Engine control apparatus and straddle-type vehicle

• US 8,352,122 B2
• Filed: 12/10/2007
• Issued: 01/08/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 12/11/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Yamaha Hatsudoki Kabushiki Kaisha (Yamaha Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Yamaha Hatsudoki Kabushiki Kaisha (Yamaha Corporation)
• Inventors: Hasegawa, Takahiko
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, TAN QUANG
• Application Number:
  US11/953,564
• Publication Number:
  US 20080306653A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,856 Days
• Field of Search: 701/38, 701/46, 701/70, 701/99, 123/325, 280/755, 280/703, 180/283
• US Class Current: 701/38
• CPC Class Codes: B62K 25/04 for mounting axles resiliently on cycle frame or fork for sidecars, forecars or the like B62K27/06
• CPC Class Codes: F02B 61/02 for driving cycles
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 29/02 peculiar to engines driving vehicles; peculiar to engines driving variable pitch propellers
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 41/021 Introducing corrections for particular conditions exterior to the engine conjoint control of vehicle sub-units for propelling the vehicle B60W30/18
• CPC Class Codes: F02P 5/1502 using one central computing unit
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/40 Engine management systems

Abstract

An engine control apparatus that effectively suppresses a rise in rotation number of an engine in a jump of a vehicle. An engine control apparatus includes an acceleration detecting device for detecting an acceleration component of gravity acceleration in a perpendicular direction of the vehicle body based on a signal inputted from an acceleration sensor, and a control circuit for judging whether the vehicle has jumped or not based on the acceleration component to be detected. The control circuit suppresses a rise in rotation number of the engine when the vehicle is judged to have jumped.

Claims

1. An engine control apparatus comprising:

an acceleration detecting means for detecting an acceleration component of gravity acceleration in a predetermined direction of a vehicle;

a jump judging means for judging whether the vehicle has jumped and is in the air or not on the basis of the acceleration component detected by the acceleration detecting means; and

a rotation number rise suppression processing means for suppressing a rise in rotation number of an engine when the jump judging means judges that the vehicle has jumped and is in the air.

2. The engine control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the jump judging means judges that the vehicle has jumped and is in the air based on detecting that the acceleration component has satisfied a predetermined condition continuously for a predetermined time.

3. The engine control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the acceleration detecting means detects another acceleration component of gravity acceleration in an orthogonal direction that is orthogonal to the predetermined direction,

and further wherein the jump judging means judges whether the vehicle has jumped and is in the air or not on also the basis of the another acceleration component.

4. An engine control apparatus comprising:

an acceleration detecting means for detecting an acceleration component of gravity acceleration in a predetermined direction of a vehicle;

a jump judging means for judging whether the vehicle has jumped or not on the basis of the acceleration component detected by the acceleration detecting means;

a rotation number rise suppression processing means for suppressing a rise in rotation number of an engine when the jump judging means judges that the vehicle has jumped; and

a turnover judging means for judging whether the vehicle has been turned over or not based on the acceleration component detected by the acceleration detecting means and a result of judgment by the jump judging means.

5. The engine control apparatus according to claim 4, further comprising a turnover control means that stops a drive of the engine when the turnover judging means judges that the vehicle has been turned over.

6. The engine control apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the rotation number of the engine is suppressed so as to not stop the engine.

7. An engine control apparatus comprising:

an acceleration detecting means for detecting an acceleration component of gravity acceleration in a predetermined direction of a vehicle;

a jump judging means for judging whether the vehicle has jumped or not on the basis of the acceleration component detected by the acceleration detecting means;

a rotation number rise suppression processing means for suppressing a rise in rotation number of an engine when the jump judging means judges that the vehicle has jumped;

an adjusting mechanism for electromagnetically varying attenuation force of a suspension; and

a suspension control means for varying the attenuation force of the suspension obtained by the adjusting mechanism based on a result of judgment by the jump judging means.

8. A straddle-type vehicle comprising an engine control apparatus that includes

an acceleration detecting means for detecting an acceleration component of gravity acceleration in a predetermined direction of the vehicle,

a jump judging means for judging whether the vehicle has jumped and is in the air or not on the basis of the acceleration component detected by the acceleration detecting means, and

a rotation number rise suppression processing means for suppressing a rise in rotation number of an engine when the jump judging means judges that the vehicle has jumped and is in the air.

9. The straddle-type vehicle according to claim 8, wherein the acceleration detecting means detects another acceleration component of gravity acceleration in an orthogonal direction that is orthogonal to the predetermined direction,

and further wherein the jump judging means judges whether the vehicle has jumped and is in the air or not on also the basis of the another acceleration component.