VEHICLE CONTROL SYSTEM

• US 20120136506A1
• Filed: 08/18/2010
• Published: 05/31/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/18/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Tanahashi, Toshio, Koibuchi, Ken, Noumura, Shin, Hanamura, Hiroyuki, Takanami, Yoji, Asahara, Norimi, Takeuchi, Keisuke, Itabashi, Kaiji
• Granted Patent: US 8,521,338 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 701/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 17/016 characterised by their responsiveness, when the vehicle is travelling, to specific motion, a specific condition, or driver input B60G17/017 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 17/0195 characterised by the regulation being combined with other vehicle control systems conjoint control of vehicle sub-units including control of suspension systems B60W10/22
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/104 lateral or transversal with regard to vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/106 longitudinal with regard to vehicle, e.g. braking
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/30 Propulsion unit conditions
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2400/40 Steering conditions
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2800/21 Traction, slip, skid or slide control
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2800/24 Steering, cornering
• CPC Class Codes: B60G 2800/91 Suspension Control
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2220/02 Driver type; Driving style; Driver adaptive features
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 8/17555 specially adapted for enhancing driver or passenger comfort, e.g. soft intervention or pre-actuation strategies
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/10 Longitudinal speed
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/105 Longitudinal acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/125 Lateral acceleration
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/18 Steering angle
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/30 Driving style
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/182 Selecting between different operative modes, e.g. comfort and performance modes
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/09 Driving style or behaviour
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 40/10 related to vehicle motion
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/082 Selecting or switching between different modes of propelling
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 6/007 : adjustable by the driver, e.g. sport mode
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 2059/003 : Detecting or using driving style of a driver, e.g. for adapting shift schedules
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 59/00 : Control inputs to control units of change-speed-, or reversing-gearings for conveying rotary motion

Abstract

A vehicle control system capable of improving drivability by reflecting driving environment and driving preference accurately on driving characteristics. The vehicle control system is configured to change an index for setting driving characteristics of the vehicle. When accelerations Gx and Gy are changed, a sportiness index is changed in a different manner depending on a detail of an operation for changing accelerations Gx and Gy executed by a driver, thereby reflecting the driving preference of the driver appearing on the operation can be reflected on sportiness of the vehicle.

Claims

1. A vehicle control system, which is configured to change an index for setting driving characteristics of a vehicle, wherein:

the index is changed according to acceleration of the vehicle;

a manner of changing the index is differentiated depending on a detail of an operation for changing acceleration executed by a driver;

the index determined on the basis of a large absolute value of the acceleration is inhibited to be lowered to the index to be determined on the basis of a small absolute value of the acceleration, in case an amount of the operation or a change rate of the amount of the operation is large; and

the index determined on the basis of a large absolute value of the acceleration is facilitated to be lowered to the index to be determined on the basis of a small absolute value of the acceleration, in case an amount of the operation or a change rate of amount of the operation is small.

3. The vehicle control system as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

the index determined on the basis of the large absolute value of the acceleration is inhibited to be lowered to the index to be determined on the basis of the small absolute value of the acceleration in case the current index is determined on the basis of the large absolute value of the acceleration, in comparison with a case in which the index is determined on the basis of the small absolute value of the acceleration;

the index determined on the basis of the large absolute value of the acceleration is inhibited to be lowered to the index to be determined on the basis of the small absolute value of the acceleration in case the vehicle is running at high speed, in comparison with a case in which the vehicle is running at low speed; and

the index determined on the basis of the large absolute value of the acceleration is inhibited to be lowered to the index to be determined on the basis of the small absolute value of the acceleration in case a gradient of a downhill on which the vehicle is running is large, in comparison with a case in which the gradient of the downhill on which the vehicle is running is small.

4. The vehicle control system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the index includes:

a first index, which is determined on the basis of actual acceleration detected by an acceleration sensor, and which is increased according to an increase in an absolute value of the actual acceleration, and

a second index, which is determined on the basis of estimated acceleration estimated by an acceleration estimating means, and which is increased according to an increase in an absolute value of the estimated acceleration; and

wherein the driving characteristics are adjusted on the basis of the larger index out of said first and second indexes.

5. The vehicle control system as claimed in claim 1, wherein the operation of the driver includes at least any of:

an accelerating operation for changing an output of a prime mover of the vehicle;

a braking operation for braking the vehicle; and

a steering operation for changing a traveling direction of the vehicle.

7. The vehicle control system as claimed in claim 5, wherein:

the index determined on the basis of the large absolute value of the acceleration is inhibited to be lowered to the index to be determined on the basis of a small absolute value of the acceleration by extending a time to hold the index determined on the basis of a large absolute value of the acceleration, in case the index determined on the basis of a large absolute value of the acceleration is being maintained;

the index determined on the basis of the large absolute value of the acceleration is inhibited to be lowered to the index to be determined on the basis of a small absolute value of the acceleration by reducing a changing rate of the index determined on the basis of the large absolute value of the acceleration, or by stopping the change of the index determined on the basis of the large absolute value of the acceleration, in case the index determined on the basis of the large absolute value of the acceleration is being changed;

the index determined on the basis of the large absolute value of the acceleration is further inhibited to be lowered to the index to be determined on the basis of a small absolute value of the acceleration, in any of the following case, in which

an operating amount or an increasing rate of the accelerating operation in a direction to increase the output of the prime mover of the vehicle is large,

the braking operation is executed or an operating amount of the braking operation is increased, and

a steering angle or an increasing rate of the steering angle of the steering operation is large.

2. (canceled)

6. The vehicle control system as claimed in claim 2, wherein

the index determined on the basis of the large absolute value of the acceleration is inhibited to be lowered to the index to be determined on the basis of a small absolute value of the acceleration by extending a time to hold the index determined on the basis of a large absolute value of the acceleration, in case the index determined on the basis of a large absolute value of the acceleration is being maintained;

and

the index determined on the basis of the large absolute value of the acceleration is inhibited to be lowered to the index to be determined on the basis of a small absolute value of the acceleration by reducing a changing rate of the index determined on the basis of the large absolute value of the acceleration, or by stopping the change of the index determined on the basis of the large absolute value of the acceleration, in case the index determined on the basis of the large absolute value of the acceleration is being lowered.

8. A vehicle control system, which is configured to change an index for setting driving characteristics of a vehicle on the basis of acceleration of the vehicle, and to change at least any of a speed change characteristic determining a speed change ratio or a timing of changing the speed change ratio, an output characteristic determining an output of a prime mover with respect to an accelerating operation, a braking characteristic with respect to a braking operation, a characteristic of a suspension supporting the vehicle, and a steering characteristic determining maneuverability with respect to a steering operation, on the basis of an execution of a manual operation, characterized by comprising:

a function to correct the index or the driving characteristics of the vehicle being set on the basis of the index, in case any of the characteristics is changed by the manual operation, in a same direction to change said any of the characteristics by the manual operation.

9. The vehicle control system as claimed in claim 8, wherein:

a correction of the driving characteristics of the vehicle is executed in case the manual operation is carried out while the vehicle is running, and a predetermined condition set in advance according to the driving condition of the vehicle is satisfied.

10. The vehicle control system as claimed in claim 9, wherein:

the acceleration includes longitudinal acceleration in an anteroposterior direction of the vehicle, and lateral acceleration in a width direction of the vehicle; and

the predetermined condition is satisfied in case the acceleration of the vehicle is in any of a braking region and an acceleration region determined on the basis of the longitudinal acceleration and the lateral acceleration, and a variation of the synthesized acceleration of the longitudinal acceleration and the lateral acceleration per unit of time is smaller than a predetermined value.

11. The vehicle control system as claimed in claim 10, wherein:

in case the acceleration of the vehicle is in a turning region which is determined on the basis of the longitudinal acceleration and the lateral acceleration and where a proportion of the lateral acceleration is larger than a proportion of the longitudinal acceleration, the correction of the driving characteristics of the vehicle by the manual operation is inhibited to correct the driving force, but the correction of the driving characteristics of the vehicle by the manual operation other than the driving force is allowed.

12. The vehicle control system as claimed in claim 8, wherein:

the correction of the driving characteristics of the vehicle includes at least any of a correction of the driving characteristics itself, a correction of the index on which the driving characteristics is based, and a correction of a value of the acceleration on which the index is based.