(19)
(11) EP 2 078 663 A8

(12) CORRECTED EUROPEAN PATENT APPLICATION
Note: Bibliography reflects the latest situation

(15) Correction information:
Corrected version no 1 (W1 A1)

(48) Corrigendum issued on:
22.12.2010 Bulletin 2010/51

(43) Date of publication:
15.07.2009 Bulletin 2009/29

(21) Application number: 09000333.6

(22) Date of filing: 13.01.2009
(51) International Patent Classification (IPC): 
B62D 17/00(2006.01)
B62D 7/15(2006.01)
B62D 7/14(2006.01)
(84) Designated Contracting States:
DE GB

(30) Priority: 08.01.2008 JP 2008001691
09.01.2008 JP 2008002234

(71) Applicant: Honda Motor Co., Ltd.
Minato-ku Tokyo 107-8556 (JP)

(72) Inventor:
  • Yanagi, Takashi
    Wako-shi Saitama 351-0193 (JP)

(74) Representative: Herzog, Markus et al
Weickmann & Weickmann Patentanwälte Postfach 86 08 20
81635 München
81635 München (DE)

 
Remarks:
A request for re-establishment of rights in respect of the twelve-month period from the date of filing of the first application has been granted (Art.87(1) and Art.122 EPC).
 


(54) Vehicle with a variable rear toe angle


(57) In a vehicle provided with a rear wheel toe angle varying device for individually varying toe angles of rear wheels, upon detection of a failure to steer one of the rear wheels (5), the rear wheel of a healthy side is steered in a direction to enable the vehicle to travel straight ahead. Preferably, a control unit (12) of the rear wheel toe angle varying device steers the rear wheel of a healthy side in parallel to the rear wheel of the faulty side. Thereby, the vehicle is enabled to travel straight ahead even though the traveling direction of the vehicle is at a certain angle with respect to the longitudinal line of the vehicle body. At this time, front wheels (3) are typically steered at the same angle as the rear wheels. The device may further comprises a toe angle estimating unit (84) that, upon occurrence of a failure to steer one of the rear wheels, steers the rear wheel of a healthy side to a zero angle, and estimates a steering angle of the rear wheel of a faulty side from a steering angle of front wheels when the vehicle is traveling straight ahead.