ACCELERATION DETECTION DEVICE, ACCELERATION DETECTION METHOD, AND NEUTRAL CONTROL DEVICE EMPLOYING SAME

• US 20080140291A1
• Filed: 12/05/2007
• Published: 06/12/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: MATSUDA, Takashi, SUZUKI, Tomoyuki, KOBAYASHI, Atsufumi
• Granted Patent: US 8,340,860 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/70
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/105 Longitudinal acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/072 Curvature of the road
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/076 Slope angle of the road
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/107 Longitudinal acceleration

Abstract

An acceleration detection device for detecting detected acceleration of a vehicle is provided with a stopped acceleration detector, an acceleration change detector, an acceleration estimating unit and a correcting unit. The stopped acceleration detector detects a detected stationary acceleration value when the vehicle is stopped on a sloping road based on an acceleration sensor signal from an acceleration sensor mounted on the vehicle. The acceleration change detector detects an acceleration change associated with the vehicle transitioning from a stationary state to a driving state on the sloping road based on the acceleration sensor signal. The acceleration estimating unit estimates an estimated stationary acceleration value based on the acceleration change that was detected by the acceleration change detector. The correcting unit corrects the detected stationary acceleration value based on a deviation between the estimated stationary acceleration value and the detected stationary acceleration value.

Claims

1. An acceleration detection device for detecting acceleration of a vehicle, comprising:

a stopped acceleration detector that detects a detected stationary acceleration value when the vehicle is stopped on a sloping road based on an acceleration sensor signal from an acceleration sensor mounted on the vehicle;

an acceleration change detector that detects an acceleration change associated with the vehicle transitioning from a stationary state to a driving state on the sloping road based on the acceleration sensor signal;

an acceleration estimating unit that estimates an estimated stationary acceleration value based on the acceleration change that was detected by the acceleration change detector; and

a correcting unit that corrects the detected stationary acceleration value based on a deviation between the estimated stationary acceleration value and the detected stationary acceleration value.

2. The acceleration detection device according to claim 1, further comprising

a vehicle stopped status determination unit configured to determine whether the vehicle is currently stopped, and

the stopped acceleration detector detects the detected stationary acceleration value of the vehicle when the vehicle stopped determination unit determines the vehicle is stopped.

3. The acceleration detection device according to claim 2, further comprising

a driving status determination unit that determines whether the vehicle is currently being driven, and

the acceleration change detector detects the acceleration change of the vehicle traveled during an interval from a time that the vehicle stopped determination unit determines that the vehicle is stopped until the driving status determination unit determines that the vehicle is currently being driven.

4. The acceleration detection device according to claim 1, further comprising

a displacement calculating unit that calculates a displacement amount of the detected stationary acceleration value from a zero point based on the deviation between the estimated stationary acceleration value and the detected stationary acceleration value, and

the correcting unit performs a zero point correction for the detected stationary acceleration value based on the displacement amount.

5. The acceleration detection device according to claim 1, further comprising

a first filter configured to eliminate noise components included in the acceleration sensor signal.

6. The acceleration detection device according to claim 1, further comprising

a second filter configured to eliminate vehicle spring vibration components included in the acceleration sensor signal.

7. The acceleration detection device according to claim 1, wherein

the acceleration estimating unit includes an estimated acceleration calculating map in which estimated values of acceleration that correspond to the acceleration change are preset in accordance with vehicle characteristics.

8. A neutral control device provided with the acceleration detection device according to claim 1, wherein

the neutral control device is configured to release an engaging element of an automatic transmission, which engages to start the vehicle moving from a neutral state, when the automatic transmission is in a forward drive position, an accelerator pedal is released, a brake pedal is depressed, and a roadway gradient of the sloping road is below a prescribed angle as determined by the detected stationary acceleration value detected by the acceleration detection device not exceeding an equivalent value to the prescribed angle.

9. The neutral control device according to claim 8, wherein

the correcting unit performs a zero point correction for the detected stationary acceleration value only when an absolute value of the estimated stationary acceleration value when stopped on the sloping road is greater than the absolute value of the detected stationary acceleration value when stopped on the sloping road.

10. An acceleration detection device for detecting acceleration of a vehicle, comprising:

stopped acceleration detecting means for detecting a detected stationary acceleration value when the vehicle is stopped on a sloping road based on an acceleration sensor signal from an acceleration sensor mounted on the vehicle;

an acceleration change detecting means for detecting an acceleration change associated with the vehicle transitioning from a stationary state to a driving state on the sloping road based on the acceleration sensor signal;

an acceleration estimating means for estimating an estimated stationary acceleration value based on the acceleration change that was detected by the acceleration change detecting means; and

a correcting means for correcting the detected stationary acceleration value based on a deviation between the estimated stationary acceleration value and the detected stationary acceleration value.

11. An acceleration detection method comprising:

receiving a first acceleration sensor signal from an acceleration sensor mounted on a vehicle when the vehicle is stopped on a sloping road;

receiving a second acceleration sensor signal from the acceleration sensor when the vehicle is transitioning from a stationary state to a driving state on the sloping road; and

correcting detected acceleration values based on the first and second acceleration sensor signals.