Vehicle control device

• US 9,637,097 B2
• Filed: 07/05/2016
• Issued: 05/02/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 01/09/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kawasaki Motors
• Original Assignee: Kawasaki Jukogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
• Inventors: Oshima, Takeru, Yoshitake, Hideto
• Primary Examiner(s): Alharbi, Adam
• Application Number:
  US15/202,453
• Publication Number:
  US 20160311415A1
• Time in Patent Office: 301 Days
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2270/10 ABS control systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 8/1706 for single-track vehicles, e.g. motorcycles
• CPC Class Codes: B62J 50/26 Number plates

Abstract

A control device for a motorcycle includes a removal detecting unit for detecting the removal of an equipment, which is required during a public road running of the automotive vehicle, from the motorcycle, a determining unit for determining the presence of the motorcycle on a non-public road area in the event that a determining condition including a detection signal fed from the removal detecting unit is satisfied, and a drive control unit operable in response to a determining signal from the determining unit to set a non-public road mode appropriate to the non-public road running. The equipment referred to above is at least one of a back viewing mirror, a headlight, a tail lamp, a number plate, a license lamp, a warning horn, a side stand and turn indicators.

Claims

1. A control device for an automotive vehicle, which comprises:

a removal detecting unit to detect removal of an equipment, which is required in the automotive vehicle when running on a public road, from the automotive vehicle;

a determining unit to determine the presence of the automotive vehicle on a non-public road area in the event a determining condition including a detection signal fed from the removal detecting unit is satisfied;

a selection image screen displaying when a non-public road mode appropriate for running on the non-public road is selectable by a driver of the automotive vehicle;

a mode selector unit enables the driver to select the non-public road mode; and

a drive control unit operable to set the automotive vehicle to the non-public road mode in response to a determination signal, fed from the determining unit and a selection of the non-public road mode.

2. The control device of the automotive vehicle as claimed in claim 1, in which the equipment is at least one of a back viewing mirror, a headlight, a brake lamp, a tail lamp, a number plate, a license lamp, a warning horn, a side stand and a turn indicator.

3. The control device for the automotive vehicle as claimed in claim 2, in which the determining condition includes removal of two or more equipment.

4. The control device for the automotive vehicle as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a non-public road area detecting unit to detect the presence of the automotive vehicle on the non-public road area, wherein the determining condition includes a detection signal fed from the non-public road area detecting unit.

5. The control device for the automotive vehicle as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a mount detecting unit to detect mounting of a component for use on the non-public road area, on the automotive vehicle, wherein

the determining condition includes a detection signal fed from the mount detecting unit.

6. The control device for the automotive vehicle as claimed in claim 1, wherein the equipment is an electric appliance, and

the removal detecting unit is operable to detect the removal of the equipment in reference to a detection signal from a behavior detecting unit mounted on the automotive vehicle for detecting the behavior of the electric appliance.

7. The control device for the automotive vehicle as claimed in claim 1, in which the removal detecting unit detects removal of the equipment in reference to a signal fed from a sensor to detect the removal of the equipment.

8. The control device for the automotive vehicle as claimed in claim 1, in which the non-public road mode includes a selectable mode to enable an antilock brake system to be disabled or behavior suppression.

9. A method of controlling an automotive vehicle equipped with an drive assistance device, which comprises:

a removal detecting step of detecting removal of a predetermined equipment from the automotive vehicle;

a determining step of determining the presence of the automotive vehicle on a non-public road area in the event that a determining condition including a detection signal generated during the removal detecting step is satisfied;

a display step of displaying a determination of the non-public road area to a driver of the automotive vehicle;

a mode selector step that enables the driver to select a non-public road mode appropriate for running on the non-public road area displayed by the display step; and

a selecting step of rendering the drive assistance device to be disabled or operatively suppressed in response to a selection of the non-public road mode in the mode selector step and the determination signal generated from the determining step.

10. A control device for a motorcycle comprising:

a determining unit to determine the presence of the motorcycle on a non-public road area and providing a detection signal of the non-public road area;

a meter unit for providing a visible non-public road area display to a driver of the motorcycle when the detection signal is provided by the determining unit;

a mode selector unit enables the driver to select a non-public road mode for running on the non-public road; and

a drive control unit operable to set the motorcycle to the non-public road mode in response to the detection signal of the non-public road area after the driver selects the non-public road mode with the mode selector unit.

11. The control device for a motorcycle as claimed in claim 10 wherein the mode selector unit includes a selectable mode to also disable an antilock brake system when the non-public road mode is selected by the driver.

12. The control device for a motorcycle as claimed in claim 10 wherein the determining unit includes a satellite global positioning system to determine the non-public road area relative to pre-stored geographic information.

13. The control device for a motorcycle as claimed in claim 10 wherein light emitting components on the meter unit such as turn indicators, brake lamp and position lights are not lit in the non-public road mode.

14. The control device for a motorcycle as claimed in claim 10 wherein the determining unit determines a removal of one or more pieces of equipment required for travel in a public road mode of operation in determining the non-public road area.