JP5617509B2 - Car body tilting device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle body tilting device that tilts at least a vehicle body in the left-right direction.

Patent Document 1 describes a robot tilting device that tilts a main body of a robot in a front-rear direction with respect to a wheel holding unit. In this robot tilting apparatus, when the posture of the main body is unstable when the robot is stopped, the lean actuator is locked in that posture after being corrected to a stable posture. Thus, the main body can be held in a stable posture when the robot is stopped.
Patent Document 2 describes a vehicle body tilting device that automatically corrects the tilt angle of a vehicle body to a stable magnitude when the vehicle is stopped. In this vehicle body tilting device, the lean actuator is automatically locked when the vehicle is in a stopped state, in a low-speed traveling state, or in a turning state.
Patent Document 3 describes a vehicle body tilting device that controls a vehicle body in a stable posture while the vehicle is traveling, and locks the vehicle posture when the vehicle is stopped. Also, in this body tilting device, when the tilt angle exceeds the allowable angle range, the change rate of the tilt angle exceeds the allowable angular velocity range, the translation speed exceeds the allowable speed range, etc. The lean actuator is automatically locked.
Patent Document 4 describes a vehicle body tilting device that can lock a lean actuator by a driver's operation.

JP 2009-241169 A Special table 2008-505797 JP 2009-214670 A JP 2007-191128 A

  An object of the present invention is to improve a vehicle body tilting device, for example, to improve the stability of a vehicle body in at least one of when a person is getting on and off.

Means and effects for solving the problem

The vehicle body tilting device according to the present invention includes a lean control device that controls the vehicle body to a stable posture in at least one of a case where a person gets on the vehicle and a case where the vehicle gets off when the vehicle is stopped.
Thus, the stability of the vehicle body can be improved because the vehicle body is controlled in a stable posture in at least one of the case of getting on and getting off.

Patentable invention

  In the following, the invention that is claimed to be claimable in the present application (hereinafter referred to as “claimable invention”. The claimable invention is at least the “present invention” to the invention described in the claims. Some aspects of the present invention, including subordinate concept inventions of the present invention, superordinate concepts of the present invention, or inventions of different concepts) will be illustrated and described. Each aspect is divided into a term like a claim, and it describes in the format which attaches a number to each term. This is merely for the purpose of facilitating the understanding of the claimable invention, and is intended to limit the components constituting the claimable invention to those described in each of the following items, or any combination of the items. Absent. In other words, the claimable invention should be construed in consideration of the description accompanying each section, the description of the embodiments, etc., and as long as the interpretation is followed, another aspect is added to the form of each section. In addition, an aspect in which constituent elements are deleted from the aspect of each item can be an aspect of the claimable invention.

(1) A lean which is provided between each of the left and right wheels provided in the vehicle width direction and the vehicle body and tilts at least the vehicle body in the left-right direction with respect to the normal of the road surface. An actuator,
A vehicle body tilting device including a leaning control device during boarding / exiting that controls the lean actuator to control the vehicle body to a stable posture in at least one of a case where a person gets on the vehicle and a case of getting off the vehicle.
The lean actuator tilts the vehicle body in the left-right direction with respect to the normal of the road surface, but does not tilt the wheels even if the wheels tilt in the left-right direction as the vehicle body tilts in the left-right direction. Also good. When the wheel is tilted in the left-right direction, the tilt angle may be the same as or different from the tilt angle of the vehicle body.
Controlling the vehicle body to a stable posture means (a) controlling the vehicle body posture to be within a set range determined by the target posture, (b) controlling the vehicle body to be the target posture, (c ) Control so that the tilt angle with respect to the normal of the road surface of the vehicle body is less than the set angle, (d) Control so that the tilt angle with respect to the vertical line of the vehicle body is less than the set angle, (e) The entire vehicle ( (Including people) and control so that the action line of gravity passing through the center of gravity of the vehicle intersects with a predetermined area inside the closed area determined by connecting the ground contact point to the road surface of the vehicle wheel. To do. Moreover, it is applicable to control so that the change in the posture of the vehicle body is within the set range.
The inclination angle in the left-right direction of the vehicle body is a vertical line defining the vehicle body {a point on the vehicle when the vehicle is stopped on a horizontal road surface (for example, an empty vehicle state) The vertical line passing through the center of gravity of the vehicle and the midpoint of the vehicle body in the left-right direction} and the normal to the road surface. Further, based on the inclination angle with respect to the normal of the road surface of the vehicle body and the gradient of the road surface on which the vehicle exists (inclination angle in the left-right direction), the inclination angle with respect to the vertical line of the vehicle body can be acquired.
Further, the inclination angle of the wheel refers to a vertical direction line that defines the rotation surface of the wheel (in the above-described state, a line that passes through a contact point with the road surface in the rotation surface of the wheel and extends in the diameter direction) and a road surface method. The angle between the lines.
In at least one of a case where a person gets on and a case where the person gets off, the vehicle may be in a stopped state or in a traveling state. For example, the vehicle body can be controlled to a stable posture even when a person gets on and off the vehicle while the vehicle is running.
Further, the structure of the lean actuator does not matter.
(2) The lean control device is at least one of (a) that a person is likely to get off, that a person is likely to get off, and that a person starts getting off. And at least one of (b) an exit operation end detection device that detects at least one of a high possibility that a person has exited and an end of the exit operation of a person. .
For example, the main switch of the vehicle has been switched from ON to OFF, the door lock device provided on the door has been switched from the locked state to the unlocked state, the door has been switched from the closed state to the open state, etc. In this case, it can be considered that this is at least one of a high possibility that a person gets off, a person's intention to get off, and a start of a person's getting-off operation.
In addition, after the start of the above-described getting-off operation is detected, the door is switched from the open state to the closed state, the door lock device is switched from the unlocked state to the locked state, and the seated state. The person gets off when the switch is made to the non-sitting state, the signal from the sensor portable key is not received, or the set time has passed since the main switch was switched from ON to OFF. It can be considered that this is at least one of the possibility that the person has got off the vehicle and that the person has exited the vehicle.
Furthermore, (a) when the exit stop switch is provided on the portable key, the exit stop switch is turned ON, and (b) when the anti-theft mechanism is provided on the vehicle, the anti-theft mechanism is locked. Even when it is detected that a lock operation instructing operation of a switch (provided on the outside of the vehicle body or on the portable key) for instructing operation or instructing unlocking is detected, the dismounting operation is considered to have ended. be able to.
In addition, when the getting-off start switch is provided in the passenger compartment of the vehicle, the start of the getting-off operation can be detected by operating the getting-off start switch.
These are effective when applied to a vehicle that does not include a door lock device, but can also be applied to a vehicle that includes a door lock device. If detected, the start and end of the dismounting operation can be detected more accurately.
In addition, when one person gets off in a single-seat vehicle, one person gets off in a multi-seater vehicle, or when all people get off in a multi-seater vehicle One or more of them are included. The same applies to the ride.
(3) The lean control device at least one of (a) that a person is likely to get on, that the person is supposed to get on, and that a person's boarding operation is started. It includes at least one of a boarding motion start detection device to detect, and (b) a boarding motion end detection device that detects at least one of the high possibility that a person has boarded and the termination of a person's boarding motion.
For example, before the main switch is switched from OFF to ON, the door is switched from the closed state to the open state, the door lock device is switched from the locked state to the unlocked state, communication with the portable key Is likely to get on when the vehicle has been started (changed from a state without communication to a state where there is communication), a change in lean angle, or a change in vehicle height suddenly increased. (The possibility that the boarding operation is started is high), that it is considered that the user intends to get on, and that the boarding operation is started.
In addition, if it is detected that a person has been seated after the start of boarding or the like is detected as described above, or that the door has been switched from an open state to a closed state, the possibility that the person has boarded is high. It can be considered that this is at least one of the completion of the boarding operation.
Further, when the boarding start switch is provided on the portable key, it may be considered that the boarding operation is started even when the boarding start switch is turned on, or when the switch of the antitheft mechanism is operated to release. it can.
(4) The lean control device during getting on and off includes a control unit during OFF that controls an inclination angle of the vehicle body when the main switch of the vehicle is in an OFF state.
The getting-off operation and the getting-on operation are often performed when the main switch is OFF.
(5) The lean control device for getting on and off the vehicle may include a lean control unit for getting off the vehicle that controls the lean actuator while a person gets off the vehicle.
The period when the person gets off means a period from when the getting-off operation is started to when the getting-off operation is completed.
(6) The lean controller during the getting-off starts control of the lean actuator when the main switch of the vehicle is switched from ON to OFF, and a door lock device for locking a door provided in the vehicle is unlocked. It can be terminated when the lock state is switched to the lock state.
(7) The vehicle body tilting apparatus includes: (a) a lean lock actuator that locks the lean actuator; and (b) after the control by the lean control unit during getting off the vehicle, by controlling the lean lock actuator, And a lean lock control unit after getting off to lock the lean actuator.
Since the posture of the vehicle is controlled to a stable posture while the person is getting off, it can be estimated that the vehicle body is in a stable posture after the control during the getting off is completed. Therefore, if the vehicle body is held in the posture, the vehicle body can be held in a stable posture after the person gets off.
Further, after the lean control during the getting off is finished, it can be confirmed whether or not the posture of the vehicle body is a stable posture and then locked.
The structure of the lean lock actuator does not matter.
(8) When the vehicle leaning device is not within the target posture range when the control by the lean control unit during getting off is finished, the vehicle body tilting device controls the lean actuator to It includes a lean actuator control unit after getting off in a posture, and the lean lock control unit after getting off includes a post-posture control lock control unit that locks the lean actuator after being controlled by the lean actuator control unit after getting off. .
The stable posture of the vehicle body can be different between when the person gets off and after the person gets off (for example, in an empty state). For example, when getting off the vehicle, when the action line of gravity acting on the center of gravity of the vehicle intersects within a predetermined area, the area is narrowed after getting off. be able to. In that case, the posture control is performed after the control by the lean control unit while getting off, and then locked. For example, even when there is no person in the vicinity of the vehicle, the vehicle body can be held in a stable posture.
(9) The lean lock actuator holds the lean actuator in a locked state even when power is not supplied.
The lean lock actuator can maintain the posture of the vehicle body without consuming electric power.
The lean lock actuator consumes electric power during the lock operation, but can be held in the locked state without supplying electric power thereafter. Further, although the lean lock actuator consumes power during the release operation, it can be held in the unlocked state without power consumption thereafter.
(10) A lock confirmation device that confirms that the lean angle of the vehicle body does not change by supplying electric power to the lean actuator after the lean device has actuated the lean lock actuator to lock the lean actuator. including.
For example, the lean actuator is locked when the amount of change in the detected value by the tilt angle detection device is less than or equal to the set value near 0 even though power is supplied to the lean actuator to change the tilt angle of the vehicle body. Can be confirmed. Moreover, it is desirable to turn off the lean actuator and the lean lock actuator after confirming that the lean actuator is locked.
As described in detail in the embodiment, when the lean angle of the vehicle body changes after the lean lock actuator is locked, it is desirable to perform the correction operation of the lean actuator. For example, the output shaft of the lean actuator can be rotated by a minute angle so that the lock member can be reliably engaged with the output shaft.
(11) The vehicle body tilting device controls (a) a lean lock actuator that locks the lean actuator, and (b) controls the lean lock actuator when it is detected that a person has boarded the vehicle. A lean lock release unit after detection of boarding that releases the lock of the lean actuator, and the lean control device during boarding / exiting, after the lock of the lean actuator is released by the lean lock release unit after detection of boarding, the vehicle A lean control unit during boarding that controls the lean actuator while a person is on board can be included.
It is possible to control the vehicle body in a stable posture even while riding (during boarding operation). Since the lean actuator is locked after the main switch is switched from ON to OFF, the lean actuator is in a locked state before boarding. Therefore, after the start of the riding operation is detected and the lock is released, the lean actuator is controlled.
(12) The lean lock actuator locks at an arbitrary position among a plurality of predetermined positions of the lean actuator.
The plurality of positions can be the positions obtained by dividing the rotation range of the output shaft of the lean actuator at equal intervals.
(13) The vehicle body tilting device includes: (a) the lean lock actuator; (b) at least one lock member that is moved to the retracted position and the operating position by the lean lock actuator; and (c) the at least one lock member. A lean locking device including a biasing member that biases the lock member to the operating position.
At the operating position of the lock member, the lock member is engaged with the output shaft of the lean actuator, and the rotation of the output shaft is prevented. Further, the lock member is held at the operating position by the biasing member, and the output shaft is locked.
(14) The output shaft of the lean actuator includes a plurality of recesses formed on an outer peripheral surface, and each of the at least one lock member is at least one of the plurality of recesses in the operating position. Each is held so as to be engageable.
There may be one locking member or two or more locking members.
(15) The lean lock actuator includes: (a) an electric motor; (b) a drive transmission member that transmits the driving force of the electric motor to the lock member; and (c) rotation of the rotating shaft of the electric motor. And a drive transmission device with a motion conversion function for transmitting the drive force of the electric motor to the drive transmission member, and the biasing member is between the drive transmission member and the lock member. It is the coil spring arrange | positioned in.
The driving force of the electric motor is transmitted to the drive transmission member via the drive transmission device and applied to the lock member.
When the drive transmission member is moved toward the retracted position, the coil spring is extended, whereby the lock member is moved to the retracted position and held. The coil spring is considered to have a natural length at the retracted position of the lock member.
When the drive transmission member is moved toward the operating position, the coil spring is compressed, and the lock member is moved to the operating position and held. A biasing force toward the operating position is applied to the lock member by a coil spring.
(16) A lean that is provided between each of the left wheel and the right wheel provided in the vehicle width direction and the vehicle body of the vehicle and tilts at least the vehicle body in the left-right direction with respect to the normal of the road surface. An actuator,
A lean lock actuator that is switchable between an operation preventing state that prevents the operation of the lean actuator and an operation allowable state that allows the operation;
A door lock device provided on the door of the vehicle;
When the main switch of the vehicle is in the OFF state and the door lock device is in the locked state, the operation of the lean actuator is blocked, and when the main switch is in the ON state and the door lock device is unlocked. And a lean lock control device for controlling the lean lock actuator so that the operation of the lean actuator is allowed in at least one of the case of being in a locked state.
The technical feature described in any one of the items (1) to (15) can be adopted for the vehicle body tilting device described in this item.
In addition, when the main switch is in the OFF state, the door lock device is in the locked state, and the vehicle is in an empty state (a state in which no person is in the vehicle), the lean actuator is in an operation blocking state. The lean lock actuator can also be controlled.
(17) A lean that is provided between each of the left and right wheels provided in the vehicle width direction and the vehicle body of the vehicle and tilts at least the vehicle body in the left-right direction with respect to the normal of the road surface. An actuator,
A lean lock actuator for locking the lean actuator;
After the main switch of the vehicle is switched from the ON state to the OFF state, when the vehicle body is in a stable posture, the lean lock actuator is operated to lock the lean actuator, and a post-OFF lock control unit. A vehicle body tilting device comprising:
The technical feature described in any one of the items (1) to (16) can be adopted for the vehicle body tilting device described in this item.
If the lean actuator can hold the lean actuator even if no power is supplied, the lean actuator is locked without power consumption after the main switch is turned off. Can be held in.
(18) The vehicle body tilting device has a longitudinal shape and retains left and right wheels that are spaced apart in the width direction of the vehicle and retains the left and right wheels in a state allowing relative movement in the vertical direction. The lean actuator is provided between the left and right wheel holding members and the vehicle body of the vehicle, and by rotating the left and right wheel holding members and the vehicle body relative to each other, at least the vehicle body is placed on the road surface. This is a rotary actuator that tilts in the left-right direction with respect to the normal.
Lean actuators are actuated by supplying electric power, but when electric power is not supplied, (a) when an external force is applied to incline the vehicle body, the external force allows the vehicle body to be inclined. Alternatively, (b) the vehicle body may not be allowed to be tilted by an external force. In any case, the lean actuator is controlled in at least one of a case where a person gets on and a case where the person gets off. In the case of (b), the lean lock actuator is not essential.
(19) The output shaft of the lean actuator is fixed to the left and right wheel holding member, and the vehicle body is fixed to the main body of the lean actuator.
The left and right wheel holding members connect the left wheel and the right wheel, and a load applied to the left and right wheel holding members is distributed to the left wheel and the right wheel. In that sense, the left and right wheel holding members can be referred to as left and right wheel connecting members and seesaw members.
(20) The left and right wheel holding members may be left and right wheel holding bars that extend linearly in the width direction of the vehicle.
(21) The left and right wheel holding members may be curved when viewed from the front of the vehicle.
The left and right wheel holding members have a longitudinal shape extending in the width direction of the vehicle, but may have a linear shape or a curved shape. Examples of the curved shape include a V shape and a U shape. The left and right wheel holding members are integrally manufactured members, and are usually rigid bodies.
(22) The lean actuator may include an electric motor and a speed reducer.
Although it is not indispensable to provide a speed reducer, the degree of freedom in designing an electric motor can be improved by providing a speed reducer. The electric motor can be referred to as a lean motor.

It is the schematic which shows the whole vehicle body tilting apparatus which concerns on Example 1 of this invention. It is a front view (partial sectional view) of a vehicle including a vehicle body tilting apparatus according to the above embodiment. It is the schematic which shows the suspension of the said vehicle. It is a figure which shows roughly the lean actuator contained in the said vehicle body tilting apparatus. It is II sectional drawing (II sectional drawing of FIG. 1) of the lean lock apparatus contained in the said vehicle body tilting apparatus. It is AA sectional drawing of FIG. (a) It is a figure which shows the attitude | position in which the vehicle body of the vehicle by which the said vehicle body tilting apparatus was mounted was inclined. (b) It is a figure which shows notionally the area | region where the action line of gravity cross | intersects. It is a flowchart showing the lean angle control program during alighting stored in the storage unit of the lean angle control ECU. It is a flowchart showing the lean angle control program during boarding memorize | stored in the said memory | storage part. It is a flowchart showing the control program etc. after the main switch OFF memorize | stored in the said memory | storage part. It is a figure which shows the flowchart of the lean lock control program after another main switch OFF memorize | stored in the memory | storage part of lean angle control ECU of the vehicle body tilting apparatus which concerns on Example 2 of this invention.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Hereinafter, a vehicle body tilting apparatus as an embodiment of the present invention will be described.
The vehicle body tilting device is mounted on a vehicle as a vehicle shown in FIG. The vehicle includes left and right front wheels 10 and 12 and one rear wheel 14, and a vehicle body tilting device is provided between the left and right front wheels 10 and 12 and the vehicle body 16.
The vehicle body tilting device can be mounted on a four-wheel vehicle including left and right front wheels and left and right rear wheels, or can be mounted on a three-wheel vehicle including one front wheel and left and right rear wheels. The vehicle body tilting device can also be provided between the left and right rear wheels and the vehicle body.

<Seesaw bar>
As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle body tilting apparatus includes a seesaw bar 20 as a left and right wheel holding member. The seesaw bar 20 is an integral member having a longitudinal shape, and is often a rigid body. The seesaw bar 20 extends in the left-right direction (width direction) of the vehicle, and is held by the vehicle body 16 so as to be relatively rotatable at an intermediate portion (a midpoint in the longitudinal direction in this embodiment) 20C. At the left end 20L and the right end 20R, the left front wheel 10 and the right front wheel 12 are held so as to be extendable and contractible, respectively.
The left front wheel 10 and the right front wheel 12 are each held by the vehicle body 16 via a suspension 22. Each suspension 22 includes a leading arm 30 as a lower arm and a strut 32. The leading arm 30 is connected to the lower part of the wheel holding part 34 that holds the left and right front wheels 10 and 12 so as to be relatively rotatable, and the strut 32 is connected to the upper part of the wheel holding part 34. 32 is connected to positions of the wheel holding portion 34 that are separated from each other.
The leading arm 30 is connected at one end to the wheel holding portion 34 via a ball joint so as to be relatively rotatable, and at the other end, the leading arm 30 is held by the vehicle body 16 so as to be swingable about an axis extending in the left-right direction. The The strut 32 includes a shock absorber 36 and a spring 38 disposed in parallel with each other, and is fixed to the wheel holding portion 34 at one end, and the other end is the left end 20L and the right end of the seesaw bar 20. In 20R, pins 40L and R are respectively held so as to be capable of relative rotation about an axis extending in the front-rear direction. Thus, the strut 32 is held by the vehicle body 16 via the seesaw bar 20, and the strut 32 and the arm of the seesaw bar 20 (each between the middle point 20C and the left side, and the right side ends 20L, R). It can be considered that the upper arm is constituted by the (part).
In this embodiment, since the lower arm is the leading arm 30, a space can be secured between the left and right front wheels 10, 12, for example, installation of a vehicle pedal operation device or the like is facilitated.

<Lean actuator>
The vehicle body tilting apparatus includes a lean actuator 50 provided between the seesaw bar 20 and the vehicle body 16.
As shown in FIG. 4, the lean actuator 50 includes a lean motor 52 and a speed reducer 54 that are electric motors. Further, the rotation shaft as the output shaft 58 of the lean actuator 50 is held inside the housing 60 (see FIG. 1) so as to be relatively rotatable. In the lean actuator 50, the rotational speed of the output shaft of the electric motor 52 is decelerated by the speed reducer 54 and output, but the output shaft 58 is fixed to the seesaw bar 20 (it is fitted so as not to be relatively rotatable). ) The output shaft 58 of the lean actuator 50 extends in parallel with the axis A extending in the longitudinal direction of the vehicle, and the housing 60 similarly extends in parallel with the axis A. The housing 60 is fixed to the vehicle body 16 as shown in FIG.
Therefore, the seesaw bar 20 and the vehicle body 16 are relatively rotated by the rotation of the output shaft 58 of the lean actuator 50, and the seesaw bar 20 rotates relative to the vehicle body 16 about the axis A extending in the front-rear direction. Be moved.

<Lean lock device>
The vehicle body tilting device includes a lean lock device 62 provided on the output shaft 58 of the lean actuator 50.
As shown in FIG. 5, the lean lock device 62 includes (a) a housing 70, (b) one lock member 72, and (c) a lean lock actuator 74. On the other hand, a generally annular flange 80 is fitted to the outer peripheral portion of the output shaft 58 so as not to be relatively rotatable, and a plurality of recesses 82 are formed in the outer peripheral portion of the flange 80 at an equal phase. The recess 82 can be engaged with the lock member 72.

The housing 70 is composed of a plurality of members, and is provided in a state of gripping the housing 60. The housing 70 and the housing 60 are provided so as not to rotate relative to each other, and can be regarded as being provided integrally.
The housing 70 is formed with a guide hole 92 communicating with a through hole 90 provided on the inner peripheral side of the housing 60 and extending in the radial direction, and a lock member 72 is slidably fitted therein. The locking member 72 is in a posture that intersects with the rotation direction of the output shaft 58, and in the axis B direction, between the operating position that engages with the recess 82 of the output shaft 58 and the retracted position that is separated from the recess 82 of the output shaft 58. It is held relative to each other. The locking member 72 can be engaged with the concave portion 82 at the distal end portion 94.

As shown in FIG. 6, the lean lock actuator 74 converts a lean lock motor 100 that is an electric motor, a drive transmission rod 102 that applies a driving force to the lock member 72, and rotation of the lean lock motor 100 into linear movement. And a drive transmission device 104 that transmits to the drive transmission rod 102. The drive transmission device 104 includes a pair of worms 110, a worm wheel 112, and a screw mechanism 114, and the output shaft of the lean lock motor 100 is fitted (fixed) to the worm 110 so as not to be relatively rotatable. A drive transmission rod 102 is disposed on the inner peripheral side of the worm wheel 112, but a screw mechanism 114 is provided between the drive transmission rod 102 and the worm wheel 112, and the drive transmission is transmitted as the worm wheel 112 rotates. The rod 102 can move linearly. The worm wheel 112 is held in the housing 70 so as not to be relatively movable in the axis B direction and is relatively rotatable, and the drive transmission rod 102 is held in the housing 70 so as not to be relatively rotatable and relatively movable in the axis B direction. Is done.
A driving force transmission plate 120 is provided (fixed) on the driving transmission rod 102 so as not to move relative to the axis B direction, and a spring 122 is provided between the driving force transmission plate 120 and the lock member 72. The spring 122 applies a biasing force in the direction toward the operating position in the compressed state in the compressed state, but applies a biasing force that pulls the lock member 72 into the retracted position in the extended state (by extending from the natural length). . A rod 124 is disposed on the inner peripheral side of the spring 122, but the rod 124 prevents deformation and buckling of the spring 122 in the radial direction.

When the lean lock motor 100 is rotated from the illustrated operation position, the drive transmission rod 102 (drive force transmission plate 120) is retracted against the urging force of the spring 122. As the distance between the rod member 72 and the driving force transmission plate 120 increases, the spring 122 is extended, and the lock member 72 is pulled into the retracted position. The spring 122 has a natural length, and the lock member 72 is held in the retracted position without supplying current to the lean lock motor 100. Reference numeral 126 denotes a stopper that defines the retracted end position of the lock member 72.
When the lean lock motor 100 is rotated in the opposite direction to that described above, the drive transmission rod 102 (drive force transmission plate 120) is advanced, the spring 122 is compressed, and the lock member 72 is moved to the operating position. . Even if no current is supplied to the lean lock motor 100, the lock member 72 is held in the operating position by the urging force of the spring 122.

<ECU>
As shown in FIG. 4, the vehicle body tilting device is provided with a lean angle control ECU 200. The lean angle control ECU 200 mainly includes a computer, and includes an input / output unit, a storage unit, an execution unit, and the like. In addition, the input / output unit includes a vehicle speed sensor 206 that detects the traveling speed V of the vehicle, a main switch 208 of the vehicle, a boarding / alighting detection device 210, a parking switch 212 that detects whether a parking brake (not shown) is in an active state, A vehicle height sensor 214 that is provided corresponding to each of the left and right wheels 10 and 12 and detects a vehicle height that is a vertical distance between the wheels 10 and 12 and the seesaw bar 20, and the neutral of the output shaft 58 of the lean actuator 50. A rotation angle sensor 216 that detects the rotation angle from the position, a lateral acceleration sensor 218 that detects the lateral acceleration of the vehicle, and the like are connected, and the lean motor 52, the lean lock motor 100 of the lean lock device 62, etc. Are connected via a drive circuit.

The boarding / alighting detection device 210 detects whether a door provided on the vehicle is in an open state or not, and detects whether a door lock device provided on the door is in a locked state or an unlocked state. A door lock sensor, a main switch 208 and the like are included. When a vehicle is provided with a plurality of doors, a door open sensor and a door lock sensor are provided for each of the plurality of doors.
When the door lock sensor detects that the lock state has been switched to the unlock state, it is assumed that the boarding operation has started. From this, it can be considered that the boarding operation start detection unit 220 is configured by a door lock sensor or the like.
After the start of the boarding operation is detected, it is determined that the boarding operation is completed when the door opening sensor detects that the door is switched from the open state to the closed state. From this, it can be considered that the boarding operation end detection unit 221 is configured by a door opening sensor or the like.
It is assumed that the getting-off operation is started in at least one of the case where the main switch 208 is switched from ON to OFF and the case where the door lock device is switched from the locked state to the unlocked state. From this, it can be considered that the getting-off operation start detection unit 222 is configured by the main switch 208, the door lock sensor, and the like.
When the door lock device is switched from the unlocked state to the locked state, it is considered that the dismounting operation is completed. From this, it can be considered that the getting-off operation end detection unit 223 is configured by a door lock sensor or the like.

  In this embodiment, a battery 230 is provided, and power is supplied to the lean motor 52, the lean lock motor 100, the lean angle control ECU 200, each sensor, and the like via the drive circuit regardless of whether the main switch 208 is ON or OFF. Can be supplied.

Further, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7A, the seesaw bar 20 is controlled based on the difference between the vehicle heights h _L and h _R of the left and right wheels 10 and 12 detected by the vehicle height sensors 214. The rotation angle is detected, the rotation angle sensor 216 detects the rotation angle θact from the neutral position of the output shaft 58 of the lean actuator 50, and the lean angle θ that is the inclination angle of the vehicle body 16 is detected therefrom. In this sense, it can be considered that the lean angle detection device is configured by the vehicle height sensor 214, the rotation angle sensor 216, and the like.
Further, based on the detection value of the lateral acceleration sensor 214 when the vehicle is in a stopped state, the inclination angle of the road surface in the lateral direction of the vehicle can be known. And when the vehicle is stopped on a slope inclined left and right, the inclination of the vehicle body 16 with respect to the vertical line is determined based on the inclination angle of the lateral road surface and the inclination angle of the vehicle body 16 with respect to the normal of the road surface. I know the angle.
When the vehicle is stopped on a substantially horizontal road surface, it can be considered that the inclination angle of the vehicle body 16 with respect to the vertical line and the inclination angle with respect to the normal line of the road surface are the same.

<Operation of body tilting device>
In this embodiment, the vehicle body 16 is controlled so that it is always in a stable state.
As shown in FIGS. 7 (a) and 7 (b), the gravity action line F acting on the center of gravity of the vehicle intersects within the closed region R defined by connecting the ground contact points to the road surfaces of the wheels 10, 12, and 14. In this case, the vehicle is in a stable state, but in the present embodiment, the closed region where the action line F intersects is set in a range narrower than the closed region R. Also, a closed region (stable region when getting on and off) Ro when a person gets on and off, and a closed region (stable region when empty) Rf after a person leaves, and the stable region Ro when getting on and off are more stable regions when empty It is wider than Rf. Furthermore, both the closed region Ro and the closed region Rf are vertically passing through the center of gravity of the vehicle when the vehicle is stopped on a horizontal road surface in the standard loading state of the vehicle (for example, an empty vehicle state) inside the closed region R. A region including an intersection point Gt (center of gravity in plan view) with a line (gravity action line) and the intersection point Gt is substantially located at the center.
On the other hand, based on the detection result of the boarding / alighting detection device 210 from the time when the main switch 208 is switched from OFF to ON this time, the current number of passengers in the vehicle can be known, and the entire vehicle (including people) can be identified. Know the height (position) of the center of gravity. The center of gravity is higher when a person is in the vehicle than when the vehicle is empty. In addition, when the number of passengers is large, the cost is higher than when the number is small. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the center of rotation (20C) of the vehicle body by the vehicle body tilting device is set at a position lower than the center of gravity when the vehicle is empty.
Based on the above information, in the present embodiment, the lean motor 52 is arranged such that the line of gravity acting on the center of gravity of the vehicle body 16 intersects in the on-boarding stable region Ro or the empty vehicle stable region Rf. The lean angle, which is the inclination angle with respect to the normal line of the road surface of the vehicle body 16, is controlled.

When a person gets off when the vehicle is stopped, the vehicle body 16 is controlled to a stable posture.
An example of that case is shown in the flowchart of FIG. The getting-off lean angle control program shown in the flowchart of FIG. 8 is executed at predetermined time intervals.
In step 1 (abbreviated as S1. The same applies to other steps), it is determined whether or not the vehicle is stopped. When the detected value of the vehicle speed sensor 206 is equal to or lower than a set speed that can be regarded as being in a stopped state, it is determined that the vehicle is stopped. Further, when S1 is executed, it does not matter whether the main switch 208 is ON or OFF. It may be ON or OFF. When the vehicle is in a stopped state, it is determined whether or not the lean angle control is underway. First, when S2 is executed, the determination is NO, and therefore, in S3, it is determined whether or not a start such as a getting-off operation is detected. When the getting-off operation start detection unit 222 detects the start of the getting-off operation, it is determined that the getting-off operation has been started. In that case, the lean angle control during getting off is performed in S4. As described above, the lean angle is controlled so that the line of gravity acting on the center of gravity of the vehicle intersects within the stable region Ro during getting on and off. Moreover, in S5, it is determined by the getting-off operation end detection unit 223 whether or not the getting-off operation has ended. Before the dismounting operation is completed, S1, 2, and 5 are repeatedly executed, and the lean angle control during the dismounting is continuously performed. However, when the dismounting operation is completed, the lean angle control during the dismounting is performed in S6. Be terminated.
The step S6 is not indispensable and is provided to facilitate understanding of the invention.
If the lean angle control during getting off is performed because the main switch 208 is switched from ON to OFF, and the vehicle is in an empty state at the end of the getting-off operation in S5, after S6 is executed, As described above, the lean actuator 50 is locked under the control of the lean lock actuator 100.
In addition, if the vehicle is not in an empty state at the end of the dismounting operation in S5, the information on the center of gravity position used for lean angle control is corrected, and then the lean angle control is continuously performed based on the state of the vehicle. . Further, the same applies to the case where the lean angle control during getting off is started due to the door lock being switched to the unlocked state. For example, when a plurality of people are on the vehicle, one of them gets off. After the position of the center of gravity is corrected, the lean angle is continuously controlled. Since the lean angle control in this case is not related to the present invention, the description thereof is omitted.

Further, the vehicle body 16 can be controlled in a stable posture even when a person gets on the vehicle in a stopped state. An example of that case is shown in the flowchart of FIG.
If the vehicle is in a stopped state and lean angle control is not being performed during riding, the determination in S11 is YES and the determination in S12 is NO. In S13, it is determined whether or not the boarding operation is started by the boarding operation start detection unit 220. When the start of the boarding operation is detected, the determination in S13 is YES, and in S13a, the lean lock is released by the operation of the lean lock motor 100. In S14, the lean angle control during riding is controlled by the control of the lean motor 52. Is done. In this case, the position of the center of gravity is set higher than when the vehicle is empty. Next, in S15, the boarding operation end detection unit 221 detects whether or not the boarding operation has ended. Before the riding operation is completed, S11, 12, and 15 are repeatedly executed, and the lean angle control during riding is continuously performed. When the boarding operation is completed, the lean angle control during boarding is terminated in S16. Thereafter, the lean angle is controlled.
The flowchart of FIG. 9 is executed when (i) a person gets in an empty state, (ii) when a passenger is present, and when another person gets on, etc. In the case of (2), it is considered that the main switch 208 is OFF, but in the case of (ii), the main switch 208 may be ON.

Next, the case where the lean actuator 50 is locked after the lean angle control during getting off will be described. For example, in the case of a vehicle with one occupant, when the lean angle control during getting off is performed due to the main switch 208 being turned off, no people are getting on the vehicle after getting off. It is considered that the vehicle is in an empty state. In this case, it is desirable to lock the posture by controlling the lean actuator 50 after controlling the posture of the vehicle body 16 to a stable posture. An example in that case will be described based on the flowchart of FIG.
In S21, it is determined whether or not the main switch 208 has been switched from the ON state to the OFF state. When the main switch 208 is switched from ON to OFF, the lean angle control during getting off is performed in S22, and whether or not the door lock device is switched from the unlocked state to the locked state in S23 (the getting-off operation is performed). It is determined whether or not the processing has ended. When the end of the getting-off operation is not detected, S22 and S23 are repeatedly executed, and the lean angle control during getting-off is continuously performed. After that, when the door lock device is switched from the unlocked state to the locked state, it is determined in S24 whether or not the posture of the vehicle body is “stable posture in the empty vehicle state”. It is determined whether or not the line of gravity of the vehicle intersects within the closed region Rf. In the case of “stable posture in an empty state”, the lean lock motor 100 is operated in S26, and the lean actuator 50 is locked at that position.
On the other hand, if it is not in the “stable attitude in the empty state”, the lean angle is controlled in S25, the attitude of the vehicle body is controlled to “stable attitude in the empty state”, and the lean actuator is determined in S26. 50 is locked.
Thereafter, in S27, the lean motor 52 is operated, and in S28, it is determined whether or not the amount of change in the lean angle is equal to or less than a set amount (a value near 0). If the lean angle hardly changes, the lean lock motor 100 and the lean motor 52 are turned off and the power is turned off in S29.
On the other hand, when the lean angle changes more than the set amount, S27 and S28 are repeatedly executed until the change of the lean angle becomes very small so that the control of the lean motor 52 is continuously performed. Can do. For example, when the lean angle changes by more than a set amount due to the lock member 72 not being properly engaged with the recess 82, the lean motor 52 is slightly rotated (rotated in both directions). The lock member 72 can be satisfactorily engaged with the recess 82, and the change in the lean angle can be made extremely small.

  Thus, in this embodiment, when the end of the person's dismounting operation is detected after the main switch 208 is turned off, the vehicle is assumed to be in an empty state, and the posture of the vehicle body 16 is “empty vehicle”. In this state, the lean actuator 50 is locked. As a result, even when a person leaves the vehicle, the posture of the vehicle body 16 can be maintained in a stable state in an empty vehicle state. Further, since the locked state of the lean actuator 50 is maintained even when no current is supplied to the lean lock motor 100, the power consumption can be reduced.

  Note that it is detected whether or not the vehicle is in an empty state before the execution of S24. If the vehicle is in an empty state, the steps after S24 can be executed. If the vehicle is a single passenger or if there is only one passenger, it can be considered that the vehicle is in an empty state. On the other hand, when there are a plurality of passengers, the vehicle is not always in an empty state. In this case, whether or not the vehicle is in an empty state can be determined based on the position of the door lock device switched from the unlocked state to the locked state. If a seating sensor or the like is provided, the number of passengers can be acquired based on the detection value of the seating sensor, and it can be detected whether the vehicle is in an empty state.

Moreover, the boarding / alighting detection apparatus 219 is not limited to the aspect in the said Example.
For example, when the communication with the portable key is switched from the “none” state to the “present” state, and the lean angle and the vehicle height change greatly, it is detected that the boarding operation is started. Can be.
In addition, when communication with the portable key is switched from “Yes” to “No”, the dismount operation ends after the set time has elapsed since the main switch 208 was switched from ON to OFF. It is also possible to detect that it has occurred.
In addition, the portable key is provided with a boarding end switch, boarding start switch, boarding start switch, boarding end switch, so that the start, end, boarding start, end, etc. of boarding are detected based on the operation state of these switches. You can also
In addition, when the vehicle is equipped with an anti-theft device, and the vehicle or the portable key is provided with a switch for instructing the lock operation / release operation of the anti-theft device, the switch lock operation instruction operation is performed. It is also possible to detect the start or end of the boarding operation when the start or end of the getting-off operation is detected and the release operation instruction operation is performed.

  In the present embodiment, the lean angle control program shown in the flowchart of FIG. 8 of the lean angle control ECU 200, the lean angle control program during boarding shown in the flowchart of FIG. 9, and the lean angle after the main switch OFF in FIG. A lean angle control device during boarding / alighting is configured by a part for storing the equal control program, a part for executing the program, and the like. Among them, the lean angle control unit for getting off the lean angle control program is composed of the part for storing and executing the lean angle control program during getting off, and the lean angle control for getting on board by the part for storing and executing the lean angle control program during getting on and off. The lean actuator control unit after getting off is constituted by the part that stores S24, 25, the part that executes S24, 25, etc., and the lean lock control part that is after getting off, the lean after control by the part that stores S26, the part that executes, etc. A lock part is configured. In addition, a lean lock releasing unit after boarding detection is configured by the part that stores S13a, the part that executes S13a, and the like.

In the present embodiment, the lean actuator 50 is locked when the main switch 208 is turned from ON to OFF. When the main switch 208 is turned off, the posture of the vehicle body is controlled to a stable posture, and if it is known in advance that the posture is a stable posture even during the getting-off operation, the lean actuator 50 is set to the main switch. After 208 is turned off, it can be locked.
In S61, it is determined whether or not the main switch 208 has been switched from ON to OFF. If switched, S62 and subsequent steps are executed.
In S62 and 63, based on the detection value of the vehicle speed sensor 206, it is determined whether or not the vehicle speed is equal to or lower than a set speed that can be regarded as being in a stopped state (whether or not it is almost 0), and the parking brake is ON. Is determined based on the state of the parking switch 212. When the vehicle is in the stopped state and the parking brake is in the applied state, the lean lock motor 100 is operated in S64, and the lean actuator 50 is locked. On the other hand, if the vehicle speed is higher than the set speed, this is notified in S65, and if the parking brake is not in the applied state, this is notified in S66.

After the lean lock, the lean motor 52 is operated in S67, and it is determined in S68 whether the lean angle actually changes. If the lean angle changes despite being lean-locked, it is considered that the lock member 72 is not well engaged with the recess 82, so S67 and 68 are repeated. If the lean angle is almost unchanged, it is notified in S69 that the vehicle is ready to get off, that is, the vehicle body 16 is securely locked in a stable posture. People are expected to get off. Thereafter, in S70, the lean motor 52 and the lean lock motor 100 are turned off.
As described above, in this embodiment, when it is known in advance that the posture of the vehicle body is in a stable posture after the main switch 208 is turned off, the lean angle control is not performed during getting off, and the lean angle control is not performed. Since the actuator 50 is locked, a great effect of reducing power consumption can be obtained.

Note that the steps S62, 63, 65, and 66 are not essential.
Further, when the lean angle is changed when the current is supplied to the lean motor 52, S67 and 68 are repeatedly executed. However, even if the set time elapses, the change in the lean angle is small. If not, this can be notified.
Further, after it is notified that the vehicle is ready to get off and it is detected that the door is switched from the unlocked state to the locked state, the lean motor 52 and the like may be turned off.
Moreover, in the vehicle body tilting device, the shape of the seesaw bar 20 can be V-shaped or U-shaped regardless of the shape.
Further, the lean actuator 50 is not limited to that in the above-described embodiment, but can be applied to other structures.
In addition to the above-described embodiments, the present invention can be carried out in various modifications and improvements based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10, 12: Wheel 16: Vehicle body 20: Seesaw bar 50; Lean actuator 52; Lean motor 58: Output shaft 60; Main body 62: Lean lock device 72: Lock member 76: Lean lock actuator 82: Recess 100: Lean lock motor 102 : Drive transmission rod 104: Motion conversion mechanism 122: Spring

Claims (3)

A lean actuator provided between each of the left wheel and the right wheel provided in the vehicle width direction and the vehicle body, and tilting at least the vehicle body in the left-right direction with respect to the normal of the road surface;
A lean-lock actuator that locks the lean actuator;
A lean control device during boarding / exiting that controls the lean actuator to control the vehicle body to a stable posture in at least one of a case where a person gets on and a case of getting off when the vehicle is stopped;
The passenger during the lean control device, while the human from the vehicle gets off, include a drop-off in lean control unit for controlling the lean actuator, the drop-off during the lean control unit, the control of the lean actuator, of the vehicle main It starts when the switch is switched from ON to OFF, and ends when the door lock device that locks the door provided in the vehicle is switched from the unlocked state to the locked state,
The vehicle body tilting device includes a lean lock control unit after dismounting that locks the lean actuator by controlling the lean lock actuator after the control by the lean control unit during dismounting is finished. (I) when control by the lean control unit during getting off is finished, if the vehicle posture is not within the target posture range, the lean actuator is controlled to be within the target posture range, A post-posture control lock control unit that locks the lean actuator by controlling the lean lock actuator, and (ii) the vehicle posture is within a target posture range when the control by the lean control unit during dismounting is completed. Control the lean lock actuator without controlling the lean actuator And a post-posture-control lock control unit for locking the lean actuator . The vehicle body tilting device further includes a lean lock release unit after detection of boarding that unlocks the lean actuator by controlling the lean lock actuator when it is detected that a person has boarded the vehicle. A lean control unit during boarding that controls the lean actuator while a person gets on the vehicle after the lean actuator is unlocked by the lean lock release unit after detection of getting on and off. body tilt device according to claim 1 comprising a. The vehicle body tilting device includes a left and right wheel holding member that holds a left wheel and a right wheel that are formed in a longitudinal shape and are separated from each other in the width direction of the vehicle in a state that allows relative movement in the vertical direction. The lean actuator is provided between the left and right wheel holding members and the vehicle body, and the left and right wheel holding members and the vehicle body are rotated relative to each other to at least bring the vehicle body to the normal of the road surface. The vehicle body tilting device according to claim 1 , wherein the vehicle tilting device is a rotary actuator that tilts in the left-right direction.

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