IP Library › Granted Patent US 12,654,559
Granted Patent B2
US 12,654,559 · App. 18/737,008 · Granted Jun 16, 2026

Straddle vehicle and vehicle control method

Inventor: Rui Fukuoka (Akashi, JP)
Assignee: KAWASAKI MOTORS, LTD.
B60L7/10B60L15/20B60L58/10B62J43/16B60L2200/12B60L2240/423
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,654,559
App. No.
18/737,008
Granted
Jun 16, 2026
Kind
B2
Abstract

There are provided a straddle vehicle and a method for controlling a vehicle. the straddle vehicle includes: a vehicle body; an electric motor mounted on the vehicle body as a driving source and rotatable in positive and reverse directions; a battery mounted on the vehicle body and configured to supply electric power to the electric motor; and a processing circuitry configured to control the electric motor. The processing circuitry is configured to: acquire vehicle state information capable of determining whether a vehicle state of the straddle vehicle is a forward traveling state or a backward traveling state, and operation information capable of determining whether a user operation is a forward traveling operation or a backward traveling operation; and switch between power running control and regeneration control based on the vehicle state information and the operation information.

Claims (85)

1 . A straddle vehicle comprising:

a vehicle body;

an electric motor mounted on the vehicle body as a driving source and rotatable in positive and reverse directions;

a battery mounted on the vehicle body and configured to supply electric power to the electric motor;

a torque command operator configured to:

receive a first movement operation performed by a user, and move in a first direction with respect to a reference position; and

receive a second movement operation performed by the user, and move in a second direction with respect to the reference position; and

a processing circuitry configured to control the electric motor, wherein

the processing circuitry is configured to:

acquire vehicle state information capable of determining whether a vehicle state of the straddle vehicle is a forward traveling state or a backward traveling state, and operation information capable of determining whether a user operation is a first movement operation or a second movement operation; and

switch between power running control and regeneration control based on the vehicle state information and the operation information, and

the processing circuitry is configured to:

execute power running control of enhancing a forward movement of the straddle vehicle in a case where the vehicle state is a forward traveling state and a user operation is the first movement operation;

execute power running control of enhancing a backward movement of the straddle vehicle in a case where the vehicle state is a backward traveling state and a user operation is second first movement operation;

execute regeneration control of suppressing the forward movement in a case where the vehicle state is the forward traveling state and the user operation is the second movement operation; and

execute regeneration control of suppressing the backward movement in a case where the vehicle state is the backward traveling state and the user operation is the first movement operation.

2 . The straddle vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein

the operation information is information capable of determining whether the user operation is a reference position operation different from the first movement operation and the second movement operation in addition to whether the user operation is the first movement operation or the second movement operation, and

the processing circuitry is configured to:

execute regeneration control in a case where the processing circuitry determines that the vehicle state is the forward traveling state or the backward traveling state and the user operation is the reference position operation, and

execute regeneration control for generating a regenerative braking force larger than a regenerative braking force in the regeneration control when the vehicle state is determined as being the reference position operation, in a case where the processing circuitry determines that the vehicle state is the forward traveling state and the user operation is the second movement operation, or in a case where the processing circuitry determines that the vehicle state is the backward traveling state and the user operation is the first movement operation.

3 . The straddle vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein

the processing circuitry is configured to execute regeneration control such that a rotation speed of the electric motor is zero, in the case where the processing circuitry determines that the vehicle state is the forward traveling state and the user operation is the second movement operation, or in the case where the processing circuitry determines that the vehicle state is the backward traveling state and the user operation is the first movement operation.

4 . The straddle vehicle according to claim 1 , further comprising

an operator configured to receive the first movement operation and the second movement operation by a user, wherein

the operator is configured to return to a predetermined reference position when no user operation is performed, move in a first movement direction from the reference position in response to the first movement operation by the user, and move in a second movement direction different from the first movement direction from the reference position in response to the second movement operation by the user.

5 . The straddle vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein

a regeneration amount obtained by the regeneration control is different between a case where the processing circuitry determines that the vehicle state is the forward traveling state and the user operation is the second movement operation, and a case where the processing circuitry determines that the vehicle state is the backward traveling state and the user operation is the first movement operation.

6 . The straddle vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein

the processing circuitry is configured to:

execute first regeneration control which is different from the regeneration control in a case where the vehicle state is the forward traveling state or the backward traveling state and the user operation is a reference position operation, and

a regeneration amount by the regeneration control is larger than a regeneration amount by the first regeneration control.

7 . The straddle vehicle according to claim 1 , wherein

the first movement operation is an operation of rotating the torque command operator to one side in a circumferential direction with respect to the reference position, and

the second movement operation is an operation of rotating the torque command operator to an other side in the circumferential direction with respect to the reference position.

8 . The straddle vehicle according to claim 1 , further comprising:

a mode switching switch configured to receive a user operation for switching a control mode of the processing circuitry between a normal traveling mode and a low-speed mode, wherein

the processing circuitry is configured to:

switch the control mode of the processing circuitry between the normal traveling mode and the low-speed mode, based on a mode switching signal received from the mode switching switch, and

accept the backward movement of the straddle vehicle by the mode switching switch being operated.

9 . The straddle vehicle according to claim 8 , wherein

the mode switching switch is configured to transmit the mode switching signal to the processing circuitry when the user continues to press the mode switching switch for a predetermined time.

10 . The straddle vehicle according to claim 8 , further comprising:

a steering wheel extending in a left-right direction, wherein

the mode switching switch is located on an opposite side of the torque command operator with respect to the steering wheel.

11 . The straddle vehicle according to claim 1 , further comprising:

a mode switching switch configured to receive a user operation for switching a control mode of the processing circuitry between a normal traveling mode and a low-speed mode, wherein

the processing circuitry is configured to:

switch the control mode of the processing circuitry between the normal traveling mode and the low-speed mode, based on a mode switching signal received from the mode switching switch, and

accept the backward movement of the straddle vehicle by the mode switching switch being operated and vehicle speed of the straddle vehicle being equal to or lower than a predetermined speed.

12 . A straddle vehicle comprising:

a vehicle body;

an electric motor mounted on the vehicle body as a driving source and rotatable in positive and reverse directions;

a battery mounted on the vehicle body and configured to supply electric power to the electric motor; and

a processing circuitry configured to control the electric motor, wherein

the processing circuitry is configured to:

acquire vehicle state information capable of determining whether a vehicle state of the straddle vehicle is a forward traveling state or a backward traveling state, and operation information capable of determining a user operation; and

switch between power running control and regeneration control based on the vehicle state information and the operation information, and

the processing circuitry is configured to:

determine a required torque required for the electric motor to be equal to or less than a power running limiting torque at a time of the power running control; and

determine a required torque required for the electric motor to be equal to or less than a regeneration limiting torque having a magnitude different from a magnitude of the power running limiting torque at the time of the regeneration control.

13 . The straddle vehicle according to claim 12 , wherein

the processing circuitry is configured to:

acquire battery state information related to a state of the battery; and

change the power running limiting torque or the regeneration limiting torque based on the battery state information.

14 . The straddle vehicle according to claim 12 , wherein

the processing circuitry is configured to:

determine whether the vehicle state is a slow-speed traveling state in which a regeneration amount is equal to or less than a predetermined value based on the vehicle state information at the time of the regeneration control; and

increase a regeneration limiting torque set in a case where the processing circuitry determines that the vehicle state is the slow-speed traveling state as compared with a regeneration limiting torque set in a case where the processing circuitry determines that the vehicle state is not the slow-speed traveling state.

15 . A straddle vehicle comprising:

a vehicle body;

an electric motor mounted on the vehicle body as a driving source;

a battery mounted on the vehicle body and configured to supply electric power to the electric motor; and

a processing circuitry configured to control the electric motor, wherein

the processing circuitry is configured to:

determine whether a vehicle state is a slow-speed traveling state in which a regeneration amount is equal to or less than a predetermined value based on a vehicle state information at a time of the regeneration control;

limit a required regeneration torque, which is a regeneration torque required for the electric motor, in a case where the processing circuitry determines that the vehicle state is not the slow-speed traveling state; and

reduce a limit on the required regeneration torque in a case where the processing circuitry determines that the vehicle state is the slow-speed traveling state as compared with the case where the processing circuitry determines that the vehicle state is not the slow-speed traveling state.

16 . A method for controlling a vehicle including: an electric motor rotatable in positive and reverse directions; a torque command operator configured to receive a first movement operation performed by a user, and move in a first direction with respect to a reference position, and receive a second movement operation performed by the user, and move in a second direction with respect to the reference position; and a processing circuitry, the method being executed in the processing circuitry, the method comprising:

acquiring vehicle state information capable of determining whether a vehicle state of the vehicle is a forward traveling state or a backward traveling state and operation information capable of determining whether a user operation is a first movement operation or a second movement operation;

switching between power running control and regeneration control based on the vehicle state information and the operation information;

executing power running control of enhancing a forward movement of a straddle vehicle in a case where the vehicle state is a forward traveling state and a user operation is the first movement operation;

executing power running control of enhancing a backward movement of the straddle vehicle in a case where the vehicle state is a backward traveling state and a user operation is second first movement operation;

executing regeneration control of suppressing the forward movement in a case where the vehicle state is the forward traveling state and the user operation is the second movement operation; and

executing regeneration control of suppressing the backward movement in a case where the vehicle state is the backward traveling state and the user operation is the first movement operation.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jun 7, 2024
From: FUKUOKA, RUI
To: KAWASAKI MOTORS, LTD.
Reel/Frame 067655/0770 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP 2023-095056 · Jun 8, 2023 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20240408967A1 · Dec 12, 2024
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