Turning behavior display device

• US 8,355,841 B2
• Filed: 01/16/2008
• Issued: 01/15/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/24/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Jidosha Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Jidosha Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Takahashi, Naoki, Sawase, Kaoru, Ushiroda, Yuichi, Suzuki, Keiji, Miura, Takami
• Primary Examiner(s): Adams, Tashiana
• Assistant Examiner(s): KNUTSON, JACOB D
• Application Number:
  US12/015,339
• Publication Number:
  US 20090030572A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,826 Days
• Field of Search: 701/1, 701/36, 701/41, 701/42, 340/438, 340/439
• US Class Current: 701/41
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/00 Instruments specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement of instruments in or on vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/14 Central differentials for dividing torque between front and rear axles
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/16 Axle differentials, e.g. for dividing torque between left and right wheels
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/184 with wheel brakes
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2720/30 Wheel torque
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/045 Improving turning performance
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/14 Means for informing the driver, warning the driver or prompting a driver intervention

Abstract

A turning behavior display device, operable to display control condition of a turning behavior control unit which controls turning behavior of a vehicle in a turning direction by using a relative difference between a first torque acting on one of left and right wheels of the vehicle and a second torque acting on the other of the left and right wheels of the vehicle, includes: first display portions, provided for the left and right wheels, and adapted to increase or decrease in the turning direction in accordance with the relative difference from a reference section used when the first torque is equal to the second torque.

Claims

1. A turning behavior display device, operable to display control condition of a turning behavior control unit which controls turning behavior of a vehicle in a turning direction by using a relative difference between a first torque acting on one of left and right wheels of the vehicle and a second torque acting on the other of the left and right wheels of the vehicle, the turning behavior display device comprising:

first display portions, provided for the left and right wheels, and adapted to increase or decrease in the turning direction in accordance with the relative difference from a first reference section, provided at a center of each first display portion, used when the first torque is equal to the second torque;

a second display portion for showing a degree of differential limit between front wheels and rear wheels; and

a control unit that controls the first display portions, such that each of the first display portions increases or decreases in a slower manner as the relative difference becomes greater, wherein

the second display portion is arranged between the first display portions, and

the second display portion increases or decreases, in accordance with the degree of the differential limit, from a second reference section provided at a center of the second display portion, the second reference section being provided at a position corresponding to the first reference section of the first display portions, such that the first reference section aligns with the second reference section.

2. The turning behavior display device according to claim 1, wherein

the first torque is greater than the second torque,

the first display portion corresponding to the first torque increases by a predetermined level, and

the first display portion corresponding to the second torque decreases by the predetermined level.

3. The turning behavior display device according to claim 1, wherein

each of the first display portions increases by increasing the number of segments one by one in a first direction or decreases by increasing the number of segments one by one in a second direction opposite to the first direction.

4. The turning behavior display device according to claim 1, wherein

each of the first display portions increases or decreases in a circular-arc pattern.

5. The turning behavior display device according to claim 1, wherein one of the first display portions increases and the other of the first display portions decreases so that the first display portions are symmetrical with each other.