Vehicle-behavior control apparatus and method

• US 6,292,734 B1
• Filed: 05/26/2000
• Issued: 09/18/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 06/08/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Nagae, Akira, Murakami, Zensaku
• Primary Examiner(s): Cuchlinski, Jr., William A.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hernandez, Olga
• Application Number:
  US09/579,065
• Time in Patent Office: 480 Days
• Field of Search: 701/84, 701/82, 701/41, 701/53, 701/87, 701/51, 701/72, 477/34, 477/107, 477/115, 475/198, 475/207
• US Class Current: 701/84
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 28/16 responsive to, or preventing, skidding of wheels brake control systems for vehicle drive stability B60T8/1755; arrangements responsive to a speed condition for adjusting wheel braking force B60T8/32; control of vehicle driving stability otherwise than by controlling the propulsion unit only B60W30/02; preventing wheel slippage by reducing power in rail vehicles B61C15/00
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 28/165 acting on elements of the vehicle drive train other than the propulsion unit and brakes, e.g. transmission, clutch, differential acting on brakes B60T8/17
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/1005 Transmission ratio engaged
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 61/70 specially adapted for change-speed gearing in group arrangement, i.e. with separate change-speed gear trains arranged in series, e.g. range or overdrive-type gearing arrangements

Abstract

A vehicle-behavior control apparatus for the vehicle with a sub-transmission comprising of a control unit. This control unit is adapted to be connected to an engine system and vehicle status sensors, and directs the engine system to suppress a traction in response to spin or driftout moment determined from any outputs of the vehicle status sensors. The control unit limits the suppression of the traction when a position sensor of the sub-transmission indicates that the sub-transmission is at a lower speed range.

Claims

1. A vehicle-behavior control apparatus comprising of:

a turning behavior estimating means for estimating turning behavior of the vehicle;

a traction suppressing means for suppressing traction based on an estimating result of said turning behavior estimating means;

a sub-transmission means for converting output from a main transmission selectively into a lower speed range; and

a limiting means for limiting the suppressing operation of said traction suppressing means when the lower speed range is selected at said sub-transmission means.

2. The vehicle-behavior control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said limiting means disables the suppressing operation of said traction suppressing means when the lower speed range is selected at said sub-transmission means.

3. The vehicle-behavior control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said limiting means shifts a threshold of vehicle speed for starting the suppressing operation of said traction suppressing means to a higher vehicle speed value when the lower speed range is selected at said sub-transmission means.

4. The vehicle-behavior control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said limiting means shifts a suppressing amount of the traction to be suppressed by said traction suppressing means to a smaller value when the lower speed range is selected at said sub-transmission means.

5. A vehicle-behavior control apparatus for the vehicle with a sub-transmission comprising of:

a control unit, adapted to be connected to an engine system and vehicle status sensors, to direct the engine system to suppress a traction in response to spin or driftout moment determined from any outputs of the vehicle status sensors and to limit the suppression of the traction when a position sensor of the sub-transmission indicates that the sub-transmission is at a lower speed range.

6. The vehicle-behavior control apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said control unit only direct the engine system to suppress the traction when the position sensor of the sub-transmission indicates that the sub-transmission is not at the lower speed range.

7. The vehicle-behavior control apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said control unit direct the engine system to suppress the traction when a vehicle speed sensor indicates that the vehicle speed is higher than a given threshold of the vehicle speed, and said threshold shifts to a higher vehicle speed value when the position sensor of the sub-transmission indicates that the sub-transmission is not at the lower speed range.

8. The vehicle-behavior control apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said control unit shifts the suppressing amount of the traction by the engine system to a smaller value when the position sensor of the sub-transmission indicates that the sub-transmission is not at the lower speed range.

9. The vehicle-behavior control apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said control unit direct the engine system to suppress the traction by controlling a throttle valve.

10. The vehicle-behavior control method for the vehicle with a sub-transmission comprising of:

suppressing a traction in response to a spin or driftout moment of the vehicle,

limiting a suppressing operation of the traction when a lower speed range is selected at said sub-transmission.

11. The vehicle-behavior control method according to claim 10, wherein said suppressing operation is disabled when the lower speed range is selected at said sub-transmission.

12. The vehicle-behavior control method according to claim 10, wherein said suppressing operation is enabled when a vehicle speed is higher than a given threshold of vehicle speed, and said threshold is shifted to a higher vehicle speed value when the lower speed range is selected at said sub-transmission.

13. The vehicle-behavior control method according to claim 10, wherein the suppressing amount of the traction is shifted to a smaller value when the lower speed range is selected at said sub-transmission.

14. The vehicle-behavior control method according to claim 10, wherein said suppressing operation is suppressing the output power of an engine.