JP2010184691A - Angular velocity sensor unit of small vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an angular velocity sensor unit of a vehicle capable of using a component in common between a base vehicle and a high functional vehicle, and arranged so as not to reduce an effectively usable space such as a glove compartment. <P>SOLUTION: This angular velocity sensor unit 35 is arranged in a hollow part 28a of a cylindrical steering shaft 28 supported by a head pipe 2 arranged in a front part of a vehicle body frame 7. The angular velocity sensor unit 35 is structured of an angular velocity sensor 36 fixed by filling resin 39 in a cylindrical sensor case 38 and a substrate 37 for holding the angular velocity sensor. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an angular velocity sensor unit for a small vehicle, and more particularly to an angular velocity sensor unit for a small vehicle that is attached by effectively using a small space.

  In order to control the attitude of a motorcycle, an angular velocity sensor that detects a roll rate (roll angular velocity), a yaw rate (yaw angular velocity), or the like may be mounted on the motorcycle. In Patent Document 1, the yaw rate and roll rate are detected as information related to the behavior of the motorcycle, and the operation of the swinging device for swinging the rear wheel with respect to the vertical direction of the body frame of the motorcycle is controlled based on this information. There has been proposed a motorcycle equipped with a control means.

  In the motorcycle described in Patent Document 1, yaw rate detection means and roll rate detection means as angular velocity sensors are arranged on the lower surface of the seat or the space behind the seat where the occupant sits.

JP 2006-44528 A

  As disclosed in Patent Document 1, when the angular velocity sensor is arranged under the seat, it is necessary to change the structure under the seat with respect to the base vehicle that does not have the angular velocity sensor in order to maintain a good sitting comfort. is there. In addition, when the angular velocity sensor is arranged behind the seat, the space for storing the container can be reduced when it is provided in this portion.

  In this way, with the conventional arrangement of angular velocity sensors, it is necessary to change parts between the base vehicle that does not have the angular velocity sensor and the high-performance vehicle that has the angular velocity sensor, and it is not possible to reduce costs due to the common use of components, Convenience may be reduced due to space reduction.

  An object of the present invention is to provide an angular velocity sensor unit for a small vehicle that is arranged so that parts can be shared between a base vehicle and a high-performance vehicle, and a space that can be used effectively, such as a container, is not reduced. There is to do.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an angular velocity sensor unit for a small vehicle equipped with an angular velocity sensor for attitude control, wherein the angular velocity sensor is supported by a head pipe provided at a front part of a body frame of the small vehicle. The first feature is that it is disposed in the hollow portion of the cylindrical steering shaft.

  The present invention also includes a cylindrical sensor case having an outer diameter that matches the inner diameter of the steering shaft, an angular velocity sensor that is positioned by filling a resin in the sensor case, and a substrate that holds the angular velocity sensor. There is a second feature.

  In the present invention, the angular velocity sensor is a sensor for detecting a roll angular velocity of a small vehicle, and a roll angular velocity detection axis is orthogonal to a surface extending in the vehicle width direction through the central axis of the steering shaft. The third feature is that the sensor case is provided.

  According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the angular velocity sensor is a sensor that detects a yaw angular velocity of a small vehicle, and a yaw angular velocity detection axis is arranged in the sensor case so as to coincide with a vertical direction. is there.

In addition, the present invention has a fifth feature in that the sensor case includes a cylindrical main body portion and a flange formed at an end portion of the main body portion.
Furthermore, the present invention has a sixth feature in that the sensor case is disposed with the main body portion inserted into the steering shaft and the flange in contact with the upper end surface of the steering shaft.

  According to the present invention having the first to sixth features, the angular velocity sensor unit including the roll angular velocity sensor and the yaw angular velocity sensor can be provided in the hollow portion of the steering shaft. There is no need to change the shape and arrangement of each part from that of the base vehicle. Therefore, it is possible to share the parts of the upper-class vehicle equipped with the angular velocity sensor unit and the base vehicle not equipped with the unit.

  In particular, according to the present invention having the second feature, since the arrangement position of the angular velocity sensor and the substrate can be fixed with the resin filled in the sensor case, the positioning for setting the detection axis at a predetermined position is easy.

  Further, when the sensor case is inserted into the hollow portion of the steering shaft, the filled resin and the flange serve as a lid to cover the upper end of the hollow portion of the steering shaft, thereby preventing intrusion of water, mud and the like. .

1 is a cross-sectional view of a main part of a motorcycle to which an angular velocity sensor unit according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied. 1 is a left side view of a motorcycle to which an angular velocity sensor unit according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied. It is an upper part expanded sectional view of a steering shaft which shows the mounting aspect of the angular velocity sensor unit which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a top view of an angular velocity sensor unit. It is a front view of an angular velocity sensor. It is a top expanded sectional view of a steering shaft which shows the wearing mode of the angular velocity sensor unit concerning a 2nd embodiment.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 2 is a left side view of a motorcycle as a small vehicle including the angular velocity sensor unit according to the embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, a motorcycle 1 is joined to a head pipe 2, a main frame 3 extending rearward from the head pipe 2 (right direction in FIG. 2), a main frame 3, and the main frame 3. A vehicle body frame 7 including a rear frame 5 and a seat frame 6 extending rearward from the bracket 4 is provided. The main frame 3 is a pair of left and right members that branch from the head pipe 2 to the left and right in the vehicle body width direction and extend rearward. Therefore, the rear frame 5 and the seat frame 6 are also a pair of left and right.

  The main frame 3 suspends a power unit including the engine 10 by support portions 8 and 9 provided at two places. A pivot 12 provided on a pivot support 11 that extends downward in the main frame 3 has one end (front end) of a swing arm 14 that supports a rear wheel 13 so that the swing arm 14 can swing up and down. To support. The swing arm 14 is further supported at a rear position from the pivot 12 by the rear suspension 15. The rear suspension 15 has an upper portion connected to the bracket 4 and a lower portion connected to the swing arm 14 via a link mechanism.

  A drive sprocket 16 provided on the output shaft of the engine 10 is connected to a sprocket 18 on the rear wheel 13 side via a chain 17, and the output of the engine 10 is transmitted to the rear wheel 13.

  A steering shaft 28 (see FIG. 1 and the like) not shown in FIG. 2 is vertically penetrated through the head pipe 2, and a top that extends in the vehicle width direction (left and right) in a straight traveling state of the vehicle is at the upper end of the steering shaft A bridge 19 is connected, and a bottom bridge 20 that similarly extends in the vehicle width direction (left and right) is connected to the lower end of the steering shaft. A steering handle 21 is fixed on the top bridge 19. The top bridge 19 and the bottom bridge 20 are provided with a front fork 22 including a pair of left and right pipe members that extend downward from the vicinity of the left and right ends of the top bridge 19 and penetrate the bottom bridge 20 downward from above.

  In the vicinity of the lower end portion of the front fork 22, a front axle 23 for connecting a pair of pipe members constituting the front fork 22 is provided, and a front wheel 24 is rotatably supported by the front axle 23.

  The front fork 22 is accommodated in a space surrounded by the upper cylindrical body 221, a lower cylindrical body 222 slidably combined with the upper cylindrical body 221, and the upper cylindrical body 221 and the lower cylindrical body 222. A coil spring, that is, a suspension spring (not shown) that biases the cylinder 221 and the lower cylinder 222 away from each other is provided. Accordingly, the distance between the upper cylindrical body 221 and the lower cylindrical body 222 changes depending on the magnitude of the load applied to the front fork 22, and vibration transmitted from the front wheels 24 to the vehicle body frame 7 and eventually the steering handle 21 is absorbed.

  The upper cylindrical body 221 and the lower cylindrical body 222 are inserted into the other to form a space for accommodating the suspension spring, but the small outer diameter upper cylindrical body 221 is replaced with the large inner diameter lower cylindrical body 222. It is optional whether to design so that the lower cylindrical body 222 having a small outer diameter is inserted into the upper cylindrical body 221 having a large inner diameter. A front fender 25 that covers the front wheel 24 from above is attached to the lower cylindrical body 222.

  Further, an angular velocity sensor unit 35 for detecting a roll angular velocity and a yaw angular velocity of the vehicle body is disposed in the steering shaft.

  FIG. 1 is a view showing a main part of a motorcycle 1 according to the present embodiment, and the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 2 denote the same or equivalent parts. In FIG. 1, as described with reference to FIG. 2, the head pipe 2 is provided with a steering shaft 28 penetrating the upper end of the head pipe 2 and being coupled to the top bridge 19 and having the lower end coupled to the bottom bridge 20. The head pipe 2 rotatably supports the steering shaft 28 by bearings 30 and 31 disposed above and below.

  Nuts 32 and 33 for defining the distance between the top bridge 19 and the bearing 30 are arranged in a double nut form between the top bridge 19 and the bearing 30, and the steering shaft 28 protruding upward from the top bridge 19 is provided. A screw is formed around the protruding portion, and a nut 34 for screwing and fixing the top bridge 19 to the steering shaft 28 in cooperation with the nut 32 is screwed.

  The steering shaft 28 has a cylindrical shape, and the angular velocity sensor unit 35 is accommodated in the hollow portion 28 a of the cylindrical steering shaft 28. In the present embodiment, the angular velocity sensor unit 35 is fitted from the upper part of the steering shaft 28 and is held at the upper end.

  At the time of assembly, the steering shaft 28 is inserted into the through hole 20a provided in the bottom bridge 20 from below to above. The steering shaft 28 is further inserted into the head pipe 2 from below. That is, the steering shaft 28 is inserted upward in the order of the bearing 31 and the bearing 30. The through hole 20a of the bottom bridge 20 is a stepped hole having a small inner diameter at the top and a large inner diameter at the bottom. Accordingly, with the steering shaft 28 protruding from the bearing 31 by a predetermined amount, the lower end extended portion 28b of the steering shaft 28 is hooked on the step of the through hole 20a, and the steering shaft 28 is further inserted into the through hole 20a. Is limited.

  In the next stage, nuts 33 and 32 are screwed onto the protruding portion of the steering shaft 28 from the bearing 31, and the nut 34 is screwed and clamped with the top bridge 19 interposed therebetween. Finally, the angular velocity sensor unit 35 is mounted in the steering shaft 28.

  3 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the upper portion of the steering shaft showing how the angular velocity sensor unit is mounted, FIG. 4 is a top view of the angular velocity sensor unit, and FIG. 5 is a front view of the angular velocity sensor. In these drawings, the same reference numerals as those in FIG. 1 denote the same parts.

  3 to 5, the angular velocity sensor unit 35 includes an angular velocity sensor (roll angular velocity sensor) 36, a substrate 37 that holds the angular velocity sensor 36, a sensor case 38 that houses the angular velocity sensor 36 and the substrate 37, and a sensor case 38. And a resin member 39 filled in the sensor case 38 in order to fix the posture of the angular velocity sensor 36. An electric wire (harness) for exchanging the detection signal of the angular velocity sensor 36 with an engine ECU (not shown) from the substrate 37 and supplying the operating power of the angular velocity sensor 36 from a vehicle battery (not shown) or the like. ) 40 is pulled out.

  The sensor case 38 includes a cylindrical main body portion 38a having an outer diameter D that matches the inner diameter of the steering shaft 28, and a flange portion (flange) 38b formed at an end portion (upper end in FIG. 3) of the main body 38a. The flange 38b is a portion having a function of restricting the sensor case 38 from being fitted below the upper end surface of the steering shaft 28 when the sensor case 38 is inserted into the steering shaft 28.

  The angular velocity sensor 36 is provided in the sensor case 38 so that the roll angular velocity detection axis (symbol Y in FIG. 4) is orthogonal to the surface S extending in the vehicle width direction through the central axis 28x of the steering shaft 28. It has been. In other words, the largest of the six surfaces of the angular velocity sensor 36 that forms a rectangular parallelepiped extends along the axial direction of the steering shaft 28 and extends in a direction perpendicular to the straight traveling direction of the motorcycle 1 and enters the sensor case 38. Positioned. Since the angular velocity sensor 36 is fixed in advance along the largest surface among the six surfaces on the substrate 37, the substrate 37 is placed in the sensor case 38 in the longitudinal direction (axial direction) of the body portion 38 a of the sensor case 38. And the resin member 39 may be filled.

  In FIG. 5, the symbol R indicates the direction of rotation of the angular velocity sensor 36 around the angular velocity detection axis Y. That is, the angular velocity sensor 36 detects the angular velocity (roll angular velocity) in this rotational direction.

  Next, a case where the angular velocity sensor is a yaw angular velocity sensor will be described as a second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the upper portion of the steering shaft showing the mounting mode of the angular velocity sensor unit according to the second embodiment, and the same reference numerals as those in FIG. The angular velocity sensor 361, which is a yaw angular velocity sensor, has an angle with respect to the axis 28x of the steering shaft 28 so that the yaw angular velocity detection axis (indicated by reference sign Z in FIG. 6) coincides with the vertical direction, that is, orthogonal to the road surface 41. Arranged with θ. Even when the angular velocity sensor 361 is arranged at a predetermined angle with respect to the steering shaft 28 as described above, the angular velocity sensor 361 may be positioned in the sensor case 38 and filled with resin. Compared with the case where the sensor 361 is attached to the vehicle body while adjusting the attachment angle, the accuracy is easily obtained.

  Although the present invention has been described according to the embodiment in the present specification, the present invention is not limited to this. Those skilled in the art can implement the present invention by applying well-known techniques within the scope described in the claims. For example, both the roll angular velocity sensor and the yaw angular velocity may be incorporated in the sensor case as a unit. Moreover, although this embodiment is an angular velocity sensor unit of a motorcycle, a small vehicle to which the present invention can be applied is not limited to a motorcycle. For example, the present invention can be applied to a tricycle, a swing vehicle (a small vehicle in which the front wheel and the rear wheel can swing relatively in the roll direction), and the like. In short, the angular velocity sensor unit of the present invention can be applied to a small vehicle having a hollow cylindrical head pipe.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Motorcycle, 2 ... Head pipe, 3 ... Main frame, 19 ... Top bridge, 20 ... Bottom bridge, 22 ... Front fork, 24 ... Front wheel, 25 ... Front fender, 28 ... Steering shaft, 30, 31 ... Bearing, 32, 33, 34 ... nuts, 35 ... angular velocity sensor unit, 36 ... angular velocity sensor, 37 ... substrate, 38 ... sensor case, 39 ... resin member, 40 ... electric wire

Claims (6)

In an angular velocity sensor unit of a small vehicle equipped with an angular velocity sensor for attitude control,
The angular velocity sensor (36) is disposed in the hollow portion (28a) of the cylindrical steering shaft (28) supported by the head pipe (2) provided at the front portion of the body frame (7) of the small vehicle. An angular velocity sensor unit for a small vehicle. A cylindrical sensor case (38) having an outer diameter matching the inner diameter (D) of the steering shaft;
The angular velocity of a small vehicle according to claim 1, comprising an angular velocity sensor (36) positioned by filling the sensor case with resin and a substrate (37) holding the angular velocity sensor (36). Sensor unit.   The angular velocity sensor (36) is a sensor for detecting the roll angular velocity of the vehicle, and the roll angular velocity detection axis (Y) is orthogonal to a plane (S) extending in the vehicle width direction through the central axis of the steering shaft. As described above, the angular velocity sensor unit for a small vehicle according to claim 2, wherein the angular velocity sensor unit is provided in the sensor case (38).   The angular velocity sensor (36) is a sensor for detecting the yaw angular velocity of the vehicle, and the yaw angular velocity detection axis (Z) is arranged in the sensor case (38) so as to coincide with the vertical direction. The angular velocity sensor unit for a small vehicle according to claim 2. The sensor case (38) comprises a cylindrical main body portion (38a) and a flange (38b) formed at an end of the main body portion (38a). An angular velocity sensor unit for a small vehicle according to claim 1. The sensor case (38) has a main body portion (38a) inserted into a steering shaft (28), and the flange (38b) is disposed in contact with the upper end surface of the steering shaft (28). An angular velocity sensor unit for a small vehicle according to claim 5.

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