VEHICLE CONTROL DEVICE AND METHOD OF CONTROLLING THE SAME

• US 20140342875A1
• Filed: 05/13/2014
• Published: 11/20/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 05/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: TANIDA, Koji
• Granted Patent: US 9,616,877 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 477/115
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/06 including control of combustion engines
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/11 Stepped gearings
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/182 including control of parking brakes
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/1005 Transmission ratio engaged
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/101 Transmission neutral state
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2520/04 Vehicle stop
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/06 Ignition switch
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/1005 Transmission ratio engaged
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/181 Preparing for stopping
• CPC Class Codes: B60Y 2400/76 Automatic gearshift to neutral

Abstract

While an engine (drive source) is being driven, when a long pressing operation (selection operation on a predetermined shift range) on an N-range button via a SBW shifter is executed, an engine drive/stop button blinks to notify a driver (step S1 and step S2). During the blinking of the engine drive/stop button, when the engine drive/stop button is pressed and the engine (drive source) is stopped, a neutral range is maintained without being switched to a parking range automatically (step 3 and step 4).

Claims

1. A vehicle control device comprising:

a control unit that switches a shift range of an automatic transmission by an actuator based on a vehicle speed detected by a vehicle speed detection unit and an operation result of a shift range selection unit by a driver, wherein

the control unit switches the shift range to a parking range by the actuator automatically when a vehicle power source is turned off or a drive source is stopped in a state that the vehicle speed detected by the vehicle speed detection unit is equal to or less than a predetermined speed and,

the control unit notifies the driver via a notification unit when a predetermined shift range selection operation is executed by the shift range selection unit in a state that the vehicle power source is on or the drive source is being driven; and

the control unit maintains a neutral range when an operation in which the vehicle power source is turned off or the drive source is stopped is executed while the notification unit notifies.

2. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined shift range selection operation is an operation in which a selection operation for the neutral range by the shift range selection unit continues equal to or more than a first predetermined period.

3. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit notifies the driver for a second predetermined period via the notification unit, stops a notification when the notification by the notification unit passes the second predetermined period, and switches the shift range to the parking range by the actuator automatically when the operation in which the vehicle power source is turned off or the drive source is stopped is executed after the notification stops.

4. The vehicle control device according to claim 3, further comprising:

at least either one of a power switch that operates to turn on/off the vehicle power source or a starter switch that operates to start/stop the drive source, wherein

the notification unit blinks the power switch or the starter switch for the second predetermined period.

5. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit sets the vehicle power source partially in a start-up state for a third predetermined period and notifies the driver of a state where the neutral range is maintained when the neutral range is maintained in a state that the vehicle power source is turned off or the drive source is stopped.

6. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein the control unit sets a power source necessary for an operation of the shift range selection unit in a start-up state when the neutral range is maintained in the state that the vehicle power source is turned off or the drive source is stopped, and switches the automatic transmission to the parking range when an operation to select the parking range by the shift range selection unit is executed.

7. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle has a slope detection unit that detects a road slope, and the control unit switches to the parking range without maintaining the neutral range even if an operation to maintain the neutral range is executed in the state that the vehicle power source is turned off or the drive source is stopped when the road slope detected by the slope detection unit is equal to or more than a predetermined slope.

8. The vehicle control device according to claim 7, wherein the control unit switches to the parking range automatically when the vehicle speed detected by the vehicle speed detection unit is equal to or more than a predetermined speed while the neutral range is maintained in the state that the vehicle power source is turned off or the drive source is stopped.

17. The vehicle control device according to claim 2, wherein the control unit notifies the driver for a second predetermined period via the notification unit, stops a notification when the notification by the notification unit passes the second predetermined period, and switches the shift range to the parking range by the actuator automatically when the operation in which the vehicle power source is turned off or the drive source is stopped is executed after the notification stops.

9. A method of controlling a vehicle control device having a control unit that switches a shift range of an automatic transmission by an actuator based on a vehicle speed detected by a vehicle speed detection unit and an operation result of a shift range selection unit by a driver, the method executed by the control unit comprising:

switching the shift range to a parking range by the actuator automatically when a vehicle power source is turned off or a drive source is stopped in a state that the vehicle speed detected by the vehicle speed detection unit is equal to or less than a predetermined speed,

notifying the driver via a notification unit when a predetermined shift range selection operation is executed by the shift range selection unit in a state that the vehicle power source is on or the drive source is being driven; and

maintaining a neutral range when an operation in which the vehicle power source is turned off or the drive source is stopped is executed while the notification unit notifies.

10. The method of controlling the vehicle control device according to claim 9, wherein the predetermined shift range selection operation is an operation in which a selection operation for the neutral range by the shift range selection unit continues equal to or more than a first predetermined period.

11. The method of controlling the vehicle control device according to claim 9, wherein the method comprising:

notifying the driver for a second predetermined period via the notification unit;

stopping a notification when the notification by the notification unit passes the second predetermined period; and

switching the shift range to the parking range by the actuator automatically when the operation in which the vehicle power source is turned off or the drive source is stopped is executed after the notification stops.

12. The method of controlling the vehicle control device according to claim 11, vehicle control device further comprising:

at least either one of a power switch that operates to turn on/off the vehicle power source or a starter switch that operates to start/stop the drive source, wherein the method comprising;

blinking the power switch or the starter switch for the second predetermined period by the notification unit.

13. The method of controlling the vehicle control device according to claim 9, wherein the method comprising:

setting the vehicle power source partially in a start-up state for a third predetermined period; and

notifying the driver of a state where the neutral range is maintained when the neutral range is maintained in a state that the vehicle power source is turned off or the drive source is stopped.

14. The method of controlling the vehicle control device according to claim 9, wherein the method comprising:

setting a power source necessary for an operation of the shift range selection unit in a start-up state when the neutral range is maintained in a state that the vehicle power source is turned off or the drive source is stopped; and

switching the automatic transmission to the parking range when an operation to select the parking range by the shift range selection unit is executed.

15. The method of controlling the vehicle control device according to claim 9, wherein the vehicle has a slope detection unit that detects a road slope, and the method comprising:

switching to the parking range without maintaining the neutral range even if an operation to maintain the neutral range is executed in the state that the vehicle power source is turned off or the drive source is stopped when the road slope detected by the slope detection unit is equal to or more than a predetermined slope.

16. The method of controlling the vehicle control device according to claim 15, wherein the method comprising:

switching to the parking range automatically when the vehicle speed detected by the vehicle speed detection unit is equal to or more than a predetermined speed while the neutral range is maintained in the state that the vehicle power source is turned off or the drive source is stopped.

18. The method of controlling the vehicle control device according to claim 10, wherein the method comprising:

notifying the driver for a second predetermined period via the notification unit;

stopping the notification when the notification by the notification unit passes the second predetermined period; and

switching the shift range to the parking range by the actuator automatically when the operation in which the vehicle power source is turned off or the drive source is stopped is executed after the notification stops.