Driving force control unit for a vehicle

• US 20080015767A1
• Filed: 04/06/2007
• Published: 01/17/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 04/07/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Subaru Corp.
• Original Assignee: Fuji Jukogyo KK (Subaru Corp.)
• Inventors: Shibata, Naoki, Kobayashi, Tsuyoshi, Oishi, Hiroshi, Yamamoto, Kenichi, Nakamura, Akihisa, Fukuda, Tatsuru, Motoi, Masahito, Ogiwara, Hiroshi, Kaneda, Kouji, Iwakami, Yoshio, Masuda, Toshio, Satomura, Satoshi, Hijikata, Kenji, Igarashi, Katsumasa, Sunaguchi, Toyohide, Homma, Munenori, Yuki, Minoru, Shinozuka, Junzo, Ushiki, Masayuki, Atake, Atsushi
• Granted Patent: US 7,742,865 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/99
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/0638 Engine speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/0676 Engine temperature
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/10 Accelerator pedal position
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/16 Ratio selector position
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/18036 Reversing
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 11/105 characterised by the function converting demand to actuation, e.g. a map indicating relations between an accelerator pedal position and throttle valve opening or target engine torque

Abstract

The driving force control unit comprises a plurality of control modes for controlling a driving force, each of control modes having each driving force characteristic; a vehicle driving condition detecting unit for detecting a vehicle driving condition; a selector for selecting one control mode from the plurality of control modes; a driving force setting unit for setting a driving force indication value according to the driving force characteristic selected by the selector based on the vehicle driving condition; and a shift lever position detector for detecting a shift lever position of a transmission. The control mode includes a reverse control mode having a reverse driving force characteristic suitable for traveling the vehicle in reverse direction. The driving force setting unit changes the control mode to the reverse control mode when the shift lever is detected in a position of a reverse range, and sets the driving force indication value according to the reverse driving force characteristic.

Claims

1. A driving force control unit for a vehicle comprising:

a plurality of control modes for controlling a driving force, each of control modes having each driving force characteristic;

a vehicle driving condition detecting unit for detecting a vehicle driving condition;

a selector for selecting one control mode from said plurality of control modes;

a driving force setting unit for setting a driving force indication value according to said driving force characteristic selected by said selector based on said vehicle driving condition; and

a shift lever position detector for detecting a shift lever position of a transmission;

said control mode including a reverse control mode having a reverse driving force characteristic suitable for traveling the vehicle in reverse direction,

said driving force setting unit changes said control mode to said reverse control mode when said shift lever is detected in a position of a reverse range, and sets the driving force indication value according to said reverse driving force characteristic.

2. The driving force control unit according to claim 1, wherein

said control mode includes a first mode having a normal driving force characteristic suitable for normal driving, and a second mode having a suppressed driving force characteristic,

said first control mode is set as said reverse control mode.

3. The driving force control unit according to claim 1, wherein

said control mode includes a first mode having a normal driving force characteristic suitable for normal driving, and a second mode having a high response driving force characteristic with respect to operation amount of an accelerator pedal,

said first control mode is set as said reverse control mode.

4. The driving force control unit according to claim 1, wherein

said driving force control unit changes the control mode to previous selected control mode from said reverse control mode when said shift lever is changed from reverse range to other ranges.