Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha

Aisin Seiki Kabushiki Kaisha

Bridgestone Corporation

Fumito Kurata

Ryoji Mizutani

Takashi Suzuki

Masafumi Sakuma

Masatoshi Nakatsu

Toshiyuki Kobayashi

Yuki Tojima

Kenji Harada

Takeshi Ishida

Shuuetsu Suzuki

Atsushi Torii

Junichiro Sakurai

Shigekazu Yogo

An unsprung state detection part () calculates a variation amount X (=|&#x3c6;&#x2212;&#x3c6;'|), which is a magnitude of a difference between a detected angle &#x3c6; output from a resolver rotational angle sensor () for detecting a rotational angle of an in-wheel motor () and an estimated angle &#x3c6;&#x2032; of a motor rotational angle (Sto S). The estimated angle &#x3c6;&#x2032; can be calculated by adding an estimated angle of the rotation of the motor () in one calculation cycle to a detected angle &#x3c6;n&#x2212;1 of the previous calculation cycle. When the variation amount X is more than a road surface determination threshold Xref, the unsprung state detection part () determines that the travel road on which a vehicle () is traveling is a rough road (S, S). As a result, the road surface determination can be made by using the rotational angle sensor ().

Vehicle state detection device

Provided is an automatic drive control method for a vehicle in which, as a target control quantity for automatically controlling a rudder angle of front wheels, a target control quantities &#x394;&#x3b8;ptj of a pinion angle for the current cycle to the c-th cycle are calculated by prediction according to parameters for trajectory control based on a driving situation of the vehicle; and when a magnitude of a target control quantity &#x394;&#x3b8;ptfor the current cycle is less than a preliminarily set reference value P and it is determined that the probability is high that the target control quantity &#x394;&#x3b8;ptj has a sign identical to a sign for the current cycle and the magnitude thereof increases to the reference value P or above by the c-th cycle at the latest, the magnitude of the target control quantity &#x394;&#x3b8;ptfor the current cycle is increasingly corrected to the reference value P.

Automatic drive control method for vehicle

A braking force control apparatus for a vehicle estimates the friction coefficient &#x3bc; of a road surface as the state of the road surface on which the vehicle travels, and determines an ideal braking force &#x3bc;W by making use of the estimated road surface friction coefficient &#x3bc;. When &#x3bc; is equal to or greater than a predetermined friction coefficient &#x3bc;, the braking force control apparatus operates an in-wheel motor in a regeneration state to generate a motor braking torque Tmr, and causes a friction brake mechanism to generate a frictional braking force Bf computed by subtracting Tmr from &#x3bc;W. When &#x3bc; is less than &#x3bc;, the braking force control apparatus operates the in-wheel motor in a power running state to generate a motor driving torque Tmc, and causes the friction brake mechanism to generate a Bf computed by adding Tmc to &#x3bc;W.

Braking force control apparatus for vehicle

A wheel assembly with an in-wheel motor in which a wheel driving apparatus formed of a motor or a combination of a motor and a reduction mechanism is provided in a wheel, includes an oil supply apparatus that is driven by rotational output of the motor, and an oil supply flow path that leads oil that has been drawn up by the oil supply apparatus to the wheel driving apparatus. The oil supply apparatus is structured so that oil can be supplied to the wheel driving apparatus via the oil supply flow path when the motor is rotating in the forward direction as well as when the motor is rotating in the reverse direction.

Wheel assembly with in-wheel motor

A wheel support device () includes a spring () fitted to an in-wheel motor () and damping the vibration of a motor-driven wheel () and the in-wheel motor () by extending and retracting, a knuckle () attached to the spring () and rotatably supporting the motor-driven wheel (), a center part () of a dynamic mass damper mechanism () vibrating together with the in-wheel motor () by a force given from a road surface when a vehicle runs, an upper part () thereof restricting the vibration of the in-wheel motor () by coming into contact with the center part () at a prescribed region, and a cushioning member () fitted to a portion of the center part () or the upper part () corresponding to the prescribed region brought into contact with the other.

Wheel support device

An in-wheel motor includes a motor generating motive power, a planetary gear arranged toward a wheel disc relative to the motor to reduce an output of the motor, and a shaft arranged toward the wheel disc relative to the planetary gear and connected to a planetary carrier. Shaft is connected to a constant velocity joint transmitting the motive power to wheel disc.

In-wheel motor with high durability

A suspension system () for a vehicle for suspending a wheel () is disclosed. The suspension system () includes a motor () for driving the wheel of the vehicle; a first suspension () for supporting the wheel () of the vehicle with respect to the vehicle body; a second suspension () for elastically supporting the motor () with respect to the vehicle body; and a power transferring mechanism () for transferring power from the motor () to the wheel () while permitting relative movement of the motor () with respect to the wheel ().

Suspension system for electric vehicle

A wheel condition determination apparatus includes a primary sensor unit and a secondary sensor unit that are provided in the wheels of a vehicle. The primary sensor unit detects a predetermined parameter indicating the condition of the wheel and controls the operation mode of the secondary sensor unit in accordance with the detected predetermined parameter. The secondary sensor unit detects a predetermined parameter indicating the condition of the wheel that is different from the predetermined parameter detected by the primary sensor unit. The operation mode of the secondary sensor unit may be changed between an active mode and a sleep mode. In the sleep mode, detection of the wheel condition may be suspended or performed less frequently than as the active mode.

Wheel condition determination apparatus

A tire wheel structure that avoids the adverse effect of the increase in the unsprung mass associated with the presence of a driving motor at the time of a road surface input to a tire wheel is provided. In the tire wheel structure, the driving motor is disposed near the tire wheel that is supported on a vehicle body. The driving motor drives the tire wheel by transferring driving force to the tire wheel. The output shaft of the driving motor is connected to a wheel of the tire wheel via a flexible coupling. The driving motor is supported by a knuckle member of a suspension via coil springs and absorbers so that the driving motor is relatively displaceable with respect to the tire wheel.

Tire wheel structure

A tire wheel structure that avoids the adverse effect of the increase in the unsprung mass associated with the presence of a driving motor at the time of a road surface input to a tire wheel is provided. In the tire wheel structure, the driving motor is disposed near the tire wheel that is supported on a vehicle body. The driving motor drives the tire wheel by transferring driving force to the tire wheel. The output shaft of the driving motor is connected to a wheel of the tire wheel via a flexible coupling. The driving motor is supported by a knuckle member of a suspension via coil springs and absorbers so that the driving motor is relatively displaceable with respect to the tire wheel along a guide that has an axis that is inclined with respect to a vertical axis in a vehicular front-rear direction.

Growing community of inventors

Toyota, Japan

Fumito Kurata