Vehicle with a variable rear toe angle
First Claim
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1. A vehicle provided with a rear wheel toe angle varying device for individually varying toe angles of rear wheels, the rear wheel toe angle varying device comprising:
- a pair of drive units for steering the rear wheels;
at least one sensor for detecting a dynamic state of the vehicle;
a control unit for controlling the drive units according to an output of the dynamic state of the vehicle from the sensor; and
a monitoring unit for detecting a failure to steer a rear wheel as controlled by the control unit;
wherein the control unit is configured such that, upon detection of a failure to steer a rear wheel, the rear wheel of an opposite, healthy side is steered to a zero angle;
a steering angle sensor for detecting a steering angle of front wheels of the vehicle, a straight travel determining unit for determining that the vehicle is traveling straight ahead, and a toe angle estimating unit that, upon occurrence of a failure of said control unit to steer one of the rear wheels, and the rear wheel of the opposite, healthy side being steered to a zero angle by said control unit, estimates a steering angle of the rear wheel of a faulty side from the steering angle of the front wheels when the straight travel determining unit determines the vehicle is traveling straight ahead.
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Abstract
In a vehicle provided with a rear wheel toe angle varying device for individually varying toe angles of rear wheels, upon detection of a failure to steer one of the rear wheels, the rear wheel of a healthy side is steered to a zero angle. Whereby, when a straight travel determining unit determines that the vehicle is traveling straight, a toe angle estimating unit estimates a steering angle of the rear wheel which has failed to steer based upon the steering angle of the front wheels of the vehicle as determined by a steering angle sensor.
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Citations
5 Claims
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1. A vehicle provided with a rear wheel toe angle varying device for individually varying toe angles of rear wheels, the rear wheel toe angle varying device comprising:
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a pair of drive units for steering the rear wheels; at least one sensor for detecting a dynamic state of the vehicle; a control unit for controlling the drive units according to an output of the dynamic state of the vehicle from the sensor; and a monitoring unit for detecting a failure to steer a rear wheel as controlled by the control unit; wherein the control unit is configured such that, upon detection of a failure to steer a rear wheel, the rear wheel of an opposite, healthy side is steered to a zero angle; a steering angle sensor for detecting a steering angle of front wheels of the vehicle, a straight travel determining unit for determining that the vehicle is traveling straight ahead, and a toe angle estimating unit that, upon occurrence of a failure of said control unit to steer one of the rear wheels, and the rear wheel of the opposite, healthy side being steered to a zero angle by said control unit, estimates a steering angle of the rear wheel of a faulty side from the steering angle of the front wheels when the straight travel determining unit determines the vehicle is traveling straight ahead. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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Specification