Vehicular accelerator pedal device

• US 6,981,486 B2
• Filed: 09/14/2004
• Issued: 01/03/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Original Assignee: Honda Motor Co., Ltd. (Honda Motor Company)
• Inventors: Yone, Shinichi, Sugimoto, Youichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Argenbright, Tony M.
• Application Number:
  US10/940,580
• Publication Number:
  US 20050056253A1
• Time in Patent Office: 476 Days
• Field of Search: 123/361, 123/399, 745/12, 745/13, 701/70
• US Class Current: 123/399
• CPC Class Codes: F02D 11/106 Detection of demand or actuation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 74/20534 Accelerator

Abstract

Vehicular accelerator pedal device includes: a depression amount detection section for detecting an amount of depression, by a human operator, of an accelerator pedal and generating a depression amount signal; a throttle control section for controlling a throttle opening based upon the depression amount signal; a pedal reaction impartment section for imparting the accelerator pedal with a reaction force in accordance with the amount of depression; and a pedal reaction control section for, when operation has been performed for returning the pedal from a depressed position, controlling the reaction force based upon the amount of depression of the accelerator pedal.

Claims

1. A vehicular accelerator pedal device comprising:

depression amount detection means for detecting an amount of depression, by a human operator, of an accelerator pedal and generating a depression amount signal indicative of the detected amount of depression;

throttle control means for controlling a throttle opening based upon the depression amount signal;

pedal reaction impartment means for imparting said accelerator pedal with a reaction force based upon the amount of depression of said accelerator pedal; and

pedal reaction control means for, when operation has been performed for returning said accelerator pedal from a depressed position, controlling the reaction force to be imparted to said accelerator pedal, based upon the amount of depression of said accelerator pedal.

2. The vehicular accelerator pedal device as claimed in claim 1 wherein, when operation has been performed for returning said accelerator pedal from the depressed position, said pedal reaction control means controls the reaction force to be imparted such that the reaction force varies by a substantially uniform amount relative to variation in the amount of depression of said accelerator pedal.

3. The vehicular accelerator pedal device as claimed in claim 1 wherein, when operation has been performed for returning said accelerator pedal from the depressed position in a predetermined reaction-force increasing control region, said pedal reaction control means controls said reaction force to be imparted in accordance with a predetermined map such that said reaction force to be imparted varies in proportional relation to the depression amount of said accelerator pedal or varies relative to the depression amount of said accelerator pedal only within a predetermined variation range smaller than a predetermined value.