VARIABLE TOE ANGLE CONTROL SYSTEM FOR A VEHICLE

• US 20080051941A1
• Filed: 07/30/2007
• Published: 02/28/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/25/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Koike, Akihko, Sasaki, Hiroaki, Horiuchi, Yutaka, Yanagi, Takashi
• Granted Patent: US 7,873,440 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 700/279
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 17/00 Means on vehicles for adjusting camber, castor, or toe-in
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 7/148 provided with safety devices

Abstract

A variable toe angle control system for a vehicle that can be incorporated with a fail-safe mechanism When a fault of the system is detected, at least one of toe-angle actuators is actuated to make toe angles of two wheels agree with each other. When one of the wheels has become fixed in position without regard to a control signal supplied to the corresponding actuator, the actuator for the other wheel is actuated so as to make the toe angles of the two wheels equal to each other. When at least one toe-angle sensor is found faulty, the actuators are both actuated until the actuators reach positions corresponding to stoppers. When information for determining target values of the toe angles of the right and left wheels is found faulty, the actuators are both actuated until the actuators reach positions corresponding to prescribed reference toe positions.

Claims

1. A variable toe angle control system for a vehicle, comprising:

a pair of actuators for individually varying toe angles of a right and left wheel;

a pair of sensors for individually detecting the toe angles of the right and left wheels; and

a control unit for determining a target value for each of the right and left wheels according to operating conditions of the vehicle and supplying a control signal to each of the actuators according to an output of the corresponding sensor and the corresponding target value;

wherein the control unit is configured to detect a fault of the system and actuate at least one of the actuators to make the toe angles of the two wheels agree with each other when a fault is detected in a part of the system.

2. The variable toe angle control system according to claim 1, wherein when one of the wheels becomes fixed in position without regard to the control signal supplied to the corresponding actuator, the control unit actuates the actuator for the other wheel so as to make the toe angles of the two wheels equal to each other.

3. The variable toe angle control system according to claim 1, further comprising a stopper for each of the right and left wheels, wherein when at least one of the sensors is found to be faulty, the two actuators are actuated until the actuators reach positions corresponding to the stoppers.

4. The variable toe angle control system according to claim 1, wherein when information for determining target values of the toe angles of the right and left wheels is found to be faulty, the two actuators are actuated until the actuators reach positions corresponding to prescribed reference toe positions.

5. A method for controlling toe angles of a vehicle in a variable toe angle control system, comprising:

preparing a pair of actuators for individually varying toe angles of a right and left wheel;

preparing a pair of sensors for individually detecting the toe angles of the right and left wheels;

determining a target value for each of the right and left wheels according to operating conditions of the vehicle;

supplying a control signal to each of the actuators according to an output of the corresponding sensor and the corresponding target value;

detecting a fault of the system; and

actuating at least one of the actuators to make the toe angles of the two wheels agree with each other when a fault is detected in a part of the system.

6. The method according to claim 5, further comprising, when one of the wheels has become fixed in position without regard to the control signal supplied to the corresponding actuator, actuating the actuator for the other wheel so as to make the toe angles of the two wheels equal to each other.

7. The method according to claim 5, further comprising preparing a stopper for each of the right and left wheels, and, when at least one of the sensors is found to be faulty, actuating both the actuators until the actuators reach positions corresponding to the stoppers.

8. The method according to claim 5, further comprising, when information for determining target values of the toe angles of the right and left wheels is found to be faulty, actuating both the actuators until the actuators reach positions corresponding to prescribed reference toe positions.