Vehicle having slip suppressing device and suspension control device

• US 5,069,302 A
• Filed: 02/28/1991
• Issued: 12/03/1991
• Est. Priority Date: 05/26/1988
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
• Original Assignee: Mazda Motor Corporation
• Inventors: Kageyama, Fumio
• Primary Examiner(s): Rice, Kenneth R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): NOT, DEFINED
• Application Number:
  US07/663,189
• Time in Patent Office: 278 Days
• Field of Search: 180/197, 180/282, 180/41, 280/703, 280/707, 280/711, 280/714, 280/688
• US Class Current: 180/197
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 17/0195 characterised by the regulation being combined with other vehicle control systems conjoint control of vehicle sub-units including control of suspension systems B60W10/22
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2202/152 Pneumatic spring
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2300/02 Trucks; Load vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/204 Vehicle speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/208 of wheel rotation
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/252 vertical
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/30 Propulsion unit conditions
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/41 Steering angle
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/44 Steering speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/50 Pressure
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/51 in suspension unit
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/822 Road friction coefficient determination affecting wheel traction
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2500/10 Damping action or damper
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2500/30 Height or ground clearance
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2500/324 only rear part
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2600/02 Retarders, delaying means, dead zones, threshold values, cut-off frequency, timer interruption
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2600/18 Automatic control means
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2600/20 Manual control or setting means
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2600/26 Electromagnets; Solenoids
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2600/66 Humidifying or drying means
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2800/21 : Traction, slip, skid or slide control
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2800/22 : Braking, stopping
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2800/90 : System Controller type
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2800/92 : ABS - Brake Control
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2270/203 : hydraulic system components
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 8/00 : Arrangements for adjusting wheel-braking force to meet varying vehicular or ground-surface conditions, e.g. limiting or varying distribution of braking force by changing number of effective brake cylinders in power brake systems B60T17/10
• 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: B60T 8/4809 : Traction control, stability control, using both the wheel brakes and other automatic braking systems

Abstract

A vehicle includes: a power unit, at least a pair of driving wheels rotated by an output from the power unit, fluid pressure cylinders, inserted between a vehicle body and the driving wheels, for adjusting a vehicle height of the vehicle body at a side where the driving wheels are arranged, a fluid pressure source for supplying a high-pressure working fluid to the fluid pressure cylinders, a flow control mechanism for controlling supply and discharge of the high-pressure working fluid to and from the fluid pressure source, a slip detection device for detecting a driving force slip of the driving wheels, a brake device for decreasing a rotating force of the driving wheels, a slip suppressing device for, when the slip detection device detects a slip of the driving wheels, operating the brake device to suppress the slip, and a suspension control device for controlling the flow control mechanism to increase the vehicle height of the vehicle body of the side where the driving wheels are arranged while the slip suppressing device performs a slip suppressing operation.

Claims

1. A vehicle which comprises:

a power unit;

at least a pair of driving wheels rotated by an output from said power unit;

fluid pressure cylinders, inserted between a vehicle body and said driving wheels, for adjusting a vehicle height of said vehicle body at one end where said driving wheels are placed;

a fluid pressure source for supplying a high-pressure working fluid to said fluid pressure cylinders;

flow control means for controlling supply and discharge of the high-pressure working fluid to and from said fluid pressure source;

slip detection means for detecting a driving force slip of said driving wheels;

brake means for decreasing a rotating force of said driving wheels;

slip suppressing mean for, when said slip detection means detects a slip of said driving wheels, operating said brake means to suppress the slip; and

suspension control means for controlling said flow control means, said suspension control means starting to control said flow control means to supply the high-pressure working fluid to said fluid pressure cylinders in order to increase the height of the vehicle body at said one end where said driving wheels are placed, when said slip suppressing means starts to perform the braking operation as the slip suppressing operation.

2. The vehicle according to claim 1,

wherein said driving wheels are rear wheels.

3. The vehicle according to claim 2, which further comprises vehicle height detection means for detecting a height of a rear portion of said vehicle body relative to said driving wheels, and

wherein said suspension control means controls said flow control means to supply the high-pressure working fluid until said vehicle height detection means detects that the vehicle height of the rear portion of said vehicle body is increased to a predetermined level relative to said driving wheels.

4. The vehicle according to claim 3,

wherein the high-pressure working fluid comprises high-pressure air.

5. The vehicle according to claim 2, which further comprises damper means which is inserted between said vehicle body and said driving wheels and whose damping forces are variable, and

wherein said suspension control means functions to increase the damping forces of said damper means at the same time said slip suppressing control operation is initiated.

6. The vehicle according to claim 1,

wherein said slip suppressing means comprises power unit control means for, when a slip is detected, decreasing an output from said power unit.

7. The vehicle according to claim 6,

wherein a slip ratio detected by said slip detection means is small, said slip suppressing means causes said power unit control means to decrease the output of said power unit to suppress a slip, and

when the slip ratio detected by said slip detection means is large, said slip suppressing means causes said power unit control means to decrease the output of said power unit and operates said brake means to suppress a slip.

8. The vehicle according to claim 7, wherein said power unit functions to control the open and closed state of a throttle valve of said power unit.

9. A vehicle which comprises:

a vehicle body;

a power unit mounted in said vehicle body;

at least a pair of driving wheels rotated by an output from said power unit;

suspension devices between said driving wheels and said vehicle body for adjusting the height of said vehicle body relative to said driving wheels;

suspension control means for controlling a suspension state of said suspension devices;

slip detection means for detecting a slip state of said driving wheels; and

slip suppressing means for, when said slip detection means detects a slip of said driving wheels, decreasing a rotating force of said drive wheels to suppress a slip, and for outputting a control signal to said suspension control means to increase the height of said vehicle body relative to said driving wheels.

10. The vehicle according to claim 9,

wherein said suspension devices comprise passive type suspension devices capable of adjusting a vehicle height by air pressure, and

said suspension control means receives the control signal and pneumatically controls said suspension devices to increase the height of the vehicle body where said drive wheels are arranged.

11. The vehicle according to claim 9, wherein said suspension devices comprise active type suspension devices which comprise vehicle body height detection means for detecting the vehicle body height relative to said driving wheels and are feedback controlled to maintain a predetermined vehicle body height on the basis of detected results from said vehicle body height detection means.

12. A vehicle which comprises:

a power unit;

at least a pair of driving wheels rotated by an output from said power unit;

vehicle body height detection means for detecting a height of a vehicle body relative to said driving wheels where said driving wheels are arranged;

fluid pressure cylinders inserted between said vehicle body and said driving wheels for adjusting the height of said vehicle body where said driving wheels are arranged;

a fluid pressure source for supplying a high-pressure working fluid to said fluid pressure cylinders;

flow control means for controlling supply and discharge of the high-pressure working fluid to and from said fluid pressure source to obtain a predetermined vehicle body height on the basis of the detected result from said vehicle height detection means;

slip detection means for detection of a driving force slip of said driving wheels;

brake control means for decreasing the rotating force of said driving wheels and for outputting a control signal on the detection of slip;

slip suppressing means for operating, when said slip detection means detects a slip of said driving wheel, said brake means to suppress the slip; and

suspension control means for receiving said control signal from said brake control means and controlling said flow control means to begin to increase the vehicle body height relative to said driving wheels before said slip suppressing operation is performed by said slip suppressing means.

13. The vehicle according to claim 12, wherein aid suspension control means corrects the detection signal from said vehicle height detection means to increase the vehicle height of said vehicle body where said driving wheels are arranged.

14. The vehicle according to claim 12,

wherein aid driving means are rear wheels, and

said suspension control means functions to cause said flow control means to supply high-pressure working fluid to said fluid pressure cylinders when the slip suppressing control operation is started.

15. The vehicle according to claim 12,

wherein said slip suppressing means comprises power unit control means for, when a slip is detected, decreasing an output from said power unit.

16. The vehicle according to claim 15,

wherein when a slip ratio detected by said slip detection means is small, said slip suppressing means causes said power unit control means to decrease the output of said power unit to suppress a slip, and

when the slip ratio detected by said slip detection means is large, said slip suppressing means causes said power unit control means to decrease the output of said power unit and operates said brake means to suppress a slip.

17. The vehicle according to claim 16, wherein said power unit functions to control the open and closed state of a throttle valve of said power unit.