Slip Suppression Control System for Vehicle

• US 20090326769A1
• Filed: 06/25/2009
• Published: 12/31/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 06/26/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kawasaki Motors
• Original Assignee: Kawasaki Jukogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Hirokami, Tatsuya, Oshima, Takeru
• Granted Patent: US 8,180,550 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/51
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 28/16 responsive to, or preventing, skidding of wheels brake control systems for vehicle drive stability B60T8/1755; arrangements responsive to a speed condition for adjusting wheel braking force B60T8/32; control of vehicle driving stability otherwise than by controlling the propulsion unit only B60W30/02; preventing wheel slippage by reducing power in rail vehicles B61C15/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2260/04 Automatic transmission
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2270/211 Setting or adjusting start-control threshold
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 8/1706 for single-track vehicles, e.g. motorcycles
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 8/175 Brake regulation specially adapted to prevent excessive wheel spin during vehicle acceleration, e.g. for traction control safety devices for propulsion unit control responsive to, or preventing, skidding of wheels B60K28/16
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/02 Control of vehicle driving stability
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2200/12 Motorcycles, Trikes; Quads; Scooters

Abstract

A slip suppression control system for a vehicle comprises a monitored value detecting device for detecting a monitored value corresponding to a difference between a rotational speed of a front wheel of the vehicle and a rotational speed of a rear wheel of the vehicle; a threshold determiner unit configured to determine a relationship between the monitored value detected by the monitored value detecting device and plural thresholds; and a controller configured to execute traction control for reducing a driving power of a drive wheel based on determination of the threshold determiner unit; wherein the plural thresholds have at least first and second thresholds, and the second threshold is set larger than the first threshold; and wherein the traction control includes an amount-change-based control.

Claims

1. A slip suppression control system for a vehicle comprising:

a monitored value detecting device for detecting a monitored value corresponding to a difference between a rotational speed of a front wheel of the vehicle and a rotational speed of a rear wheel of the vehicle;

a threshold determiner unit configured to determine a relationship between the monitored value detected by the monitored value detecting device and plural thresholds; and

a controller configured to execute traction control for reducing a driving power of a drive wheel based on determination of the threshold determiner unit;

wherein the plural thresholds have at least first and second thresholds, and the second threshold is set larger than the first threshold; and

wherein the traction control includes an amount-change-based control such that a parameter corresponding to the driving power in a state where the traction control is being executed is made smaller in a case where the monitored value is larger than the second threshold than in a case where the monitored value is larger than the first threshold and smaller than the second threshold.

2. The slip suppression control system for a vehicle according to claim 1,

wherein the parameter is at least one of an ignition timing of an engine, a throttle valve opening degree and a fuel injection amount.

3. The slip suppression control system for a vehicle according to claim 1,

wherein the parameter is set to change according to an engine speed.

4. The slip suppression control system for a vehicle according to claim 1,

wherein the parameter is set to gradually decrease to a minimum value and then gradually increase as an engine speed increases.

5. The slip suppression control system for a vehicle according to claim 1,

wherein the amount-change-based control is executed at least immediately after the traction control is initiated.

6. The slip suppression control system for a vehicle according to claim 1,

wherein the traction control includes initial traction control and continued traction control executed continuously after the initial traction control;

wherein in the initial traction control, the amount-change-based control is performed, and the parameter is controlled to be a constant value in a period when a magnitude relationship between the monitored value and the plural thresholds continues to be unchanged; and

wherein in the continued traction control, the parameter is feedback-controlled so that the monitored value is closer to a target value.

7. The slip suppression control system for a vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising:

a vehicle speed sensor configured to detect a vehicle body speed; and

a gear position sensor configured to detect a transmission gear position of a transmission;

wherein the threshold determiner unit is configured to change the start threshold according to information detected by the vehicle speed sensor and information detected by the gear position sensor.

8. The slip suppression control system for a vehicle according to claim 7,

wherein the threshold determiner unit contains a threshold map used for determining the start threshold according to the vehicle body speed and the transmission gear position;

and

wherein the threshold map is set so that the start threshold gradually increases up to a peak and then gradually decreases as the vehicle body speed increases.

9. The slip suppression control system for a vehicle according to claim 8,

wherein the threshold map is set so that a vehicle body speed forming a peak in a predetermined first transmission gear position is lower than a vehicle body speed forming a peak in a transmission gear position higher than the first transmission gear position.

10. The slip suppression control system for a vehicle according to claim 8,

wherein the threshold map is set so that a peak value of a start threshold corresponding to a first gear of the transmission gear position is larger than a peak value of a start threshold corresponding to another transmission gear position.

11. The slip suppression control system for a vehicle according to claim 8,

wherein an engine driving power is set for each transmission gear position;

and wherein in the threshold map, a vehicle body speed forming the peak is set for each transmission gear position and is equal to or close to a vehicle body speed at which the engine driving power has a maximum value.

12. The slip suppression control system for a vehicle according to claim 7,

wherein the threshold determiner unit contains a threshold map used for determining the start threshold according to the vehicle body speed and the transmission gear position;

and

wherein the threshold map is set so that the start threshold is larger in a lower transmission gear position than in a higher transmission gear position in a predetermined first vehicle speed range, while the start threshold is larger in a higher transmission gear position than in a lower transmission gear position in a vehicle speed range higher than the first vehicle speed range.

13. The slip suppression control system for a vehicle according to claim 7, further comprising:

a tilting angle sensor configured to detect a tilting angle of a vehicle body in a rightward and leftward direction with respect to a driving direction;

wherein

the threshold determiner unit is configured to change the start threshold according to information detected by the tilting angle sensor.

14. The slip suppression control system for a vehicle according to claim 7,

wherein the threshold determiner unit is configured not to change the start threshold when the speed detected by the vehicle speed sensor is a predetermined value or smaller and to change the start threshold when the vehicle speed exceeds the predetermined value.