line H during straight travel shown in FIG. From the state extending along the left and right along, the state is slightly inclined to the left as shown in FIG. As a result, the light distribution to the inside of the turning direction in which the rider's line of sight faces (portion B surrounded by a broken-line circle in the figure) is much larger than in the conventional example shown in FIG. 14, and the field of view is widened accordingly. . Depending on the shape of the irradiation range A, the irradiation range A is rotated in the same direction as the estimated bank angle δ in the same direction, not in the opposite direction to the banked direction, so that the turning direction in which the rider's line of sight faces is turned. The light distribution inside may be increased.

  According to the above configuration, the roll angle P is estimated, and the estimated roll rate P is integrated over time to estimate the bank angle δ of the motorcycle. The bank angle δ can be accurately estimated under the conditions. Further, since only one angular velocity sensor 55 is required, the configuration is simplified by suppressing an increase in the number of parts, and the manufacturing cost can be reduced.

  The bank angle estimation means 59 obtains the estimated yaw rate R based on the estimated bank angle δ and the velocity v, and negatively feeds back the value obtained by multiplying the estimated yaw rate R by cos θ to the angular velocity ω. Therefore, the angular velocity sensor 55 is used. Since the numerical integration error due to this and the estimation error due to sensor drift are corrected based on the estimated yaw rate R, the bank angle can be accurately estimated by preventing the error from accumulating over time. Specifically, the estimated bank angle δ is calculated by the above equation (13).

  Further, since the bank angle estimation means 59 has a drift removal circuit 66 that makes the angular velocity ω zero when a straight traveling condition that is an example of a predetermined zero angular velocity condition is satisfied, an error due to drift of the angular velocity sensor 55 is eliminated. As a result, the bank angle δ can be estimated more accurately.

  Further, since the headlamp device 11 according to the present invention includes the bank angle detection device 19 as described above, the bank angle δ is accurately obtained under various traveling conditions, and the headlamp 12 can be accurately controlled. The light distribution control means 20 controls the light distribution adjustment mechanism 16 based on the detected vehicle body bank angle δ so as to irradiate the inside of the turning direction, that is, the far side of the turning center side when turning as shown in FIG. Then, the irradiation range A (light distribution) of the headlamp 12 is changed. For example, the light distribution adjusting mechanism 16 rotates the irradiation range A of the headlamp 12 around the central axis thereof by an angle corresponding to the estimated bank angle δ in the opposite direction to the banked direction. As a result, the light distribution of the headlamp 12 increases inward in the traveling direction in which the rider's line of sight faces when turning, and a wide field of view can be secured.

  Furthermore, since the light distribution control means 20 controls the light distribution adjustment mechanism 16 based on the output value of the first subtraction circuit 76 for obtaining the difference between the estimated bank angle δ and the lamp angle α, the lamp angle α, that is, The irradiation range (light distribution) of the headlamp can be accurately changed according to the bank angle estimation result.

  According to the bank angle detection method, the bank angle δ is estimated by time-integrating the estimated roll rate P. Therefore, the bank angle can be accurately obtained under various driving conditions, and the angular velocity sensor 55 Since the drift generated when the gyro sensor is used is corrected by the yaw rate R, it is possible to prevent the error from accumulating with the passage of time, and to estimate the bank angle δ with high accuracy.

  FIG. 10 is a block diagram of a headlamp device 11A according to the second embodiment. In this embodiment, the light distribution control means 20 controls the light distribution adjustment mechanism 16 using the estimated roll rate P as the lamp speed command D. Based on the angular velocity ω output from the angular velocity sensor 55, the roll rate estimation circuit 60 generates an estimated roll rate P and outputs the estimated roll rate P to the angular velocity integration circuit 62. The angular velocity integrating circuit 62 integrates the estimated roll rate P with time to calculate an estimated bank angle δ. The obtained bank angle δ is used for other applications such as a circuit for limiting engine torque by an excessive bank angle described later.

  In the first embodiment shown in FIG. 9, in addition to the necessity of tuning the control gain of the light distribution control means 20 in order to balance the followability and noise resistance, the ramp angle α is set to the estimated bank angle δ. Will have a delay. On the other hand, in the second embodiment of FIG. 10, since the ramp speed command D and the estimated roll rate P match, the ramp angle α is not delayed with respect to the estimated bank angle δ, and tuning is unnecessary. It becomes.

  FIG. 11 is a block diagram of a headlamp device 11B according to the third embodiment. In this embodiment, in addition to the second embodiment, the light distribution control means 20 obtains the second subtraction circuit 80 for obtaining the difference between the estimated bank angle δ and the lamp angle α, and the output of the second subtraction circuit 80 in advance. A division circuit 82 that divides by a predetermined time setting value and an addition circuit 84 that adds the output of the division circuit 82 to the estimated roll rate P and generates a ramp speed command signal D are provided.

  The second subtraction circuit 80 generates a difference (δ−α) between the estimated bank angle δ output from the angular velocity integration circuit 62 and the ramp angle α output from the ramp speed integration circuit 74, and the division circuit 82 This difference (δ−α) is divided by time T. The adder circuit 84 adds the output of the divider circuit 82 and the output of the roll rate estimation circuit 60. The ramp speed integration circuit 74 integrates the output of the addition circuit 84 and outputs a ramp angle α. The feedback line 78 feeds back the output α of the ramp speed integration circuit 74 so as to be negatively input to the second subtraction circuit 80.

  In the first embodiment shown in FIG. 9, the ramp angle α can be accurately followed by the estimated bank angle δ. However, as described above, the ramp angle α has a slight delay with respect to the estimated bank angle δ. On the other hand, in the second embodiment of FIG. 10, the delay of the lamp angle α with respect to the estimated bank angle δ is improved. However, in the light distribution adjustment mechanism 16, a control deviation occurs in the actual lamp speed with respect to the lamp command speed D. There is no guarantee that the ramp angle α matches the estimated bank angle δ. On the other hand, the third embodiment of FIG. 11 has the configurations of the first and second embodiments, and by appropriately setting the time setting T, it is possible to achieve both followability and responsiveness. The output of the second subtraction circuit 80 in FIG. 11 is equivalent to the output of the first subtraction circuit 76 in FIG. That is, the ramp speed command D in FIG. 11 is obtained by adding the estimated roll rate P in FIG. 10 to the ramp angle control deviation δ1 in FIG. Therefore, by appropriately setting this time T, it is possible to achieve both the following capability of the first embodiment and the responsiveness of the second embodiment.

  In other words, if the time T is set short, the output of the difference δ−α divided by the time T in the division circuit 82 becomes large, and approaches the first embodiment of FIG. On the other hand, if the time T is set longer, the output of the difference δ−α divided by the time T becomes smaller, approaching the second embodiment of FIG. The set time T is preferably 0.5 to 5 seconds, more preferably 1 to 2 seconds. Also in the third embodiment of FIG. 11, the ramp angle α may be derived from the rotation amount of the driving machine 18 detected by the encoder 20.

  As described above, the bank angle detection device of the present invention can be used for a headlamp device of a motorcycle and also for the following applications. For example, when a motorcycle is running, if the bank angle is large, the tires are slippery. Therefore, the present invention can be used to limit the engine torque according to the detected bank angle so as to avoid this. Further, the bank angle at the time of running is stored as data in the drive recorder, and this data can be used by the racer to examine the content of the race or to use it as a reference for future races. Further, when the road surface is slippery, such as in rainy weather, when the bank angle becomes large, an alarm can be issued and the rider can be alerted.

  As described above, the preferred embodiments have been described with reference to the drawings. However, those skilled in the art will readily understand various changes and modifications within the obvious scope by looking at the present specification. For example, in the above embodiment, the case where the present invention is applied to a motorcycle has been described. However, the bank angle detection device of the present invention can also be applied to a small planing boat. Accordingly, such changes and modifications are to be construed as within the scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

11, 11A, 11B Headlamp device 12 Headlamp 16 Light distribution adjustment mechanism 20 Light distribution control means 19 Bank angle detection device 55 Angular velocity sensor 57 Speed sensor 59 Bank angle estimation means 62 Angular velocity integration circuit 64 Feedback circuit 66 Drift removal circuit 74 Lamp Speed integration circuit 76 First subtraction circuit 80 Second subtraction circuit 82 Division circuit 84 Addition circuit A Irradiation range D Lamp speed command value P Estimated roll rate R Estimated yaw rate v Speed α Lamp angle δ Estimated bank angle ω Angular speed θ Inclination angle

Claims (8)

An angular velocity sensor that is inclined with a predetermined inclination angle θ around the left and right axis with respect to the vertical axis of the vehicle;
A speed sensor for detecting the traveling speed v of the vehicle;
The bank angle of the vehicle is obtained by time-integrating the estimated roll rate P obtained by estimating the angular velocity around the longitudinal axis obtained based on the angular velocity ω detected by the angular velocity sensor, the tilt angle θ, and the traveling speed v of the vehicle. Bank angle estimation means for obtaining an estimated bank angle δ estimated from
With
The bank angle estimator estimates an angular velocity around the vertical axis of the vehicle based on the estimated bank angle δ and the traveling speed v based on an integration circuit that integrates the estimated roll rate P with time and outputs an estimated bank angle δ. A bank angle detection device having a feedback circuit that obtains the estimated yaw rate, multiplies the estimated yaw rate by cos θ to obtain a yaw rate component, and negatively feeds back the yaw rate component to the angular velocity ω. An angular velocity sensor that is inclined with a predetermined inclination angle θ around the left and right axis with respect to the vertical axis of the vehicle;
A speed sensor for detecting the traveling speed v of the vehicle;
The bank angle of the vehicle is obtained by time-integrating the estimated roll rate P obtained by estimating the angular velocity around the longitudinal axis obtained based on the angular velocity ω detected by the angular velocity sensor, the tilt angle θ, and the traveling speed v of the vehicle. Bank angle estimation means for obtaining an estimated bank angle δ estimated from
With
The bank angle estimator calculates the estimated bank angle δ using the inclination angle θ and the vehicle traveling speed v, where δ ′ is the previously calculated estimated bank angle and g is the gravitational acceleration.

Bank angle detector calculated by An angular velocity sensor that is inclined with a predetermined inclination angle θ around the left and right axis with respect to the vertical axis of the vehicle;
A speed sensor for detecting the traveling speed v of the vehicle;
The bank angle of the vehicle is obtained by time-integrating the estimated roll rate P obtained by estimating the angular velocity around the longitudinal axis obtained based on the angular velocity ω detected by the angular velocity sensor, the tilt angle θ, and the traveling speed v of the vehicle. Bank angle estimation means for obtaining an estimated bank angle δ estimated from
With
The bank angle estimation unit further includes a drift removal circuit that replaces the angular velocity with zero when a predetermined angular velocity zero condition is satisfied, in which the vehicle angular velocity is zero. Bank angle detection device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
A headlamp that illuminates the front of the car body,
A light distribution adjustment mechanism for changing the irradiation range of the headlamp;
A light distribution control means for controlling the light distribution adjusting mechanism based on the estimated bank angle and changing the irradiation range so as to irradiate a far side inside the turning direction during turning.
A headlamp device comprising: An angular velocity sensor that is inclined with a predetermined inclination angle θ around the left and right axis with respect to the vertical axis of the vehicle;
A speed sensor for detecting the traveling speed v of the vehicle;
The bank angle of the vehicle is obtained by time-integrating the estimated roll rate P obtained by estimating the angular velocity around the longitudinal axis obtained based on the angular velocity ω detected by the angular velocity sensor, the tilt angle θ, and the traveling speed v of the vehicle. Bank angle estimation means for obtaining an estimated bank angle δ estimated from
A headlamp that illuminates the front of the car body,
A light distribution adjustment mechanism for changing the irradiation range of the headlamp;
A light distribution control means for controlling the light distribution adjusting mechanism based on the estimated bank angle and changing the irradiation range so as to irradiate a far side inside the turning direction during turning.
With
Further, a lamp speed integration circuit for obtaining a lamp angle by time-integrating a lamp speed command value output from the light distribution control means,
A first subtraction circuit for obtaining a difference between the estimated bank angle δ and the ramp angle,
The light distribution control means is a headlamp device that controls the light distribution adjustment mechanism based on an output value of the first subtraction circuit. An angular velocity sensor that is inclined with a predetermined inclination angle θ around the left and right axis with respect to the vertical axis of the vehicle;
A speed sensor for detecting the traveling speed v of the vehicle;
The bank angle of the vehicle is obtained by time-integrating the estimated roll rate P obtained by estimating the angular velocity around the longitudinal axis obtained based on the angular velocity ω detected by the angular velocity sensor, the tilt angle θ, and the traveling speed v of the vehicle. Bank angle estimation means for obtaining an estimated bank angle δ estimated from
A headlamp that illuminates the front of the car body,
A light distribution adjustment mechanism for changing the irradiation range of the headlamp;
A light distribution control means for controlling the light distribution adjusting mechanism based on the estimated bank angle and changing the irradiation range so as to irradiate a far side inside the turning direction during turning.
With
The light distribution control means is a headlamp device that controls the light distribution adjustment mechanism using the estimated roll rate P as a lamp speed command. An angular velocity sensor that is inclined with a predetermined inclination angle θ around the left and right axis with respect to the vertical axis of the vehicle;
A speed sensor for detecting the traveling speed v of the vehicle;
The bank angle of the vehicle is obtained by time-integrating the estimated roll rate P obtained by estimating the angular velocity around the longitudinal axis obtained based on the angular velocity ω detected by the angular velocity sensor, the tilt angle θ, and the traveling speed v of the vehicle. Bank angle estimation means for obtaining an estimated bank angle δ estimated from
A headlamp that illuminates the front of the car body,
A light distribution adjustment mechanism for changing the irradiation range of the headlamp;
A light distribution control means for controlling the light distribution adjusting mechanism based on the estimated bank angle and changing the irradiation range so as to irradiate a far side inside the turning direction during turning.
With
Furthermore, a ramp speed integration circuit that integrates the ramp speed command value with time to obtain the ramp angle is provided,
The bank angle estimation means has an angular velocity integration circuit for obtaining the estimated bank angle δ by time-integrating the estimated roll rate P,
The light distribution control means includes a second subtraction circuit that obtains a difference between the estimated bank angle δ and the ramp angle, a division circuit that divides an output of the second subtraction circuit by a predetermined time setting value, and the estimation An adder circuit that adds the output of the divider circuit to the roll rate P to generate the ramp speed command value;
Headlamp device. The angular velocity sensor is inclined with respect to the vertical axis of the vehicle at a predetermined inclination angle θ around the horizontal axis,
Detect the vehicle travel speed v,
The bank angle of the vehicle is obtained by time-integrating the estimated roll rate P obtained by estimating the angular velocity around the longitudinal axis obtained based on the angular velocity ω detected by the angular velocity sensor, the tilt angle θ, and the traveling speed v of the vehicle. Estimate
In estimating the bank angle, the estimated roll rate P is integrated over time to obtain an estimated bank angle δ, and an estimated yaw rate obtained by estimating the angular velocity around the vertical axis of the vehicle based on the estimated bank angle δ and the traveling speed v is obtained. A bank angle detection method for obtaining a yaw rate component by multiplying the estimated yaw rate by cos θ and obtaining a negative feedback of the yaw rate component to the angular velocity ω.

Images