Method and device for calculating turning radius of vehicle taking load movement thereof into consideration

Claim 2

A vehicle turning radius calculating method for determining a turning radius of a vehicle having left and right tires, comprising: detecting the respective rotational angular velocities of left and right tires; detecting a lateral acceleration of the vehicle; detecting the load of the vehicle; and determining a turning radius of the vehicle, based on the detected rotational angular velocities, by taking into consideration a change in effective rolling radiuses of the tires due to a load movement of the vehicle, including determining a correction factor based on the detected load of the vehicle, and excluding an influence on the rotational angular velocities, of the change in effective rolling radiuses of the tires due to the load movement of the vehicle, using the determined correction factor and the detected lateral acceleration of the vehicle.

Claim 3

A method according to claim 1, further comprising detecting a lateral acceleration of the vehicle, wherein the determining the turning radius of the vehicle includes a step of excluding an influence of the change in effective rolling radiuses of the tires due to the load movement of the vehicle on the rotational angular velocities, based on the detected lateral acceleration of the vehicle.

Claim 4

A method according to claim 1, wherein the determining the turning radius of the vehicle includes determining respective speeds of the left and right tires, by multiplying the detected rotational angular velocities by a constant corresponding to the effective rolling radius of the tire at the time of linear traveling of the vehicle, correcting the speeds of the right and left tires so as to exclude the influence on the rotational angular velocities of the change in effective rolling radiuses of the tires due to the load movement of the vehicle, and determining the turning radius of the vehicle based on the corrected speeds of the right and left tires.

Claim 5

A vehicle turning radius calculating method for determining a turning radius of a vehicle having left and right tires, comprising: detecting rotational angular velocities of respective left and right tires; and determining a turning radius of the vehicle, based on the detected rotational angular velocities, by taking a change in effective rolling radiuses of the tires due to a load movement of the vehicle into consideration, including determining speeds of left and right tires, respectively, by multiplying the detected rotational angular velocities by a constant corresponding to the effective rolling radius of the tire at the time of linear traveling of the vehicle, correcting the speeds of right and left tires so as to exclude the influence on the rotational angular velocities of the change in effective rolling radiuses of the tires due to the load movement of the vehicle, and determining the turning radius of the vehicle based on the corrected speeds of the right and left tires; wherein the correcting the speeds of right and left tires includes calculating the speeds of the respective right and left tires after correction, according to the following equations: V2.sub.3 =(1+β×a)×V1.sub.3 V2.sub.4 =(1-β×a)×V1.sub.4 where a is a lateral acceleration in the lateral direction of the vehicle, which takes a positive value when directed from the left tire to the right tire and takes a negative value when directed from the right tire to the left tire, and where V2 3 is the speed of the left tire after correction, V2 4 is the speed of the right tire after correction, V1 3 is the speed of the left tire before correction, obtained by the determining speeds, V1 4 is the speed of the right tire before correction, obtained by the determining speeds, and β is a correction factor given by the equation β=(Q×H×α)/Tw×100, Q being a load of the vehicle, and H being a height from the ground surface of the tire to a center of gravity of the vehicle, α being a change rate (%) of the effective rolling radius of the tire to the load, and Tw being a distance between the right and left tires.

Claim 6

A vehicle turning radius calculating method for determining a turning radius of a vehicle having left and right tires, comprising: detecting rotational angular velocities of respective left and right tires; and determining a turning radius of the vehicle, based on the detected rotational angular velocities, by taking a change in effective rolling radiuses of the tires due to a load movement of the vehicle into consideration, including determining speeds of left and right tires, respectively, by multiplying the detected rotational angular velocities by a constant corresponding to the effective rolling radius of the tire at the time of linear traveling of the vehicle, correcting the speeds of right and left tires so as to exclude the influence on the rotational angular velocities of the change in effective rolling radiuses of the tires due to the load movement of the vehicle, and determining the turning radius of the vehicle based on the corrected speeds of the right and left tires; wherein the correcting the speeds of right and left tires includes calculating the speeds of the respective right and left tires after correction, according to the following equations: V2.sub.3 =(1+β×a)×V1.sub.3 V2.sub.4 =(1-β×a)×V1.sub.4 where a is a lateral acceleration in the lateral direction of the vehicle, which takes a positive value when directed from the left tire to the right tire and takes a negative value when directed from the right tire to the left tire, and where V2 3 is the speed of the left tire after correction, V2 4 is the speed of the right tire after correction, V1 3 is the speed of the left tire before correction, obtained by the determining speeds, V1 4 is the speed of the right tire before correction, obtained by the determining speeds, and β is a correction factor given by the equation β=(Q×H×α)/Tw×100, Q being a load of the vehicle, and H being a height from the ground surface of the tire to a center of gravity of the vehicle, α being a change rate (%) of the effective rolling radius of the tire to the load, and Tw being a distance between the right and left tires.

Claim 7

A method according to claim 4, wherein the determining the turning radius of the vehicle includes calculating the turning radius R of the vehicle according to the following equation: ##EQU15##

Claim 8

A vehicle turning radius calculating method for determining a turning radius of a vehicle having left and right tires, comprising: detecting rotational angular velocities of the respective left and right tires; and determining a turning radius of the vehicle, based on the detected rotational angular velocities, by taking into consideration a change in effective rolling radiuses of the tires due to a load movement of the vehicle, including determining a first vehicle turning radius R' in which the influence of the load movement of the vehicle is not taken into consideration, based on the detected rotational angular velocities, and determining a second vehicle turning radius R by correcting the first vehicle turning radius R' taking into consideration the influence of the change in effective rolling radiuses due to the load movement of the vehicle.

Claim 9

A vehicle turning radius calculating method for determining a turning radius of a vehicle having left and right tires, comprising: detecting rotational angular velocities of the respective left and right tires; and determining a turning radius of the vehicle, based on the detected rotational angular velocities, by taking into consideration a change in effective rolling radiuses of the tires due to a load movement of the vehicle, including determining a first vehicle turning radius R' in which the influence of the load movement of the vehicle is not taken into consideration, based on the detected rotational angular velocities, and determining a second vehicle turning radius R by correcting the first vehicle turning radius R' taking into consideration the influence of the change in effective rolling radiuses due to the load movement of the vehicle.

Claim 10

A method according to claim 6, further comprising determining a correction factor based on the load of the vehicle, wherein the determining the second vehicle turning radius R includes correcting the first vehicle turning radius R' using the correction factor so as to exclude the influence on the rotational angular velocities, of the change in effective rolling radiuses of the tires due to the load movement of the vehicle.

Claim 11

A method according to claim 7, further comprising detecting the load of the vehicle.

Claim 12

A method according to claim 6, wherein the determining the first vehicle turning radius R' includes determining respective speeds of the left and right tires, by multiplying the detected rotational angular velocities by a constant corresponding to the effective rolling radius of the tire at the time of linear traveling of the vehicle, and determining the first vehicle turning radius R' based on the respective speeds of the right and left tires.

Claim 13

A method according to claim 9, wherein the first vehicle turning radius R' is determined according to the following equation: ##EQU16## where V1 3 is the speed of the left tire, determined by multiplying the detected rotational angular velocity by a constant corresponding to the effective rolling radius of the tire at the time of linear traveling of the vehicle, V1 4 is the speed of the right tire, determined by multiplying the detected rotational angular velocity by a constant corresponding to the effective rolling radius of the tire at the time of linear traveling of the vehicle, and Tw is a distance between the right and left tires.

Claim 14

A method according to claim 6, wherein the determining the second vehicle turning radius R by correcting the first vehicle turning radius R' includes determining the second vehicle turning radius R according to the following equation: R=R'×{γ+σ×(V1.sub.4 +V1.sub.3).sup.2 } where γ and σ indicate respective correction factors, σ=(1/9.8)×(β/2Tw), β is a correction factor given by the equation β=(Q×H×α)/Tw×100, V1 3 is a speed of the left tire, determined by multiplying the detected rotational angular velocity by a constant corresponding to the effective rolling radius of the tire at the time of linear traveling of the vehicle, V1 4 is a speed of the right tire, determined by multiplying the detected rotational angular velocity by a constant corresponding to the effective rolling radius of the tire at the time of linear traveling of the vehicle, Q is a load of the vehicle, H is a height from the ground surface of the tire to a center of gravity of the vehicle, α is a change rate (%) of the effective rolling radius of the tire to the load, and Tw is a distance between the right and left tires.

Claim 15

A vehicle turning radius calculating method for determining a turning radius of a vehicle having left and right tires, comprising: detecting rotational angular velocities of the respective left and right tires; and determining a turning radius of the vehicle, based on the detected rotational angular velocities, by taking into consideration a change in effective rolling radiuses of the tires due to a load movement of the vehicle, including correcting the detected rotational angular velocities of the respective right and left tires so as to exclude the influence on the rotational angular velocities of the change in effective rolling radiuses of the tires due to the load movement of the vehicle, and determining the turning radius of the vehicle based on the corrected rotational angular velocities of the right and left tires; wherein the correcting the detected rotational angular velocities includes calculating the rotational angular velocities of right and left tires after correction, F3 3 and F3 4 , according to the following equations: F3.sub.3 =(1+β×a)×F1.sub.3 F3.sub.4 =(1-β×a)×F1.sub.4 where a is a lateral acceleration in a lateral direction of the vehicle, which takes a positive value when directed from the left tire to the right tire and takes a negative value when directed from the right tire to the left tire, F3 3 is a rotational angular velocity of the left tire after correction, F1 3 is a rotational angular velocity of the left tire before correction, obtained by the detecting rotational angular velocities, F3 4 is a rotational angular velocity of the right tire after correction, F1 4 is a rotational angular velocity of the right tire before correction, obtained by the detecting rotational angular velocities, and β is a correction factor given by the equation β=(Q×H×α)/Tw×100, Q being a load of the vehicle, H being a height from the ground surface of the tire to a center of gravity of the vehicle, α being a change rate (%) of the effective rolling radius of the tire to the load, and Tw being a distance between the right and left tires.

Claim 16

A vehicle turning radius calculating method for determining a turning radius of a vehicle having left and right tires, comprising: detecting rotational angular velocities of the respective left and right tires; and determining a turning radius of the vehicle, based on the detected rotational angular velocities, by taking into consideration a change in effective rolling radiuses of the tires due to a load movement of the vehicle, including correcting the detected rotational angular velocities of the respective right and left tires so as to exclude the influence on the rotational angular velocities of the change in effective rolling radiuses of the tires due to the load movement of the vehicle, and determining the turning radius of the vehicle based on the corrected rotational angular velocities of the right and left tires; wherein the correcting the detected rotational angular velocities includes calculating the rotational angular velocities of right and left tires after correction, F3 3 and F3 4 , according to the following equations: F3.sub.3 =(1+β×a)×F1.sub.3 F3.sub.4 =(1-β×a)×F1.sub.4 where a is a lateral acceleration in a lateral direction of the vehicle, which takes a positive value when directed from the left tire to the right tire and takes a negative value when directed from the right tire to the left tire, F3 3 is a rotational angular velocity of the left tire after correction, F1 3 is a rotational angular velocity of the left tire before correction, obtained by the detecting rotational angular velocities, F3 4 is a rotational angular velocity of the right tire after correction, F1 4 is a rotational angular velocity of the right tire before correction, obtained by the detecting rotational angular velocities, and β is a correction factor given by the equation β=(Q×H×α)/Tw×100, Q being a load of the vehicle, H being a height from the ground surface of the tire to a center of gravity of the vehicle, α being a change rate (%) of the effective rolling radius of the tire to the load, and Tw being a distance between the right and left tires.

Claim 17

A method according to claim 12, wherein the determining the turning radius of the vehicle includes calculating the turning radius R of the vehicle according to the following equation: ##EQU17##

Claim 18

A tire pressure drop detecting method, comprising: determining a turning radius of a vehicle having left and right tires, during a turn, including detecting rotational angular velocities of the respective left and right tires; and determining the turning radius of the vehicle, based on the detected rotational angular velocities, by taking into consideration a change in effective rolling radiuses of the tires due to a load movement of the vehicle, so that the influence on the determined turning radius of the vehicle of the changes in effective rolling radiuses of the tires due to the load movement of the vehicle, is excluded; correcting the detected rotational angular velocities using the determined turning radius of the vehicle, in which the influence of changes in effective rolling radiuses of the tires due to the load movement of the vehicle is excluded, to determine rotational angular velocities in which scatter thereof, caused by a difference in turning radius as between inner and outer wheels of the vehicle during the turn, is excluded; judging whether the determined turning radius of the vehicle is larger than a predetermined value or not; determining whether a pneumatic pressure of any tire of the vehicle drops or not, if the determined turning radius of the vehicle is larger than the predetermined value; and inhibiting the tire pressure drop detection if the determined turning radius of the vehicle is smaller than the predetermined value; wherein the detecting whether a pneumatic pressure of any tire drops or not includes judging whether the pneumatic pressure of any tire drops or not, based on the corrected rotational angular velocities.

Claim 19

A tire pressure drop detecting method, comprising: determining a turning radius of a vehicle having left and right tires, during a turn, including detecting rotational angular velocities of the respective left and right tires; and determining the turning radius of the vehicle, based on the detected rotational angular velocities, by taking into consideration a change in effective rolling radiuses of the tires due to a load movement of the vehicle, so that the influence on the determined turning radius of the vehicle of the changes in effective rolling radiuses of the tires due to the load movement of the vehicle, is excluded; correcting the detected rotational angular velocities using the determined turning radius of the vehicle, in which the influence of changes in effective rolling radiuses of the tires due to the load movement of the vehicle is excluded, to determine rotational angular velocities in which scatter thereof, caused by a difference in turning radius as between inner and outer wheels of the vehicle during the turn, is excluded; judging whether the determined turning radius of the vehicle is larger than a predetermined value or not; determining whether a pneumatic pressure of any tire of the vehicle drops or not, if the determined turning radius of the vehicle is larger than the predetermined value; and inhibiting the tire pressure drop detection if the determined turning radius of the vehicle is smaller than the predetermined value; wherein the detecting whether a pneumatic pressure of any tire drops or not includes judging whether the pneumatic pressure of any tire drops or not, based on the corrected rotational angular velocities.

Claim 20

A method according to claim 14, further comprising a step of detecting the load of the vehicle.

Claim 21

A method according to claim 14, wherein the determining the turning radius of the vehicle includes determining a first vehicle turning radius R' in which the influence due to the load movement of the vehicle is not taken into consideration, based on the detected rotational angular velocities, and determining a second vehicle turning radius R by correcting the first vehicle turning radius R' taking into consideration the influence of the change in effective rolling radiuses due to the load movement of the vehicle.

Claim 22

A method according to claim 16, further comprising determining a correction factor based on the load of the vehicle, wherein the determining the second vehicle turning radius R includes correcting the first vehicle turning radius R' using the correction factor so as to exclude the influence on the rotational angular velocities of the change in effective rolling radiuses of the tires due to the load movement of the vehicle.

Claim 23

A method according to claim 17, further comprising detecting the load of the vehicle.

Claim 24

A method according to claim 16, wherein the determining the first vehicle turning radius R' includes determining speeds of the respective left and right tires by multiplying the detected rotational angular velocities by a constant corresponding to the effective rolling radius of the tire at the time of linear traveling of the vehicle, and determining the first vehicle turning radius R' based on the determined speeds of the respective left and right tires.

Claim 25

A method according to claim 19, wherein the first vehicle turning radius R' is determined according to the following equation: ##EQU18## where V1 3 is the speed of the left tire, determined by multiplying the detected rotational angular velocity by a constant corresponding to the effective rolling radius of the tire at the time of linear traveling of the vehicle, V1 4 is the speed of the right tire, determined by multiplying the detected rotational angular velocity by a constant corresponding to the effective rolling radius of the tire at the time of linear traveling of the vehicle, and Tw is a distance between the right and left tires.

Claim 26

A method according to claim 16, wherein the determining the second vehicle turning radius R by correcting the first vehicle turning radius R' includes determining the second vehicle turning radius R according to the following equation: R=R'×{γ+σ×(V1.sub.4 +V1.sub.3).sup.2 } where γ and σ indicate respective correction factors, σ=(1/9.8)×(β/2Tw), β is a correction factor given by the equation β=(Q×H×α)/Tw×100, V1 3 is a speed of the left tire, determined by multiplying the detected rotational angular velocity by a constant corresponding to the effective rolling radius of the tire at the time of linear traveling of the vehicle, V1 4 is a speed of the right tire, determined by multiplying the detected rotational angular velocity by a constant corresponding to the effective rolling radius of the tire at the time of linear traveling of the vehicle, Q is a load of the vehicle, H is a height from the ground surface of the tire to a center of gravity of the vehicle, α is a change rate (%) of the effective rolling radius of the tire to the load, and Tw is a distance between the right and left tires.

Claim 27

A method according to claim 14, wherein the left and right tires are non-driven tires which follow along as the vehicle moves on the ground surface.

Claim 28

A method according to claim 14, further comprising specifying a tire whose pneumatic pressure drops, based on the corrected rotational angular velocities, if it is judged that the pneumatic pressure of any tire drops.

Claim 29

A method according to claim 14, wherein the determining the turning radius of the vehicle includes determining the speeds of the respective right and left tires, by multiplying the detected rotational angular velocities by a constant corresponding to the effective rolling radius of the tire at the time of linear traveling of the vehicle; correcting the speeds of the respective right and left tires so as to exclude the influence on the rotational angular velocities of the change in effective rolling radiuses of the tires due to the load movement of the vehicle; and determining the turning radius of the vehicle based on the corrected speeds of the respective right and left tires; the correcting the speeds of the respective right and left tires including calculating corrected speeds of the respective right and left tires according to the following equations V2.sub.3 -(1+β×a)×V1.sub.3 V2.sub.4 =(1-β×a)×V1.sub.4, where a is a lateral acceleration at the lateral direction of the vehicle, which takes a positive value when directed from the left tire to the right tire and takes a negative value when directed from the right tire to the left tire, V2 3 is a speed of the left tire after correction, V2 4 is a speed of the right tire after correction, V1 3 is a speed of the left tire before correction, obtained by the determining speeds, V1 4 is a speed of the right tire before correction, obtained by the determining speeds, and β is a correction factor given by the equation β=(Q×H×α)/Tw×100, Q being a load of the vehicle, H being a height from the ground surface of the tire to a center of gravity of the vehicle, α being a change rate (%) of the effective rolling radius of the tire to the load, and Tw being a distance between the right and left tires.

Claim 30

A method according to claim 24, wherein the determining the turning radius of the vehicle includes calculating the turning radius R of the vehicle according to the following equation: ##EQU19##

Claim 31

A method according to claim 14, wherein the step of determining the turning radius of the vehicle includes the steps of correcting the detected rotational angular velocities of the right and left tires so as to exclude the influence on the rotational angular velocities of the change in effective rolling radiuses of the tires due to the load movement of the vehicle, and determining the turning radius of the vehicle based on the corrected rotational angular velocities of the right and left tires, wherein the correcting the detected rotational angular velocities includes calculating the rotational angular velocities of the right and left tires after correction, F3 3 and F3 4 , according to the following equation: F3.sub.3 =(1+β×a)×F1.sub.3 F3.sub.4 =(1-β×a)×F1.sub.4 where a is a lateral acceleration in a lateral direction of the vehicle, which takes a positive value when directed from the left tire to the right tire and takes a negative value when directed from the right tire to the left tire, F3 3 is a rotational angular velocity of the left tire after correction, F1 3 is a rotational angular velocity of the left tire before correction, obtained by the detecting rotational angular velocities, F3 4 is a rotational angular velocity of the right tire after correction, F1 4 is a rotational angular velocity of the right tire before correction, obtained by the detecting rotational angular velocities, and β is a correction factor given by the equation β=(Q×H×α)/Tw×100, Q being a load of the vehicle, H being a height from the ground surface of the tire to a center of gravity of the vehicle, α being a change rate (%) of the effective rolling radius of the tire to the load, and Tw being a distance between the right and left tires.

Claim 32

A method according to claim 26, wherein the determining the turning radius of the vehicle includes calculating the turning radius R of the vehicle according to the following equation: ##EQU20##

Claim 33

A turning radius calculating device for determining a turning radius of a vehicle having left and right tires, comprising: rotational angular velocity detecting means for detecting rotational angular velocities of the respective left and right tires; turning radius determining means for determining the turning radius of the vehicle, based on the rotational angular velocities detected by the rotational angular velocity detecting means, by taking into consideration a change in effective rolling radiuses of the tires due to a load movement of the vehicle; lateral acceleration detecting means for detecting a lateral acceleration of the vehicle; and load detecting means for detecting a load of the vehicle; wherein the turning radius determining means includes correction factor determining means for determining a correction factor based on the load of the vehicle detected by the load detecting means, means for excluding from the determination of the turning radius the influence on the rotational angular velocities of the change in effective rolling radiuses of the tires due to the load movement of the vehicle, using the correction factor determined by the correction factor determining means and the lateral acceleration detected by the lateral acceleration detecting means.

Claim 34

A turning radius calculating device for determining a turning radius of a vehicle having left and right tires, comprising: rotational angular velocity detecting means for detecting rotational angular velocities of the respective left and right tires; turning radius determining means for determining the turning radius of the vehicle, based on the rotational angular velocities detected by the rotational angular velocity detecting means, by taking into consideration a change in effective rolling radiuses of the tires due to a load movement of the vehicle; lateral acceleration detecting means for detecting a lateral acceleration of the vehicle; and load detecting means for detecting a load of the vehicle; wherein the turning radius determining means includes correction factor determining means for determining a correction factor based on the load of the vehicle detected by the load detecting means, means for excluding from the determination of the turning radius the influence on the rotational angular velocities of the change in effective rolling radiuses of the tires due to the load movement of the vehicle, using the correction factor determined by the correction factor determining means and the lateral acceleration detected by the lateral acceleration detecting means.

Claim 35

A device according to claim 28, further comprising lateral acceleration detecting means for detecting a lateral acceleration of the vehicle, wherein the turning radius operating means includes means for excluding the influence on the rotational angular velocities of the change in effective rolling radiuses of the tires due to the load movement of the vehicle, based on the lateral acceleration detected by the lateral acceleration detecting means.

Claim 36

A device according to claim 28, wherein the turning radius operating means includes means for determining the respective speeds of left and right tires by multiplying the detected rotational angular velocities by a constant corresponding to the effective rolling radius of the tire at the time of linear traveling of the vehicle, means for correcting the respective speeds of right and left tires so as to exclude the influence on the rotational angular velocities of the change in effective rolling radiuses of the tires due to the load movement of the vehicle, and means for determining the turning radius of the vehicle based on the respective corrected speeds of the right and left tires.

Claim 37

A turning radius calculating device for determining a turning radius of a vehicle having left and right tires, comprising: rotational angular velocity detecting means for detecting rotational angular velocities of the respective left and right tires; and turning radius determining means for determining the turning radius of the vehicle, based on the rotational angular velocities detected by the rotational angular velocity detecting means, by taking into consideration a change in effective rolling radiuses of the tires due to a load movement of the vehicle; wherein the turning radius determining means includes means for determining speeds of the respective left and right tires, by multiplying the detected rotational angular velocities by a constant corresponding to the effective rolling radius of the tire at a time of linear traveling of the vehicle, means for correcting the speeds of the respective right and left tires so as to exclude the influence on the rotational angular velocities, of the change in effective rolling radiuses of the tires due to the load movement of the vehicle, and means for determining the turning radius of the vehicle based on the corrected speeds of the respective right and left tires; and wherein the means for correcting the speeds of the respective right and left tires includes means for finding the speeds after correction of the respective right and left tires, according to the following equations: V2.sub.3 -(1+β×a)×V1.sub.3 V2.sub.4 =(1-β×a)×V1.sub.4, where a is a lateral acceleration at the lateral direction of the vehicle, which takes a positive value when directed from the left tire to the right tire and takes a negative value when directed from the right tire to the left tire, V2 3 is a speed of the left tire after correction, V2 4 is a speed of the right tire after correction, V1 3 is a speed of the left tire before correction, obtained by the speeds determining means, V1 4 is a speed of the right tire before correction, obtained by the speeds determining means, and β is a correction factor given by the equation β=(Q×H×α)/Tw×100, Q being a load of the vehicle, H being a height from the ground surface of the tire to a center of gravity of the vehicle, α being a change rate (%) of the effective rolling radius of the tire to the load, and Tw being a distance between the right and left tires.

Claim 38

A turning radius calculating device for determining a turning radius of a vehicle having left and right tires, comprising: rotational angular velocity detecting means for detecting rotational angular velocities of the respective left and right tires; and turning radius determining means for determining the turning radius of the vehicle, based on the rotational angular velocities detected by the rotational angular velocity detecting means, by taking into consideration a change in effective rolling radiuses of the tires due to a load movement of the vehicle; wherein the turning radius determining means includes means for determining speeds of the respective left and right tires, by multiplying the detected rotational angular velocities by a constant corresponding to the effective rolling radius of the tire at a time of linear traveling of the vehicle, means for correcting the speeds of the respective right and left tires so as to exclude the influence on the rotational angular velocities, of the change in effective rolling radiuses of the tires due to the load movement of the vehicle, and means for determining the turning radius of the vehicle based on the corrected speeds of the respective right and left tires; and wherein the means for correcting the speeds of the respective right and left tires includes means for finding the speeds after correction of the respective right and left tires, according to the following equations: V2.sub.3 -(1+β×a)×V1.sub.3 V2.sub.4 =(1-β×a)×V1.sub.4, where a is a lateral acceleration at the lateral direction of the vehicle, which takes a positive value when directed from the left tire to the right tire and takes a negative value when directed from the right tire to the left tire, V2 3 is a speed of the left tire after correction, V2 4 is a speed of the right tire after correction, V1 3 is a speed of the left tire before correction, obtained by the speeds determining means, V1 4 is a speed of the right tire before correction, obtained by the speeds determining means, and β is a correction factor given by the equation β=(Q×H×α)/Tw×100, Q being a load of the vehicle, H being a height from the ground surface of the tire to a center of gravity of the vehicle, α being a change rate (%) of the effective rolling radius of the tire to the load, and Tw being a distance between the right and left tires.

Claim 39

A device according to claim 31, wherein the turning radius determining means for determining the turning radius R of the vehicle according to the following equation: ##EQU21##

Claim 40

A turning radius calculating device for determining a turning radius of a vehicle having left and right tires, comprising: rotational angular velocity detecting means for detecting rotational angular velocities of the respective left and right tires; and turning radius determining means for determining the turning radius of the vehicle based on the rotational angular velocities detected by the rotational angular velocity detecting means, by taking into consideration a change in effective rolling radiuses of the tires due to a load movement of the vehicle, wherein the turning radius determining means includes means for determining a first vehicle turning radius R' without consideration of the influence of the load movement of the vehicle, based on the rotational angular velocities detected by the rotational angular velocity detecting means, and means for determining a second vehicle turning radius R by correcting the determined first vehicle turning radius R', taking into consideration the influence of the change in effective rolling radiuses due to the load movement of the vehicle.

Claim 41

A turning radius calculating device for determining a turning radius of a vehicle having left and right tires, comprising: rotational angular velocity detecting means for detecting rotational angular velocities of the respective left and right tires; and turning radius determining means for determining the turning radius of the vehicle based on the rotational angular velocities detected by the rotational angular velocity detecting means, by taking into consideration a change in effective rolling radiuses of the tires due to a load movement of the vehicle, wherein the turning radius determining means includes means for determining a first vehicle turning radius R' without consideration of the influence of the load movement of the vehicle, based on the rotational angular velocities detected by the rotational angular velocity detecting means, and means for determining a second vehicle turning radius R by correcting the determined first vehicle turning radius R', taking into consideration the influence of the change in effective rolling radiuses due to the load movement of the vehicle.

Claim 42

A device according to claim 33, further comprising means for determining a correction factor based on a load of the vehicle, wherein the means for determining the second vehicle turning radius R includes means for correcting the first vehicle turning radius R' using the correction factor, so as to exclude the influence on the rotational angular velocities of the change in effective rolling radiuses of the tires due to the load movement of the vehicle.

Claim 43

A device according to claim 34, further comprising load detecting means for detecting a load of the vehicle, wherein the means for determining the correction factor determines the correction factor using the load of the vehicle detected by the load detecting means.

Claim 44

A device according to claim 33, wherein the means for determining the first vehicle turning radius R' includes means for determining the speeds of the respective left and right tires by multiplying the rotational angular velocities detected by the rotational angular velocity detecting means by a constant corresponding to the effective rolling radius of the tire at the time of linear traveling of the vehicle, and means for determining the first vehicle turning radius R' based on the speeds of the respective right and left tires.

Claim 45

A device according to claim 36, wherein the means for determining the first vehicle turning radius R' includes means for determining the first vehicle turning radius R' according to the following equation: ##EQU22## where V1 3 is the speed of the left tire, determined by multiplying the detected rotational angular velocity by a constant corresponding to the effective rolling radius of the tire at the time of linear traveling of the vehicle, V1 4 is the speed of the right tire, determined by multiplying the detected rotational angular velocity by a constant corresponding to the effective rolling radius of the tire at the time of linear traveling of the vehicle, and Tw is a distance between the right and left tires.

Claim 46

A device according to claim 33, wherein the means for determining the second vehicle turning radius R by correcting the first vehicle turning radius R' includes means for determining the second vehicle turning radius R according to the following equation: R=R'×{γ+σ×(V1.sub.4 +V1.sub.3).sup.2 } where γ and σ indicate respective correction factors, σ=(1/9.8)×(β/2Tw), β is a correction factor given by the equation β=(Q×H×α)/Tw×100, V1 3 is a speed of the left tire, determined by multiplying the detected rotational angular velocity by a constant corresponding to the effective rolling radius of the tire at the time of linear traveling of the vehicle, V1 4 is a speed of the right tire, determined by multiplying the detected rotational angular velocity by a constant corresponding to the effective rolling radius of the tire at the time of linear traveling of the vehicle, Q is a load of the vehicle, H is a height from the ground surface of the tire to a center of gravity of the vehicle, α is a change rate (%) of the effective rolling radius of the tire to the load, and Tw is a distance between the right and left tires.

Claim 47

A turning radius calculating device for determining a turning radius of a vehicle having left and right tires, comprising: rotational angular velocity detecting means for detecting rotational angular velocities of the respective left and right tires, and turning radius determining means for determining the turning radius of the vehicle based on the rotational angular velocities detected by the rotational angular velocity detecting means, by taking into consideration a change in effective rolling radiuses of the tires due to a load movement of the vehicle, the turning radius determining means including means for correcting the rotational angular velocities of the respective right and left tires detected by the rotational angular velocity detecting means so as to exclude the influence on the rotational angular velocities, of the change in effective rolling radiuses of the tires due to the load movement of the vehicle, and means for determining the turning radius of the vehicle based on the corrected rotational angular velocities of the right and left tires; wherein the means for correcting the detected rotational angular velocities calculates the corrected rotational angular velocities of the right and left tires according to the following equations: F3.sub.3 =(1+β×a)×F1.sub.3 F3.sub.4 =(1-β×a)×F1.sub.4 where a is a lateral acceleration in a lateral direction of the vehicle, which takes a positive value when directed from the left tire to the right tire and takes a negative value when directed from the right tire to the left tire, F3 3 is a rotational angular velocity of the left tire after correction, F1 3 is a rotational angular velocity of the left tire before correction, obtained by the rotational angular velocity detecting means, F3 4 is a rotational angular velocity of the right tire after correction, F1 4 is a rotational angular velocity of the right tire before correction, obtained by the rotational angular velocity detecting means, and β is a correction factor given by the equation β=(Q×H×α)/Tw×100, Q being a load of the vehicle, H being a height from the ground surface of the tire to a center of gravity of the vehicle, α being a change rate (%) of the effective rolling radius of the tire to the load, and Tw being a distance between the right and left tires.

Claim 48

A turning radius calculating device for determining a turning radius of a vehicle having left and right tires, comprising: rotational angular velocity detecting means for detecting rotational angular velocities of the respective left and right tires, and turning radius determining means for determining the turning radius of the vehicle based on the rotational angular velocities detected by the rotational angular velocity detecting means, by taking into consideration a change in effective rolling radiuses of the tires due to a load movement of the vehicle, the turning radius determining means including means for correcting the rotational angular velocities of the respective right and left tires detected by the rotational angular velocity detecting means so as to exclude the influence on the rotational angular velocities, of the change in effective rolling radiuses of the tires due to the load movement of the vehicle, and means for determining the turning radius of the vehicle based on the corrected rotational angular velocities of the right and left tires; wherein the means for correcting the detected rotational angular velocities calculates the corrected rotational angular velocities of the right and left tires according to the following equations: F3.sub.3 =(1+β×a)×F1.sub.3 F3.sub.4 =(1-β×a)×F1.sub.4 where a is a lateral acceleration in a lateral direction of the vehicle, which takes a positive value when directed from the left tire to the right tire and takes a negative value when directed from the right tire to the left tire, F3 3 is a rotational angular velocity of the left tire after correction, F1 3 is a rotational angular velocity of the left tire before correction, obtained by the rotational angular velocity detecting means, F3 4 is a rotational angular velocity of the right tire after correction, F1 4 is a rotational angular velocity of the right tire before correction, obtained by the rotational angular velocity detecting means, and β is a correction factor given by the equation β=(Q×H×α)/Tw×100, Q being a load of the vehicle, H being a height from the ground surface of the tire to a center of gravity of the vehicle, α being a change rate (%) of the effective rolling radius of the tire to the load, and Tw being a distance between the right and left tires.

Claim 49

A device according to claim 39, wherein the means for determining the turning radius of the vehicle based on the corrected rotational angular velocities of the right and left tires calculates the turning radius R of the vehicle according to the following equation: ##EQU23##

Claim 50

A tire pressure drop detecting device, comprising: a vehicle turning radius calculating device for determining a turning radius of a vehicle having left and right tires, during a turn, including rotational angular velocity detecting means for detecting rotational angular velocities of the respective left and right tires, and turning radius determining means for determining the turning radius of the vehicle, based on the rotational angular velocities detected by the rotational angular velocity detecting means, by taking into consideration a change in effective rolling radiuses of the tires due to a load movement of the vehicle; means for judging whether the turning radius of the vehicle determined by the vehicle turning radius calculating device is larger than a predetermined value or not; pneumatic pressure drop determining means for determining, when the turning radius of the vehicle is larger than the predetermined value, whether or not a pneumatic pressure of any tire of the vehicle drops; means for inhibiting the detection of the tire pressure drop when the turning radius of the vehicle is smaller than the predetermined value; and means for correcting the detected rotational angular velocities using the turning radius of the vehicle, in which the influence of changes in effective rolling radiuses of the tires due to the load movement of the vehicle is excluded, thereby to determine corrected rotational angular velocities in which scatter of the rotational angular velocities between the left and right tires, caused by a difference in turning radius as between inner and outer wheels of the vehicle during the turn, is corrected; wherein the pneumatic pressure drop determining means determines whether or not the pneumatic pressure of any tire of the vehicle drops, based on the corrected rotational angular velocities.

Claim 51

A tire pressure drop detecting device, comprising: a vehicle turning radius calculating device for determining a turning radius of a vehicle having left and right tires, during a turn, including rotational angular velocity detecting means for detecting rotational angular velocities of the respective left and right tires, and turning radius determining means for determining the turning radius of the vehicle, based on the rotational angular velocities detected by the rotational angular velocity detecting means, by taking into consideration a change in effective rolling radiuses of the tires due to a load movement of the vehicle; means for judging whether the turning radius of the vehicle determined by the vehicle turning radius calculating device is larger than a predetermined value or not; pneumatic pressure drop determining means for determining, when the turning radius of the vehicle is larger than the predetermined value, whether or not a pneumatic pressure of any tire of the vehicle drops; means for inhibiting the detection of the tire pressure drop when the turning radius of the vehicle is smaller than the predetermined value; and means for correcting the detected rotational angular velocities using the turning radius of the vehicle, in which the influence of changes in effective rolling radiuses of the tires due to the load movement of the vehicle is excluded, thereby to determine corrected rotational angular velocities in which scatter of the rotational angular velocities between the left and right tires, caused by a difference in turning radius as between inner and outer wheels of the vehicle during the turn, is corrected; wherein the pneumatic pressure drop determining means determines whether or not the pneumatic pressure of any tire of the vehicle drops, based on the corrected rotational angular velocities.

Claim 52

A device according to claim 41, further comprising lateral acceleration detecting means for detecting a lateral acceleration of the vehicle; and load detecting means for detecting a load of the vehicle, wherein the turning radius determining means includes correction factor determining means for determining a correction factor based on the load of the vehicle detected by the load detecting means, and means for excluding from the determination of the turning radius the influence on the rotational angular velocities of the change in effective rolling radiuses of the tires due to the load movement of the vehicle, using the correction factor determined by the correction factor determining means and the lateral acceleration detected by the lateral acceleration detecting means.

Claim 53

A device according to claim 41, wherein the turning radius determining means includes means for determining a first vehicle turning radius R', without consideration of the influence of load movement of the vehicle, based on the rotational angular velocities detected by the rotational angular velocity detecting means, and means for determining a second vehicle turning radius R by correcting the resulting first vehicle turning radius R', taking into consideration the influence of the change in effective rolling radiuses due to the load movement of the vehicle.

Claim 54

A device according to claim 43, further comprising means for determining a correction factor based on a load of the vehicle, wherein the means for determining the second vehicle turning radius R includes means for correcting the first vehicle turning radius R' using the correction factor, so as to exclude the influence on the rotational angular velocities of the change in effective rolling radiuses of the tires due to the load movement of the vehicle.

Claim 55

A device according to claim 44, further comprising load detecting means for detecting a load of the vehicle, wherein the means for determining the correction factor determines the correction factor using the load of the vehicle detected by the load detecting means.

Claim 56

A device according to claim 43, wherein the means for determining the first vehicle turning radius R' includes means for determining the speeds of the respective left and right tires by multiplying the rotational angular velocities detected by the rotational angular velocity detecting means by a constant corresponding to the effective rolling radius of the tire at the time of linear traveling of the vehicle, and means for determining the first vehicle turning radius R' based on the speeds of the respective right and left tires.

Claim 57

A device according to claim 46, wherein the means for determining the first vehicle turning radius R' includes means for determining the first vehicle turning radius R' according to the following equation: ##EQU24## where V1 3 is the speed of the left tire, determined by multiplying the detected rotational angular velocity by a constant corresponding to the effective rolling radius of the tire at the time of linear traveling of the vehicle, V1 4 is the speed of the right tire, determined by multiplying the detected rotational angular velocity by a constant corresponding to the effective rolling radius of the tire at the time of linear traveling of the vehicle, and Tw is a distance between the right and left tires.

Claim 58

A device according to claim 43, wherein the means for determining the second vehicle turning radius R by correcting the first vehicle turning radius R' includes means for determining the second vehicle turning radius R according to the following equation: R=R'×{γ+σ×(V1.sub.4 +V1.sub.3).sup.2 } where γ and σ indicate respective correction factors, σ=(1/9.8)×(β/2Tw), β is a correction factor given by the equation β=(Q×H×α)/Tw×100, V1 3 is a speed of the left tire, determined by multiplying the detected rotational angular velocity by a constant corresponding to the effective rolling radius of the tire at the time of linear traveling of the vehicle, V1 4 is a speed of the right tire, determined by multiplying the detected rotational angular velocity by a constant corresponding to the effective rolling radius of the tire at the time of linear traveling of the vehicle, Q is a load of the vehicle, H is a height from the ground surface of the tire to a center of gravity of the vehicle, α is a change rate (%) of the effective rolling radius of the tire to the load, and Tw is a distance between the right and left tires.

Claim 59

A device according to claim 41, wherein the left and right tires are non-driven tires which follow along as the vehicle moves on a ground surface.

Claim 60

A device according to claim 41, further comprising means for specifying a tire whose pneumatic pressure drops, based on the corrected rotational angular velocities, if it is by the pneumatic pressure drop determining means that the pneumatic pressure of any tire drops.

Claim 61

A device according to claim 41, wherein the turning radius determining means includes means for determining speeds of the respective left and right tires by multiplying the detected rotational angular velocities by a constant corresponding to the effective rolling radius of the tire at the time of linear traveling of the vehicle, means for correcting the speeds of the respective right and left tires so as to exclude the influence on the rotational angular velocities of the change in effective rolling radiuses of the tires due to the load movement of the vehicle, and means for determining the turning radius of the vehicle based on the corrected speeds of the respective right and left tires, wherein the means for correcting the speeds of the respective right and left tires includes means for calculating the corrected speeds of the respective right and left tires according to the following equation: V2.sub.3 -(1+β×a)×V1.sub.3 V2.sub.4 =(1-β×a)×V1.sub.4, where a is a lateral acceleration at the lateral direction of the vehicle, which takes a positive value when directed from the left tire to the right tire and takes a negative value when directed from the right tire to the left tire, V2 3 is a speed of the left tire after correction, V2 4 is a speed of the right tire after correction, V1 3 is a speed of the left tire before correction, obtained by the speeds determining means, V1 4 is a speed of the right tire before correction, obtained by the speeds determining means, and β is a correction factor given by the equation β=(Q×H×α)/Tw×100, Q being a load of the vehicle, H being a height from the ground surface of the tire to a center of gravity of the vehicle, α being a change rate (%) of the effective rolling radius of the tire to the load, and Tw being a distance between the right and left tires.

Claim 62

A device according to claim 51, wherein the turning radius determining means includes means for calculating the turning radius R of the vehicle according to the following equation: ##EQU25##

Claim 63

A method according to claim 41, wherein the means for determining the turning radius of the vehicle includes means for correcting the detected rotational angular velocities of the right and left tires so as to exclude the influence on the rotational angular velocities of the change in effective rolling radiuses of the tires due to the load movement of the vehicle, and means for determining the turning radius of the vehicle based on the corrected rotational angular velocities of the right and left tires, wherein the means for correcting the detected rotational angular velocities includes means for calculating the corrected rotational angular velocities of the right and left tires, F3 3 and F3 4 , according to the following equation: F3.sub.3 =(1+β×a)×F1.sub.3 F3.sub.4 =(1-β×a)×F1.sub.4 where a is a lateral acceleration in a lateral direction of the vehicle, which takes a positive value when directed from the left tire to the right tire and takes a negative value when directed from the right tire to the left tire, F3 3 is a rotational angular velocity of the left tire after correction, F1 3 is a rotational angular velocity of the left tire before correction, obtained by the rotational angular velocity detecting means, F3 4 is a rotational angular velocity of the right tire after correction, F1 4 is a rotational angular velocity of the right tire before correction, obtained by the rotational angular velocity detecting means, and β is a correction factor given by the equation β=(Q×H×α)/Tw×100, Q being a load of the vehicle, H being a height from the ground surface of the tire to a center of gravity of the vehicle, α being a change rate (%) of the effective rolling radius of the tire to the load, and Tw being a distance between the right and left tires.

Claim 64

A device according to claim 53, wherein the means for determining the turning radius of the vehicle based on the corrected rotational angular velocities of the right and left tires calculates the turning radius R of the vehicle according to the following equation: ##EQU26##