ROAD SURFACE CONDITION DETECTION SYSTEM, ACTIVE SUSPENSION SYSTEM, ANTI-LOCK BRAKE SYSTEM, AND SENSOR UNIT THEREFOR
First Claim
1. A road surface condition detection system comprising:
- a sensor unit which is provided at a rotation mechanism portion installed on a vehicle body of a vehicle and including a rotor for rotating the wheels fixed thereon and the wheels and which detects an acceleration generated in a rotational direction with rotation, converts the acceleration into an electric signal, converts the detected acceleration signal into a digital data and transmits digital information including the digital data;
a monitor device which is installed on the vehicle body and receives the digital information transmitted from the sensor unit and acquires the acceleration signal, characterized in thatthe monitor device includes;
road surface condition storage means of a plurality of types of information of variation characteristics of the acceleration signal detected for each condition of road surfaces on which the vehicle runs;
road surface condition identification means of identifying a road surface condition corresponding to the received acceleration signal based on information of variation characteristics of an acceleration signal received from the sensor unit and an acceleration signal stored in the road surface condition storage means; and
road surface condition information output means of extracting, from the road surface condition storage means, information of a road surface condition identified by the road surface condition identification means and of outputting the information.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A road surface condition detection system capable of quickly and accurately detecting road surface conditions during vehicle running, an active suspension system and an anti-lock brake system using the road surface condition detection system, and a sensor unit for the road surface condition detection system are provided. A sensor unit, provided on a rotor of a rotation mechanism section of a wheel, has an acceleration sensor for detecting an acceleration occurring in the rotational direction of the wheel as the wheel rotates. A signal of the detected acceleration is received by a monitor device, the received signal is compared to a variation pattern of an acceleration signal for each road surface condition, the pattern being previously stored in a storage section to identify a road surface condition, and information of the identified condition is output. Drive control of the active suspension system and the anti-lock brake system is made based on the information of the road surface conditions.
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Citations
29 Claims
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1. A road surface condition detection system comprising:
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a sensor unit which is provided at a rotation mechanism portion installed on a vehicle body of a vehicle and including a rotor for rotating the wheels fixed thereon and the wheels and which detects an acceleration generated in a rotational direction with rotation, converts the acceleration into an electric signal, converts the detected acceleration signal into a digital data and transmits digital information including the digital data; a monitor device which is installed on the vehicle body and receives the digital information transmitted from the sensor unit and acquires the acceleration signal, characterized in that the monitor device includes; road surface condition storage means of a plurality of types of information of variation characteristics of the acceleration signal detected for each condition of road surfaces on which the vehicle runs; road surface condition identification means of identifying a road surface condition corresponding to the received acceleration signal based on information of variation characteristics of an acceleration signal received from the sensor unit and an acceleration signal stored in the road surface condition storage means; and road surface condition information output means of extracting, from the road surface condition storage means, information of a road surface condition identified by the road surface condition identification means and of outputting the information. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8)
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9. An active suspension system for vehicle configured so as to drive a suspension actuator in accordance with detected results of vertical movement of a wheel and to reduce vertical movement of a vehicle body for generation of braking force, characterized in that
the active suspension system comprises: -
a sensor unit which is provided at a rotation mechanism portion installed on a vehicle body of a vehicle and including a rotor for rotating the wheels fixed thereon and the wheels and which detects an acceleration generated in a rotational direction with rotation, converts the acceleration into an electric signal, converts the detected acceleration signal into a digital data and transmits digital information including the digital data; a monitor device which receives digital information transmitted from the sensor unit, obtains the acceleration signal and outputs road surface condition information indicating a running road surface based on the acceleration signal; and drive means of driving the suspension actuator based on road surface information output from the monitor device, and that the monitor device includes; road surface condition storage means of a plurality of types of information of variation characteristics of the acceleration signal detected for each condition of road surfaces on which the vehicle runs; road surface condition identification means of identifying a road surface condition corresponding to the received acceleration signal based on information of variation characteristics of an acceleration signal received from the sensor unit and an acceleration signal stored in the road surface condition storage means; and road surface condition information output means of extracting, from the road surface condition storage means, information of a road surface condition identified by the road surface condition identification means and of outputting the information. - View Dependent Claims (10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16)
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17. An anti-lock brake system for vehicle configured so as to drive a brake drive actuator in accordance with a detected result of an operating state of a vehicular brake and to generate a target braking force, characterized in that
the anti-lock brake system comprises: -
a sensor unit which is provided at a rotation mechanism portion installed on a vehicle body and including a rotor for rotating the wheels fixed thereon and the wheels and which detects an acceleration generated in a rotational direction with rotation, converts the acceleration into an electric signal, converts the detected acceleration signal into a digital data and transmits digital information including the digital data; a monitor device which receives digital information transmitted from the sensor unit, obtains the acceleration signal and outputs road surface condition information indicating a running road surface based on the acceleration signal; and drive means of driving the brake drive actuator based on road surface information output from the monitor device, and that the monitor device includes; road surface condition storage means of a plurality of types of information of variation characteristics of the acceleration signal detected for each condition of road surfaces on which the vehicle runs; road surface condition identification means of identifying a road surface condition corresponding to the received acceleration signal based on information of variation characteristics of an acceleration signal received from the sensor unit and an acceleration signal stored in the road surface condition storage means; and road surface condition information output means of extracting, from the road surface condition storage means, information of a road surface condition identified by the road surface condition identification means and of outputting the information. - View Dependent Claims (18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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25. A sensor unit which is provided at a rotation mechanism portion installed on a vehicle body and including a rotor for rotating the wheels fixed thereon and the wheels and which detects an acceleration generated with rotation, characterized by comprising:
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detection/conversion means of detecting an acceleration generated in the rotational direction with rotation and converting the detected acceleration into an electric signal; conversion means of converting the acceleration signal into digital data; and transmission means of transmitting digital information including the digital data. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28, 29)
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Specification