Brake system and vehicle

• US 9,988,027 B2
• Filed: 10/29/2014
• Issued: 06/05/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Advics Company Limited (Aisin Corp.), Yamaha Hatsudoki Kabushiki Kaisha (Yamaha Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Advics Company Limited (Aisin Corp.), Yamaha Hatsudoki Kabushiki Kaisha (Yamaha Corporation)
• Inventors: Seto, Hiroaki, Ohashi, Kunihide, Yamamura, Takeshi, Tsuji, Yoshinori, Takada, Hideki, Kajihara, Kunio, Terasaka, Masato, Hamamoto, Yutaka
• Primary Examiner(s): Knutson, Jacob D
• Application Number:
  US15/033,562
• Publication Number:
  US 20160264110A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,315 Days
• Field of Search: 280283
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2230/03 Overturn, rollover
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 8/1706 for single-track vehicles, e.g. motorcycles
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 8/1755 Brake regulation specially adapted to control the stability of the vehicle, e.g. taking into account yaw rate or transverse acceleration in a curve road vehicle drive control systems for control of driving stability otherwise than by controlling a particular sub-unit B60W30/02
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 8/3225 Systems specially adapted for single-track vehicles, e.g. motorcycles B60T8/3235 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B62K 5/027 Motorcycles with three wheels specially adapted for disabled riders B62K5/023
• CPC Class Codes: B62K 5/05 characterised by a single rear wheel
• CPC Class Codes: B62K 5/10 with means for inwardly inclining the vehicle body on bends
• CPC Class Codes: B62L 1/02 in which cycle wheels are engaged by brake elements

Abstract

A brake system includes a brake activator which controls, when a slipping condition is detected at a central rear wheel based on a signal detected by a central rear detector, the operating condition of a central rear brake based on the signal detected by the central rear detector so as to reduce a braking force on the central rear wheel lower than a braking force which is obtained as a result of operation of an input member. In this state, when an operation quantity of the input member increases as a result of operation of the input member, changing the operating conditions of both a right front brake and a left front brake, the brake activator increases the braking forces in both a right front wheel and a left front wheel according to an operation quantity of the input member.

Claims

1. A brake system for a vehicle, the brake system comprising:

a central rear brake on a central rear wheel of the vehicle to generate a braking force on the central rear wheel;

a right front brake on a right front wheel of the vehicle to generate a braking force on the right front wheel;

a left front brake on a left front wheel of the vehicle to generate a braking force on the left front wheel;

a central rear wheel slip detector that detects a slipping condition at the central rear wheel;

an input operated by a rider; and

a brake activator;

wherein

the brake activator, when the slipping condition is detected at the central rear wheel based on a signal detected by the central rear wheel slip detector, controls an operating condition of the central rear brake based on the signal detected by the central rear wheel slip detector so as to reduce the braking force on the central rear wheel lower than a braking force which is obtained as a result of an operation of the input while the central rear brake, the right front brake, and the left front brake are in operation as a result of the operation of the input and in a non-slipping state in which the right front wheel and the left front wheel are not slipping, at least while the vehicle is turning with a body frame of the vehicle leaning in a left-and-right direction of the vehicle; and

the brake activator, when the slipping condition is detected at the central rear wheel based on the signal detected by the central rear wheel slip detector and an operation quantity of the input increases as a result of the operation of the input, changes operating conditions of both the right front brake and the left front brake to increase braking forces on both the right front wheel and the left front wheel according to the operation quantity of the input member, at least while the vehicle is turning with the body frame of the vehicle leaning in the left-and-right direction of the vehicle.

2. The braking system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a right front wheel slip detector that detects a slipping condition at the right front wheel; and

a left front wheel slip detector that detects a slipping condition at the left front wheel;

wherein

when the slipping condition is detected at the central rear wheel based on the signal detected by the central rear wheel slip detector, the brake activator controls the operating condition of the central rear brake based on the signal detected by the central rear wheel slip detector so as to reduce the braking force on the central rear wheel lower than the braking force which is obtained as a result of operation of the input at least while the vehicle is turning with the body frame leaning in the left-and-right direction of the vehicle and while the central rear brake, the right front brake, and the left front brake are in operation as a result of the operation of the input and in a non-detection state in which the slipping condition is not detected at the right front wheel and the left front wheel based on signals detected by the right front wheel slip detector and the left front wheel slip detector; and

in the non-detection state, when the operation quantity of the input increases as a result of the operation of the input changing the operating conditions of both the right front brake and the left front brake, the brake activator increases braking forces in both the right front wheel and the left front wheel according to the operation quantity of the input.

3. The brake system according to claim 2, wherein

in the non-detection state, when the slipping condition is detected at the right front wheel or at the left front wheel based on the signals which are detected by the right front wheel slip detector and the left front wheel slip detector, the brake activator controls the operating conditions of both the right front brake and the left front brake based on the signal detected by one of the right front wheel slip detector and the left front wheel slip detector to reduce the braking forces in both the right front wheel and the left front wheel lower than braking forces which are obtained as a result of the operation of the input.

4. The brake system according to claim 2, wherein

in the non-detection state, although a slipping condition is detected at the right front wheel or at the left front wheel based on the signals which are detected by the right front wheel slip detector and the left front wheel slip detector, the brake activator does not immediately change the operating condition of the right front brake or the left front brake based on the signal detected by the right front wheel slip detector or the left front wheel slip detector.

5. The brake system according to claim 2, wherein the brake activator includes:

a controller between the input and the central rear brake and that, when the slipping condition is detected at the central rear wheel based on the signal detected by the central rear wheel slip detector, controls the operating condition of the central rear brake based on the signal detected by the central rear wheel slip detector; and

an operator between the input and the right front brake and the left front brake that changes the operating conditions of the right front brake and the left front brake according to the operation quantity of the input by associating the operation quantity of the input with the operating conditions of the right front brake and the left front brake.

6. The brake system according to claim 1, wherein at least while the vehicle is turning with the body frame leaning in the left-and-right direction of the vehicle, the brake activator activates first the central rear brake among the right front brake, the left front brake, and the central rear brake as a result of the operation of the input and activates last one of the right front brake and the left front brake on the front wheel defining an inner wheel having a smaller turning radius.

7. A vehicle comprising:

a body frame;

a right front wheel and a left front wheel aligned in a left-and-right direction of the body frame when the vehicle is viewed from a front thereof with the body frame being in an upright state;

a central rear wheel behind the right front wheel and the left front wheel in a front-and-rear direction of the body frame disposed between the right front wheel and the left front wheel when the vehicle is viewed from the front thereof with the body frame being in the upright state;

a right shock absorber that supports the right front wheel at a lower portion thereof and absorbs an upward displacement of the right front wheel in an up-and-down direction of the body frame;

a left shock absorber that supports the left front wheel at a lower portion thereof and absorbs an upward displacement of the left front wheel in the up-and-down direction of the body frame; and

a linkage above the right front wheel and the left front wheel in the up-and-down direction of the body frame when the vehicle is viewed from the front thereof with the body frame being in the upright state and that supports an upper portion of the right shock absorber and an upper portion of the left shock absorber so as to turn, and at least a portion of which is supported on the body frame so as to turn about a turning axis which extends forwards in the front-and-rear direction of the body frame and upwards in the up-and-down direction of the body frame;

a central rear brake on the central rear wheel to generate a braking force on the central rear wheel;

a right front brake on the right front wheel to generate a braking force on the right front wheel;

a left front brake on the left front wheel to generate a braking force on the left front wheel;

a central rear wheel slip detector that detects a slipping condition at the central rear wheel;

an input operated by a rider; and

a brake activator;

wherein

the brake activator, when the slipping condition is detected at the central rear wheel based on a signal detected by the central rear wheel slip detector, controls an operating condition of the central rear brake based on the signal detected by the central rear wheel slip detector so as to reduce the braking force on the central rear wheel lower than a braking force which is obtained as a result of an operation of the input while the central rear brake, the right front brake, and the left front brake are in operation as a result of the operation of the input and in a non-slipping state in which the right front wheel and the left front wheel are not slipping, at least while the vehicle is turning with the body frame leaning in the left-and-right direction of the vehicle; and

the brake activator, when the slipping condition is detected at the central rear wheel based on the signal detected by the central rear wheel slip detector and an operation quantity of the input increases as a result of the operation of the input, changes the operating conditions of both the right front brake and the left front brake to increase braking forces on both the right front wheel and the left front wheel according to the operation quantity of the input member, at least while the vehicle is turning with the body frame leaning in the left-and-right direction of the vehicle.

8. The vehicle according to claim 7, wherein

the right shock absorber includes a right telescopic arm that extends and contracts in an extending and contracting direction extending in the up-and-down direction of the body frame and allows the right front wheel to be displaced in the extending and contracting direction of the right telescopic arm;

and

the left shock absorber includes a left telescopic arm that extends and contracts in an extending and contracting direction extending in the up-and-down direction of the body frame and allows the left front wheel to be displaced in the extending and contracting direction of the left telescopic arm.

9. The vehicle according to claim 7, wherein

the linkage is above the right front wheel and the left front wheel in the up-and-down direction of the body frame when the vehicle with the body frame being in the upright state is viewed from the front thereof;

and

the right front wheel and the left front wheel overlap the central rear wheel when the vehicle is viewed from the front thereof with the right shock absorber and the left shock absorber turned most relative to the linkage.

10. The vehicle according to claim 7, further comprising a second brake system including:

a second input which differs from the input; and

a second brake activator that activates the right front brake, the left front brake, and the central rear brake on the central rear wheel as a result of the operation of the second input at least while the vehicle is turning with the body frame leaning in the left-and-right direction of the vehicle.

11. The vehicle according to claim 10, wherein the second brake activator activates the right front brake and the left front brake by using at least a portion of the brake activator.