Data processing: vehicles – navigation – and relative location – Vehicle control – guidance – operation – or indication – Indication or control of braking – acceleration – or deceleration
Reexamination Certificate
2001-03-02
2002-10-29
Nguyen, Tan (Department: 3661)
Data processing: vehicles, navigation, and relative location
Vehicle control, guidance, operation, or indication
Indication or control of braking, acceleration, or deceleration
C701S094000, C701S110000, C180S179000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06473684
ABSTRACT:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a constant vehicle speed maintaining device for a motorcycle. More particularly to a constant vehicle speed maintaining device for a motorcycle that is capable of canceling a constant vehicle speed state impairing the operating characteristics and without requiring a complex construction.
2. Description of Background Art
Motorcycles are known that have a constant vehicle speed maintaining device for maintaining the operating speed at a constant value for the purpose of alleviating the fatigue of the driver during operation, for cutting fuel cost by restraining vehicle speed variations, etc. In the constant vehicle speed maintaining device, it is required to cancel the constant vehicle speed state (hereinafter referred to as “cruising state”). Hitherto, it has been known to cancel the cruising state in response to the following actions: an action of returning a throttle grip against a turning force of an actuator which biases a throttle valve under the cruising state, an action of applying a brake to a front wheel or a rear wheel, an action of gripping a clutch lever, etc.
FIG. 4
illustrates a major part of a constant vehicle speed maintaining device which cancels a cruising state by detecting an action of returning the throttle grip. As illustrated in
FIG. 4
, a shaft (throttle shaft)
2
of a throttle valve (not shown) of an engine is disposed to penetrate a throttle body
1
, and a throttle drum
3
and a throttle link
4
are attached to ends of the throttle shaft
2
. A cable
6
for transmitting turning torques in acceleration and deceleration directions on a throttle grip
5
to the throttle drum
3
is wrapped around between the throttle drum
3
and the throttle grip
5
.
In a cruising state a cancellation detector (cancel detector)
7
, a first drum
71
connected with one end of the cable
6
and a second drum
72
connected with the other end of the cable
6
are disposed coaxially and turnably. A torsion spring
73
is provided between the first drum
71
and the second drum
72
. The first drum
71
and the second drum
72
are turned as one body through the spring
73
. A switch
8
is provided for detecting the cancellation of the cruising state when there arises such a displacement differential in the turning direction that the torsion spring
73
is deformed by not less than a predetermined amount, between the first drum
71
and the second drum
72
.
On the other hand, the throttle link
4
is connected with a negative pressure type actuator
10
through a control cable
9
. The negative pressure type actuator
10
is connected to the engine (not shown) through a solenoid unit
11
, which regulates the introduction of engine negative pressure and atmospheric pressure to control the inside pressure. A diaphragm (not shown), disposed in the negative pressure type actuator
10
, expands and contracts according to the inside pressure of the negative pressure type actuator
10
, and the expanding and contracting actions are transmitted through the control cable
9
to the throttle link
4
, whereby the throttle opening under the cruising state is controlled. The solenoid unit
11
is so controlled so as to respond to a setting signal for the cruising state and for maintaining the current vehicle speed. The solenoid unit
11
is controlled by an ECU
12
that includes a microcomputer. The ECU
12
is inputted with a vehicle speed signal, an engine revolution number signal (NE), cruising state setting and other control signals, a cruising state cancellation signal (cancel signal) is outputted from the switch
8
, and the like.
During normal operation, the first drum
71
and the second drum
72
are turned synchronously with the rotation of the throttle grip
5
, and the motion of the throttle grip is directly transmitted through the cable
6
to the throttle drum
3
. On the other hand, when the throttle grip
5
is turned to the deceleration side in order to cancel a cruising state, a tension (pulling force) is applied to the portion of the cable
6
connected to the drum
72
, because the throttle shaft
2
is biased by the negative pressure type actuator
10
through the throttle link
4
, and the drum
72
will turn counterclockwise as illustrated in FIG.
4
. In this case, since the portion of the cable
6
connected to the drum
71
is restrained from turning by the throttle drum
3
, the drum
71
does not turn. Therefore, the torsion spring
73
is displaced by being pulled by the drum
72
. When the displacement surpasses a predetermined amount, the switch
8
outputs a cancel signal, and the ECU
12
outputs a cruising state canceling instructions to the solenoid unit
11
. A constant vehicle speed maintaining device similar to the above-described is disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 3-44007.
In the constant vehicle speed maintaining device as described above, the cancel detector
7
is disposed, for example, on the cable
6
, and is located between the throttle grip
5
and a carburetor
1
. However, the cable
6
must be laid out to take into consideration the steering requirements of the steering handle in the case of a motorcycle, so that degree of freedom in the layout is extremely small. Under such a limited degree of freedom, the layout of the cable
6
and the layout of the cancel detector
7
is not easy.
In addition, since the cable
6
for regulating the throttle opening is bisected by the cancel detector
7
, friction in the areas of the cable connection is increased. Further, since the layout of the cancel detector
7
is difficult as mentioned above, the cable
6
is not always laid out in the appropriate location, so that friction between the cable
6
and its casing increases. An increase in friction causes an increase in throttle load and an increase in the play in the connection areas. This increased friction can impair the operation characteristics, namely, the response performance of the acceleration and deceleration to the operations on the throttle grip.
SUMMARY AND OBJECTS OF THE INVENTION
It is an object of the present invention to provide a constant vehicle speed maintaining device which solves the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, can be easily mounted on a motorcycle with minor requirements concerning the layout, and can enhance the operational characteristics of the vehicle.
In order to attain the above object, the present invention is characterized by providing a throttle opening control means for controlling the throttle opening by a turning torque of a throttle grip. A DC servo-motor is provided for maintaining the throttle opening at a current vehicle speed in response to a constant vehicle speed maintaining instruction. A load detecting means is provided for detecting the load on the DC servo-motor when the DC servo-motor is operating in response to the constant vehicle speed maintaining instruction. A control means is provided for stopping the operation of the DC servo-motor and canceling the cruising state when the load on the DC servo-motor as detected by the load detecting means has varied.
In addition, the invention is characterized by providing a control means that cancels the cruising state when the load variation is not less than a predetermined amount and has continued for a predetermined period.
Further, the invention is characterized by providing a control means that cancels the cruise state when a load variation due to a turning torque in a decelerating direction on the throttle grip is detected.
Accordingly when the throttle grip is turned where the servo-motor is operating in response to the constant vehicle speed maintaining instruction, the throttle opening is going to vary regardless of the operation of the servo-motor, so that the load on the servo-motor varies. As a result, the load detected by the load detector varies, and the control means stops the operation of the servo-motor and cancels the cruising state.
According to the present invention, the turning of the throttle grip can be accurately
Funayose Yusuke
Kanaoka Yoji
Kano Koji
Shimamura Koichi
Birch & Stewart Kolasch & Birch, LLP
Honda Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
Nguyen Tan
LandOfFree
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