US 8,301,321 B2Granted

Control apparatus

AssigneeKabushikikaisha Equos Research

InventorsAkira Mizuno, Masao Ando, Munehisa Horiguchi, Takashi Naito

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Abstract

A control device corrects the alignment of wheels of a vehicle during travel to improve fuel consumption performance. Operating conditions of a suspension device (alignment adjustment device) are controlled by alignment control while the vehicle is traveling, and when the alignment of the wheels is adjusted, travel resistance of the vehicle increases or decreases. The control device detects the travel resistance of the vehicle based on the value of an electric current supplied to a wheel drive device (electric motor), and the alignment of the wheels is adjusted so that the travel resistance of the vehicle decreases. As a result, the alignment of the wheels during travel is adjusted to a correct state to improve fuel consumption performance.

Claims14

Dependent claims

A control apparatus for use in a vehicle that includes a wheel, and an alignment adjustment apparatus for adjusting alignment of the wheel, comprising:

travel resistance detecting means for detecting a travel resistance of the vehicle;
and
alignment control means for controlling the alignment adjustment apparatus so as to reduce the travel resistance that is detected by the travel resistance detecting means;
and
wherein the alignment adjustment apparatus of the vehicle includes:
a camber shaft that serves as a central axis about which the wheel is pivoted when changing a camber angle of the wheel, and that is tilted downward or upward along a longitudinal direction of the vehicle, and
a steering drive apparatus for driving the wheel so as to pivot the wheel about the camber shaft;
wherein, when the wheel is pivoted in one direction about the camber shaft by the steering drive apparatus, the camber angle and toe angle of the wheel are both simultaneously changed by the same pivoting movement in the one direction about the camber shaft;
and
wherein the alignment control means controls the steering drive apparatus.

7 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.