IP Library Granted Patent US 11,814,037
Granted Patent B2
US 11,814,037 · App. 17/137,124 · Granted Nov 14, 2023

Rough terrain vehicle and storage medium

Inventor: Yoshimoto Matsuda (Kobe, JP)
Assignee: KAWASAKI MOTORS, LTD.
B60W30/04B60Q9/00B60W30/0956B60W40/06B60W40/13B60W50/14B60W2300/152B62D49/00
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 11,814,037
App. No.
17/137,124
Granted
Nov 14, 2023
Kind
B2
Abstract

A rough terrain vehicle includes: a vehicle body; a state detector mounted on the vehicle body and configured to detect a state of the vehicle; a control target mounted on the vehicle body and operable during driving of the vehicle; an estimator mounted on the vehicle body and configured to estimate a margin for overturning of the vehicle or for load on the vehicle based on a result of detection by the state detector; and a controller mounted on the vehicle body and configured to, when the vehicle is traveling, control the control target to allow the margin estimated by the estimator to exceed a predetermined level.

Claims (22)

1. A rough terrain vehicle comprising:

a vehicle body;

a sensor group mounted on the vehicle body and configured to detect a state of the vehicle;

a control target mounted on the vehicle body and operable during driving of the vehicle; and

a processor mounted on the vehicle body, the processor being configured to:

estimate a margin for overturning of the vehicle or for load on the vehicle based on a result of detection by the sensor group; and

when the vehicle is traveling, control the control target to allow the estimated margin to exceed a predetermined level, wherein

the vehicle body includes an operator operable by a user,

the processor estimates the margin based on the result of detection by the sensor group and a result of acquisition of a request command indicating a requested vehicle body behavior, the request command being generated based on an operation performed by a user on the operator, and

upon determining that the estimated margin is below the predetermined level, the processor does not use the request command as a control command provided to the control target.

2. The rough terrain vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein

the request command specifies an engine speed or a throttle position,

upon determining that the margin is above the predetermined level, the processor uses the request command as the control command provided to the control target, and

upon determining that the margin is below the predetermined level, the processor does not provide the control command to the control target.

3. The rough terrain vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein

the request command specifies an engine speed or a throttle position,

upon determining that the margin is above the predetermined level, the processor uses the request command as the control command provided to the control target, and

upon determining that the margin is below the predetermined level, the processor does not use the request command as the control command provided to the control target but corrects the request command to allow the margin to exceed the predetermined level and uses the corrected request command as the control command provided to the control target.

4. The rough terrain vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein the sensor group detects a structural state of the vehicle or a state of a cargo carried on the vehicle as an indicator of the state of the vehicle.

5. The rough terrain vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein

the sensor group includes an operation amount detection sensor configured to detect an amount of the operation performed by the user on the operator, and

the processor estimates a state of a ground surface on which the vehicle is traveling based on a detection value obtained by the operation amount detection sensor and estimates the margin by using the estimated state of the ground surface.

Assignments (2)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Apr 7, 2022
From: KAWASAKI JUKOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
To: KAWASAKI MOTORS, LTD.
Reel/Frame 059630/0169 →
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Dec 29, 2020
From: MATSUDA, YOSHIMOTO
To: KAWASAKI JUKOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
Reel/Frame 054770/0366 →
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20220203962A1 · Jun 30, 2022