Off-road vehicle

• US 9,499,124 B2
• Filed: 09/16/2014
• Issued: 11/22/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/16/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kawasaki Motors
• Original Assignee: Kawasaki Jukogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Kawakatsu, Hitoshi, Tsumiyama, Yoshinori
• Primary Examiner(s): Ilan, Ruth
• Application Number:
  US14/487,479
• Publication Number:
  US 20160075305A1
• Time in Patent Office: 798 Days
• Field of Search: 180268-270
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 28/10 responsive to conditions relating to the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 31/02 including electrically actuated servomechanism including an electric control system or a servomechanism in which the vehicle velocity affecting element is actuated electrically
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2022/4808 Sensing means arrangements therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 2022/4816 for sensing locking of buckle
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 22/48 Control systems, alarms, or interlock systems, for the correct application of the belt or harness
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2200/20 Off-Road Vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2300/02 Control of vehicle driving stability

Abstract

An off-road vehicle equipped with a driver'"'"'s seat; a seat belt apparatus provided for the driver'"'"'s seat; a seat belt detecting device for detecting the set state of the seat belt apparatus provided for the driver'"'"'s seat; and a controller for controlling the off-road vehicle. The controller has a rotation speed control mode for controlling the rotation speed of the engine to a predetermined rotation speed or less, and the controller releases the rotation speed control mode when the seat belt detecting device detects the set state of the seat belt apparatus provided for the driver'"'"'s seat.

Claims

1. An off-road vehicle comprising a driver'"'"'s seat;

a seat belt apparatus provided for the driver'"'"'s seat;

a driver'"'"'s seat belt detecting device for detecting the set state of the seat belt apparatus provided for the driver'"'"'s seat; and

a controller for controlling the off-road vehicle, wherein;

the controller has a rotation speed control mode for controlling the rotation speed of the engine to a predetermined rotation speed or less;

the controller releases the rotation speed control mode when the driver'"'"'s seat belt detecting device detects the set state of the seat belt apparatus provided for the driver'"'"'s seat; and

while the off-road vehicle is travelling at an engine rotation speed exceeding the predetermined rotation speed, if the driver'"'"'s seat belt detecting device detects that the set state of the seat belt apparatus provided for the driver'"'"'s seat has been released, the controller gradually decreases the engine rotation speed, and when the engine rotation speed is decreased to the predetermined rotation speed or less, the mode is shifted to the rotation speed control mode.

2. The off-road vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising passenger seats positioned on the side of the driver'"'"'s seat and seat belt apparatuses provided for the passenger seats, and passenger'"'"'s seat belt detecting devices for detecting the set states of the seat belt apparatuses provided for the passenger seats, and wherein:

when the driver'"'"'s seat belt detecting device detects the set state of the seat belt apparatus provided for the driver'"'"'s seat and the passenger'"'"'s seat belt detecting devices detect the set states of the seat belt apparatuses provided for the passenger seats, the controller releases the rotation speed control mode.

3. The off-road vehicle according to claim 2, further comprising rear passenger seats positioned behind the driver'"'"'s seat and seat belt apparatuses provided for the rear passenger seats, and rear passenger'"'"'s seat belt detecting devices for detecting the set states of the seat belt apparatuses provided for the rear passenger seats, wherein:

when the driver'"'"'s seat belt detecting device detects the set state of the seat belt apparatus provided for the driver'"'"'s seat, the passenger'"'"'s seat belt detecting devices detect the set states of the seat belt apparatuses provided for the passenger seats and the rear passenger'"'"'s seat belt detecting devices detect the set states of the seat belt apparatuses provided for the rear passenger seats, the controller releases the rotation speed control mode.

4. The off-road vehicle according to claim 3, further comprising a driver'"'"'s seat detecting device for detecting the sitting of the driver on the driver'"'"'s seat, passenger seat detecting devices for detecting the sitting of passengers on the passenger seats and rear passenger seat detecting devices for detecting the sitting of rear passengers on the rear passenger seats, wherein:

in the case that the driver'"'"'s seat detecting device has detected the sitting of the driver, the passenger seat detecting devices have detected the sitting of the passengers, and the rear passenger seat detecting devices have detected the sitting of the rear passengers, when the driver'"'"'s seat belt detecting device detects the set state of the seat belt apparatus provided for the driver'"'"'s seat, the passenger'"'"'s seat belt detecting devices detect the set states of the seat belt apparatuses provided for the passenger seats and the rear passenger'"'"'s seat belt detecting devices detect the set states of the seat belt apparatuses provided for the rear passenger seats, the controller releases the rotation speed control mode.

5. The off-road vehicle according to claim 2, further comprising a driver'"'"'s seat detecting device for detecting the sitting of the driver on the driver'"'"'s seat and passenger seat detecting devices for detecting the sitting of passengers on the passenger seats, wherein:

in the case that the driver'"'"'s seat detecting device has detected the sitting of the driver and the passenger seat detecting devices have detected the sitting of the passengers, when the driver'"'"'s seat belt detecting device detects the set states of the seat belt apparatus provided for the driver'"'"'s seat and the passenger'"'"'s seat belt detecting devices detect the set states of the seat belt apparatuses provided for the passenger seats, the controller releases the rotation speed control mode.

6. The off-road vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising a transmission sensor for detecting the state of the transmission, wherein:

when the transmission sensor recognizes the gear engagement of the transmission, the controller shifts to the rotation speed control mode.

7. The off-road vehicle according to claim 1, wherein, in the case that the driver'"'"'s seat belt detecting device cannot detect whether the seat belt apparatus provided for the driver'"'"'s seat has been set, the controller maintains the rotation speed control mode.

8. The off-road vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising a driver'"'"'s seat detecting device for detecting the sitting of the driver on the driver'"'"'s seat, wherein, in the case that the driver'"'"'s seat detecting device has detected the sitting of the driver, when the driver'"'"'s seat belt detecting device detects the set state of the seat belt apparatus provided for the driver'"'"'s seat, the controller releases the rotation speed control mode.

9. An off-road vehicle comprising a driver'"'"'s seat;

a seat belt apparatus provided for the driver'"'"'s seat;

a driver'"'"'s seat belt detecting device for detecting the set state of the seat belt apparatus provided for the driver'"'"'s seat; and

a controller for controlling the off-road vehicle, wherein;

the controller has a rotation speed control mode for controlling the rotation speed of the engine to a predetermined rotation speed or less,

the controller releases the rotation speed control mode when the driver'"'"'s seat belt detecting device detects the set state of the seat belt apparatus provided for the driver'"'"'s seat, and

in the case that the predetermined rotation speed is a first rotation speed and while the off-road vehicle is travelling at an engine rotation speed equal to or less than the first rotation speed, if the driver'"'"'s seat belt detecting device detects that the set state of the seat belt apparatus provided for the driver'"'"'s seat has been released, the controller gradually decreases the engine rotation speed to a second rotation speed, that is, a predetermined rotation speed lower than the first rotation speed, and when the engine rotation speed is decreased to the second rotation speed or less, the controller shifts to the rotation speed control mode.