阅读说明：本技术 用于警告摩托车驾驶员的方法以及实现这种方法的骑乘辅助控制器和摩托车 (Method for warning a motorcycle driver, and ride assist control and motorcycle implementing such a method ) 是由 押田裕树 于 2020-04-24 设计创作，主要内容包括：描述了一种用于警告摩托车(1)的驾驶员的方法和用于实现或控制这种方法的骑乘辅助控制器(3)。其中,该方法包括：基于来自至少一个传感器(17)的信号来监视交通状况；在基于来自至少一个传感器(17)的信号检测到危急交通状况时,通过在摩托车(1)上引起加速变化来警告驾驶员；其中,监视摩托车(1)的当前倾斜角度,并且考虑摩托车(1)的当前倾斜角度来设定在摩托车(1)上引起加速变化的方式和/或程度。(A method for warning a driver of a motorcycle (1) and a ride assist controller (3) for implementing or controlling such a method are described. Wherein, the method comprises the following steps: monitoring traffic conditions based on signals from at least one sensor (17); upon detection of a critical traffic condition based on signals from at least one sensor (17), warning the driver by causing an acceleration change on the motorcycle (1); wherein the current inclination angle of the motorcycle (1) is monitored and the manner and/or extent to which a change in acceleration is induced on the motorcycle (1) is set taking into account the current inclination angle of the motorcycle (1).)

1. A method for warning a driver of a motorcycle (1), wherein the method comprises:

Monitoring traffic conditions based on signals from at least one sensor (17);

upon detection of a critical traffic condition based on signals from the at least one sensor (17), warning the driver by causing an acceleration change on the motorcycle (1);

wherein the current inclination angle of the motorcycle (1) is monitored and the manner and/or extent to which a change in acceleration is induced on the motorcycle (1) is set taking into account the current inclination angle of the motorcycle (1),

-wherein the acceleration change is induced by actuating at least the front wheel brake (9) of the motorcycle (1) in case the current inclination angle is smaller than a predetermined first inclination angle value,

-wherein in case the current inclination angle is larger than the predetermined first inclination angle and smaller than the predetermined second inclination angle value, the acceleration change is caused only by one or more of the following: actuating the rear wheel brake (13) of the motorcycle (1), reducing the acceleration torque generated by the engine (5) of the motorcycle (1), and temporarily shifting the automatic transmission (7) of the motorcycle (1) to a lower gear, the first inclination angle value being smaller than the second inclination angle value,

-wherein no change in acceleration is caused in case the current inclination angle is larger than the predetermined second inclination angle.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the mentioned measures for achieving an accelerated change are applied within a predetermined period of time.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the actuation of the wheel brakes and the reduction in acceleration torque are applied for a predetermined period of time.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein a shift of the automatic transmission of the motorcycle to a lower gear is to be counteracted by shifting back to the original higher gear within a predetermined period of time.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the time period is selected between 0.1 and 2 seconds.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the smaller the current tilt angle is, the higher the intensity of the induced acceleration change is set.

7. The method according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined first tilt angle value is less than 20 °.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined second tilt angle value is less than 35 °.

9. Ride auxiliary controller (3) for a motorcycle (1), wherein the ride auxiliary controller (3) is adapted to implement and control one of the methods according to one of the preceding claims.

10. Motorcycle (1) comprising a ride assist controller (3) according to claim 9 and an acceleration sensor (25) for determining the current tilt angle of the motorcycle (1).

11. A computer program product comprising computer readable instructions which, when executed on a processor (27) of a programmable ride assist controller (3), instruct the processor (27) to implement and control the method according to one of claims 1 to 8.

12. A computer readable medium comprising stored thereon the computer program product of claim 11.

Technical Field

The invention relates to a method for warning a motorcycle driver. Furthermore, the present invention relates to a ride assist controller for a motorcycle and a motorcycle comprising such a controller, as well as to a computer program product for implementing and controlling the proposed method and a computer readable medium comprising such a computer program product.

Background

While driving a vehicle, critical or even dangerous traffic conditions may occur. In modern vehicles, sensors may be provided which may sense parameters indicative of such critical conditions. Thus, based on the sensor signal, the driver of the vehicle may be warned.

Auxiliary controllers have been developed for automobiles (i.e., four-wheeled vehicles) that can alert the driver in the event of a detected critical condition by temporarily activating the brakes of the automobile.

However, until now, the method of automatically warning the brake function has not been available for motorcycles (i.e., two-wheeled vehicles).

Disclosure of Invention

In view of this technical background, embodiments of the present invention describe a method for warning a driver of a motorcycle, a ride assist controller and a motorcycle comprising such a ride assist controller, whereby the idea of an automatic warning braking function can be adapted and applied to motorcycles.

THE ADVANTAGES OF THE PRESENT INVENTION

Embodiments of the present invention may allow a driver of a motorcycle to be warned in an advantageous manner by temporarily varying the acceleration acting on the motorcycle while taking into account the current driving conditions of the motorcycle. This makes the process of warning the driver particularly safer.

According to a first aspect of the invention, a method for warning a driver of a motorcycle is presented.

The method comprises the following steps:

-monitoring traffic conditions based on signals from at least one sensor;

upon detection of a critical traffic condition based on signals from the at least one sensor, warning the driver by causing an acceleration change on the motorcycle;

wherein the current inclination angle of the motorcycle is monitored, and the manner and/or degree of causing a change in acceleration on the motorcycle is set taking into account the current inclination angle of the motorcycle,

-wherein the change in acceleration is caused by actuating at least the front wheel brake of the motorcycle in the event that the current inclination angle is smaller than a predetermined first inclination angle value,

-wherein in case the current inclination angle is larger than the predetermined first inclination angle and smaller than the predetermined second inclination angle value, the acceleration change is caused only by one or more of the following: actuating the rear wheel brakes of the motorcycle, reducing the acceleration torque produced by the engine of the motorcycle, and temporarily shifting the automatic transmission (automatic transmission) of the motorcycle to a lower gear, the first inclination angle value being smaller than the second inclination angle value,

-wherein no change in acceleration is caused in case the current inclination angle is larger than the predetermined second inclination angle.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, a ride assist controller for a motorcycle is presented, wherein the controller is adapted to implement and control one of the methods according to the embodiments of the first aspect of the present invention.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided a motorcycle comprising a ride assist controller according to an embodiment of the second aspect of the present invention and an acceleration sensor for determining a current tilt angle of the motorcycle.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, a computer program product is presented, comprising computer readable instructions which, when executed on a processor of a programmable ride assist controller, instruct the processor to implement and control a method according to an embodiment of the first aspect of the present invention.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, a computer-readable medium is presented, comprising a computer program product according to an embodiment of the fourth aspect of the present invention stored thereon.

The concepts underlying embodiments of the present invention may be interpreted as being based on the following ideas and recognitions, among others:

as further described above, the concept of an automatic warning brake function has been proposed for automobiles. However, it has been found that this concept cannot be simply transferred to motorcycles. In particular, it has been found that automatically actuating the brakes of a motorcycle may, in certain conditions, significantly interfere with the motorcycle driver or even cause a critical or dangerous impact on the driving conditions of the motorcycle.

In particular, it has been found that the dynamics of a motorcycle differ significantly from those of an automobile due to the fact that a motorcycle has only two wheels instead of four. Due to the fact that a motorcycle is a monorail vehicle, the motorcycle may be leaned, i.e. may deviate from a vertical orientation at a certain angle of inclination, e.g. when cornering.

When the motorcycle is inclined straight away by an angle of 0 deg., the dynamics thereof are similar to those of a car, since the actuation of the brake causes a negative acceleration, i.e. deceleration, of the motorcycle in the driving direction. However, when the motorcycle is inclined, i.e., the inclination angle is larger than 0 °, a cornering force is often caused on the motorcycle in addition to the acceleration change. For example, when decelerating, a leaning motorcycle may tend to change its leaning angle and thus also its future driving trajectory. Such an effect on the motorcycle may disturb the driver or even create a dangerous situation.

Therefore, a method for warning the driver is proposed which takes into account in particular that the characteristics of the motorcycle differ from those of the car.

In particular, it not only detects whether a critical traffic condition is present, but also for example actuates the brakes of the motorcycle to cause an acceleration change on the motorcycle. Instead, the current tilt angle of the motorcycle is monitored and taken into account when setting the manner and/or degree in which the change in acceleration is caused.

In other words, in addition to the sensor signal indicating a critical traffic condition, a further parameter indicating the current tilt angle of the motorcycle is taken into account when determining whether the driver of the motorcycle should be warned by causing an acceleration change on the motorcycle and/or when determining in which way and/or to what extent the acceleration change should be caused.

The proposed method for warning the driver can thus be employed such that, before or at the time of initiating the automatic warning brake function, the current driving situation of the motorcycle, in particular the current tilt angle,

-wherein the change in acceleration is caused by actuating at least the front wheel brake of the motorcycle in the event that the current inclination angle is smaller than a predetermined first inclination angle value,

-wherein in case the current inclination angle is larger than the predetermined first inclination angle and smaller than the predetermined second inclination angle value, the acceleration change is caused only by one or more of the following: actuating the rear wheel brakes of the motorcycle, reducing the acceleration torque produced by the engine of the motorcycle, and temporarily shifting the automatic transmission of the motorcycle to a lower gear, the first inclination angle value being smaller than the second inclination angle value,

-wherein no change in acceleration is caused in case the current inclination angle is larger than the predetermined second inclination angle.

Thus, the manner and/or extent of causing the change in acceleration may be set such that the driver is not disturbed and/or the change in acceleration itself does not cause the motorcycle to enter a critical driving mode. Thus, the safety and/or effectiveness of the automatic warning brake function for motorcycles can be improved. Thus, the actuation of the wheel brakes and the reduction of the acceleration torque are applied for a predetermined period of time. Moreover, a shift of the automatic transmission of the motorcycle to a lower gear will be counteracted by shifting back to the original higher gear within a predetermined period of time.

In an embodiment, the time period is selected between 0.1 and 2 seconds.

For example, according to an embodiment, the smaller the current tilt angle, the higher the intensity of the induced acceleration change may be set.

In other words, when the motorcycle is upright or only slightly inclined, a greater acceleration variation may be caused than when the motorcycle is significantly inclined. For example, when the motorcycle is at an inclination angle greater than 15 °, the resulting change in acceleration may be significantly less, i.e. may be less than 80% or even less than 50% of the change in acceleration resulting when the inclination angle is 0 °, possibly including a tolerance of ± 5 °.

For example, the resulting change in acceleration may vary linearly or non-linearly with the current tilt angle of the motorcycle. For example, the induced acceleration change may be maximal at a tilt angle of 0 °, and may be minimal or even zero at a predetermined maximum tilt angle value of e.g. 30 °.

The acceleration change may be caused by actuating a front wheel brake of the motorcycle, actuating a rear wheel brake of the motorcycle, reducing an acceleration torque generated by an engine of the motorcycle, and/or shifting an automatic transmission of the motorcycle to a lower gear.

In other words, there are various ways of causing acceleration variations on driving a motorcycle. The option to be selected for a particular driving situation may be determined taking into account the current tilt angle of the motorcycle. Possibly, the type of critical traffic situation determined on the basis of signals from sensors in the motorcycle and/or other influences may also be taken into account when setting the option for causing an acceleration change.

One option for achieving acceleration variation is to actuate one of the wheel brakes of the motorcycle. It is possible to take into account, among other things, that the front wheel brakes and the rear wheel brakes have different characteristics with respect to their braking effectiveness and their influence on the driving dynamics of the motorcycle. For example, actuating the front wheel brakes of a motorcycle will most effectively slow the motorcycle, but may result in a very dangerous driving situation in which excessive force is induced on the front wheel causing the front wheel to lose its traction. On the other hand, actuating the rear wheel brakes of a motorcycle will result in a less efficient deceleration, but there is generally much less risk of blocking the rear wheels than the front wheels, for example.

Thus, by taking into account the current inclination angle of the motorcycle when determining whether to actuate any of the wheel brakes of the motorcycle, which wheel brake of the motorcycle is actuated, and/or to what extent one or both of the wheel brakes are actuated, the motorcycle can be temporarily decelerated by the braking action, effectively alerting the driver when a critical traffic condition is detected.

Alternatively, the change in acceleration on the motorcycle may be caused by reducing the acceleration torque produced by the engine of the motorcycle. This means that instead of or in addition to actuating any wheel brakes, it is also possible to temporarily vary the acceleration acting on the motorcycle by throttling the power generated by the engine of the motorcycle. The driver can intuitively feel this reduced power and can interpret it as a warning. In addition, temporarily reducing the power generated by the engine also generally reduces the noise generated by the engine, thereby additionally emphasizing the warning signal.

As another alternative, the automatic transmission of the motorcycle may be shifted to a lower gear to thereby cause an acceleration change. In such shifting to a lower gear, the engine of the motorcycle must typically be rotated at a higher rate. Therefore, a variation in acceleration acting on the motorcycle is often caused. Furthermore, a higher rotation rate typically results in higher noise generation and/or noise generation at different frequencies. Both effects may attract the attention of the driver, thereby warning the driver.

In a particular embodiment, the front wheel brake of the motorcycle is actuated to cause a change in acceleration only if the current inclination angle is less than a predetermined first inclination angle value.

In other words, the acceleration change is only caused by actuating the front wheel brake of the motorcycle in those cases where the determined current tilting angle is, for example, sufficiently small that the braking action at the front wheel does not have any undesired effect on the driving dynamics of the motorcycle or even the loss of traction at the front wheel. In the event that the current inclination angle is greater than the predetermined first inclination angle value, the front wheel brake may not be allowed to be actuated to produce the desired change in acceleration. For example, when it is detected that the current inclination angle exceeds the predetermined first inclination angle value, other options for producing an acceleration change, such as actuating the rear wheel brake, reducing the acceleration torque produced by the engine of the motorcycle and/or shifting the automatic transmission of the motorcycle to a lower gear, may only be applied.

For example, the predetermined first inclination angle value may be less than 20 °. In particular, the first inclination angle value may be in the range between 10 ° and 20 °. For example, the first inclination angle value may be 15 °.

Alternatively, the value of the first inclination angle may be set depending on the specific type of motorcycle and its dynamics. For example, for a motorcycle with a low center of gravity, such as a city or track motorcycle, the first inclination angle value may be set to a larger value of, for example, 17 °, while for a motorcycle with a higher center of gravity, such as, for example, a dirtbike, the first inclination angle value may be set to a smaller value of, for example, 13 °.

Further, the predetermined first inclination angle value may be fixedly set. As an alternative, the predetermined first inclination angle value may be adjustable, for example by the driver, depending on, for example, the driver's preferences and/or driving skills.

The acceleration change is only caused when the current tilt angle is smaller than a predetermined second tilt angle value.

In other words, when it is detected that the current tilt angle exceeds the predetermined second tilt angle value, the acceleration change may no longer be allowed to be induced. This means that for driving situations where the motorcycle is inclined beyond the acceptable maximum inclination angle, any acceleration changes are prevented from being caused. Thus, in such driving conditions, the driver will not be alerted by any accelerating change with respect to any critical traffic conditions. However, this is preferred as causing an acceleration change may additionally confuse the driver in such inclined driving conditions and/or may even cause unstable driving of the motorcycle due to additional acceleration forces on the inclined vehicle.

For example, the predetermined second inclination angle value may be less than 35 °. In particular, the predetermined second inclination angle value may be in the range between 25 ° and 35 °. For example, the predetermined inclination angle may be 30 °.

Like the first inclination angle value, the second inclination angle value can also be set depending on the specific type of motorcycle and its dynamics. For example, for a motorcycle with a low center of gravity, the second inclination angle value may be set to a larger value, for example 33 °, whereas for a motorcycle with a higher center of gravity, the first inclination angle value may be set to a smaller value, for example 27 °.

Further, the predetermined second inclination angle value may be fixedly set. As an alternative, the predetermined second inclination angle value may be adjustable, for example by the driver, depending on the driver's preferences and/or driving skills.

Embodiments of the proposed method may be implemented or controlled by a ride assist controller in a motorcycle.

Wherein the ride assist controller may include at least one sensor for monitoring traffic conditions. As an alternative, the ride assist controller does not have such a sensor per se, but such a sensor is included in the motorcycle, and the ride assist controller has an interface and/or signal lines for communicating with such an external sensor. The sensors for monitoring traffic conditions may be configured to sense conditions in the environment of the motorcycle and/or conditions acting on the motorcycle itself. For example, the sensor may be one of a radar sensor, an optical sensor such as a camera, an ultrasonic sensor, and the like. Multiple and/or multiple sensors may also be used to monitor traffic conditions. Further, the traffic condition may be monitored based on sensor signals of sensors (such as a speed sensor, a steering angle sensor, an acceleration sensor, and the like) that detect the driving characteristics of the motorcycle itself.

Further, the ride assist controller may include an acceleration sensor for determining the current tilt angle of the motorcycle. As an alternative, such acceleration sensor is not comprised in the ride assist controller itself, but in the motorcycle, and the ride assist controller may communicate with such acceleration sensor via an interface and/or signal line.

Embodiments of the methods presented herein may be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software. In particular, the proposed ride assist controller may be programmable or may be part of a programmable controller applied in motorcycles for other purposes. Such a programmable device may be programmed using an embodiment of the computer program product according to the fourth aspect of the invention. Such a computer program product may be formed by computer readable instructions in any computer language, such as when executed on a processor, the processor implementing or controlling the method steps of the proposed method. The computer program product may be stored on any type of computer readable medium, such as flash memory, optical memory, magnetic memory, CDs, DVDs, etc. Furthermore, the computer program product may be stored on a computer, server or data cloud from which it may be downloaded via a network such as the internet.

Drawings

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. Neither the drawings nor the description, however, should limit the invention.

Fig. 1 shows a motorcycle with a ride assist controller controlling a method for alerting a driver according to an embodiment of the present invention;

fig. 2 shows a flow chart indicating method steps of a method according to an embodiment of the invention.

The figures are purely diagrammatic and not drawn to scale.

Detailed Description

Fig. 1 shows a motorcycle 1 having a ride assist controller 3 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The motorcycle 1 includes an engine 5 and an automatic transmission 7, the operation of which may be controlled, among other things, by the ride assist controller 3. Furthermore, the motorcycle 1 comprises a front wheel brake 9 at the front wheel 11 and a rear wheel brake 13 at the rear wheel 15, the operation of which can be controlled, inter alia, by the ride assist controller 3.

The ride-assist controller 3 may receive and analyze signals from sensors 17, such as radar sensors 19, cameras 21, and/or ultrasonic sensors 23. Based on these signals, critical traffic conditions may be detected. For example, the sensor's signal may signal the proximity of other vehicles, obstacles on the road, red lights, etc.

Further, the ride assist controller 3 may receive and analyze a signal from the acceleration sensor 25 indicative of the current tilt angle of the motorcycle 1. The acceleration sensor 25 may preferably sense accelerations in different directions. For example, the acceleration sensor 25 may sense acceleration in three directions orthogonal to each other. Thus, the current tilt angle of the motorcycle indicating the angle between the vertical direction and the plane on which the motorcycle is tilted sideways can be measured with high accuracy. The current tilt angle may be a fraction of the current overall attitude of the motorcycle.

The ride assist controller 3 has a processor 27 for processing signals from the sensor 17 and from the acceleration sensor 25. The ride assist controller 3 may be programmable.

With the ride assist controller 3, an automatic warning brake function can be implemented, which lets the motorcycle rider know e.g. a dangerous situation, e.g. by temporarily actuating one of the brakes 9, 13. For example, a hazardous condition may be identified by using information obtained from environmental sensing based on a signal of one of the sensors 17.

Therein, it may be noted that although the automatic warning braking function is known for passenger cars, such known systems may not be easily transferable to motorcycles due to the fact that the vehicle dynamics are completely different between passenger cars and motorcycles. In order to achieve a safe and effective warning brake function, motorcycle specifics must be considered. In particular, for motorcycles, automatic brake actuation may produce large attitude changes and may destabilize the motorcycle. However, for the purpose of warning braking, it should be strong enough to inform the rider of a dangerous condition. Therefore, it is generally necessary to appropriately control the front brake and the rear brake depending on the current attitude of the motorcycle to make the function effective.

With the embodiments of the method and ride assist controller 3 described herein, the safety and effectiveness of automatic warning braking of a motorcycle can be improved by controlling the acceleration forces on the front and rear wheels of the motorcycle using attitude information such as tilt angle, pitch angle, yaw rate, and the like. On a motorcycle, components of drive torque control, gear shifting, regenerative braking, and hydraulic braking may all be used to generate, for example, braking force. Combinations of these components may also be considered, depending on the current situation.

As an example, an automatic warning braking system of a motorcycle may include a radar and a camera as the sensor 17, an inertial motion sensor for vehicle attitude detection, an engine torque control system for driving torque control, an automatic gear shifting system for gear level control, a hydraulic brake unit as a main brake, and a display for an optical warning. The system may then calculate the required braking force by integrating the environmental information and vehicle attitude information, and generate longitudinal motion by controlling engine torque, gear shifting, and/or hydraulic braking. As a drive train, most motorcycles have a rear axle drive with an internal combustion engine, but it may have both a front axle drive and a rear axle drive, for example, with an in-wheel motor. By appropriately controlling the braking forces on the front and rear wheels, the system may improve the safety and effectiveness of warning braking.

Therefore, when a critical traffic condition is detected based on the signal from the sensor 17, the driver can be warned by causing an acceleration change on the motorcycle 1. Wherein the acceleration sensor 25 is used to monitor the current inclination angle of the motorcycle 1 and the manner and/or degree of causing a change in acceleration on the motorcycle 1 is set in consideration of the current inclination angle.

For example, the relationship between the inclination angle LA and the warning braking acceleration may be considered as follows:

the condition A: 0 ° < LA <15 °: a high degree of braking acceleration is possible

The condition B: 15 ° < LA <30 °: a low degree of braking acceleration is possible

Condition C: LA > 30 °: braking acceleration is not possible.

In condition B, the motorcycle is significantly leaned to one side, so that the acceleration caused by braking for warning the driver should be limited to a lower extent than in condition a. The suppression of braking induced acceleration may depend on the necessary roll angle.

In condition C, the motorcycle is leaning to one side to such an extent that any additional induced braking acceleration may be dangerous. In this situation, the rider should be aware of any dangerous situation by himself, so that a warning brake function should not be necessary.

With the above considerations in mind, the control of the warning braking function can be achieved by a combination of the following ways to produce an acceleration change on a motorcycle:

i) Actuation of front wheel brakes 9

By braking the front wheels 11, a high braking force can be generated, causing a high negative acceleration change. In general, actuation of the front wheel brakes 9 is the most effective way to apply warning braking. However, the actuation of the front wheel brake 9 may be limited to the above-described condition a due to instability caused by the forced power.

ii) actuation of the rear wheel brake 13

The actuation of the rear wheel brake 13 is generally not as effective as the front wheel brake 9, but it can still be used as a warning brake when the use of the front wheel brake 9 is not recommended in a high inclination angle condition such as condition B described above.

iii) Engine Torque droop

Lowering the output torque of the engine 5 of the motorcycle 1, i.e., reducing the acceleration torque generated by the engine 5, can generate a relatively low braking force. Generally, the acceleration change is caused only when the rider is accelerating the motorcycle 1. In other words, engine torque droop is also an effective way to generate braking force, although it is only possible when the rider requests a certain engine torque. This option may preferably be used in combination with at least one of front wheel brake actuation and rear wheel brake actuation.

iv) Transmission downshift

Shifting the automatic transmission 7 of the motorcycle 1 to a lower gear can also generate a relatively low braking force. Furthermore, this option is only applicable when the current gear is at least second gear or higher. In other words, in the case where the motorcycle 1 has an automatic transmission system, downshifting is also one way of generating braking force. This may also have an audible warning effect due to the increase in noise generated by the engine 5. This option may also preferably be used in combination with at least one of front and rear wheel brake actuation and/or engine torque droop.

The flow chart in fig. 2 visualizes the method steps performed during the execution of the proposed method for warning the driver of a motorcycle 1.

After the process is started (step S1), it is necessary toA determination is made as to whether a critical traffic condition has occurred (') "

1 ") (step S2). This decision may be made based on continuously or repeatedly analyzing the signal from the sensor 17. If it is determined that there are no critical traffic conditions, then no action ("na") need be initiated (step S3).

If critical traffic conditions are determined, a further decision must be made as to whether the rider is aware of the critical conditions (') "

2 ") (step S4). This decision may be made based on, for example, detecting a particular reaction made by the rider, such as manually actuating the brakes and/or changing the steering angle. If the rider has identified a critical traffic condition, no further action is necessary (step S5).

However, if the rider does not recognize a critical traffic situation, a further decision must be made regarding the manner and/or extent of causing an acceleration change on the motorcycle 1 ('3"). Wherein the above condition A, B, C may be distinguished based on continuously or repeatedly measuring the current tilt angle of the motorcycle.

In condition a, i.e. when it is detected that the current tilt angle is smaller than a predetermined first tilt angle value, e.g. 15 °, action a ("aA") is initiated (step S7). In such action a, the front wheel brake 9 is actuated to cause an acceleration change on the motorcycle 1. Alternatively, additional measures may be additionally applied, such as actuating the rear wheel brake 13, reducing the acceleration torque generated by the engine 5, and/or shifting the automatic transmission 7 to a lower gear.

In condition B, i.e. when it is detected that the current tilt angle is greater than the first tilt angle value but less than a predetermined second tilt angle value, e.g. 30 °, an action B ("aB") is initiated (step S8). In such action B, the front wheel brake 9 is not actuated. But only the rear wheel brake 13 is actuated to cause an acceleration change on the motorcycle 1. Optionally, further measures may be additionally applied, such as reducing the acceleration torque generated by the engine 5 and/or shifting the automatic transmission 7 to a lower gear.

In condition C, i.e. when the current inclination angle is greater than the predetermined second inclination angle value, no action ("na") is taken (step 9), i.e. any acceleration change is inhibited from being caused.