Control apparatus for vehicle

• US 8,589,028 B2
• Filed: 04/10/2009
• Issued: 11/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 04/10/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Fujita, Yoshitaka, Kojo, Takahiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Zanelli, Michael J
• Application Number:
  US13/263,623
• Publication Number:
  US 20120029773A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,684 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 701/41
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/12 Lane keeping
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 1/286 Systems for interrupting non-mechanical steering due to driver intervention
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 15/025 Active steering aids, e.g. helping the driver by actively influencing the steering system after environment evaluation B62D1/28 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: B62D 6/00 Arrangements for automatically controlling steering depending on driving conditions sensed and responded to, e.g. control circuits means for initiating a change in direction B62D1/00; steering valves B62D5/06; combined with means for inclining the vehicle body or wheels on bends B62D9/00

Abstract

Lane keeping control is ended in accurate timing which does not give an uncomfortable feeling to a driver. In a vehicle 10 which is provided with a steering mechanism 200, an EPS actuator 300, and a VGRS actuator 500 and which can change a rudder angle regardless of a driver'"'"'s steering input due to the cooperative control of the aforementioned mechanism and actuators, an ECU 100 performs LKA end control. In the control, in cases where a winker lever 16 is operated in a period of performing LKA control for making the vehicle 10 follow a target driving route, if the indicated direction of the winker lever 16 is different from a generation direction of generating an assist steering torque TA of the EPS actuator 300 in the LKA control, the LKA control is promptly ended. In cases where the indicated direction is equal to the generation direction, if a steering angle MAdrv corresponding to the driver'"'"'s steering input exceeds a steering angle MAlka generated by the LKA control, the LKA control is ended.

Claims

1. A control apparatus for a vehicle comprising a steering mechanism capable of changing a rudder angle of steered wheels regardless of a driver'"'"'s steering input,

said control apparatus comprising:

a performing device for performing predetermined lane keeping control for controlling the steering mechanism such that the vehicle does not depart from a target driving route, in response to a lane keeping request; and

an ending device for ending the lane keeping control on the basis of an operating state of a direction indicator and a control state of the steering mechanism in a period of performing the lane keeping control, wherein

the control state is a generation direction of generating a steering torque in a course of performing the lane keeping control,

the operating state is an indicated direction of the direction indicator, and

said ending device changes end timing of the lane keeping control in accordance with whether or not the generation direction is equal to the indicated direction.

2. The control apparatus for the vehicle according to claim 1, wherein said ending device ends the lane keeping control belatedly in comparison with a case where the generation direction is different from the indicated direction, if the generation direction is equal to the indicated direction.

3. The control apparatus for the vehicle according to claim 1, wherein said ending device ends the lane keeping control after the steering input is performed, if the generation direction is equal to the indicated direction.

4. The control apparatus for the vehicle according to claim 1, wherein said ending device ends the lane keeping control at a time point of performing an operation of the direction indicator, if the generation direction is different from the indicated direction.

5. The control apparatus for the vehicle according to claim 1, wherein said ending device ends the lane keeping control if a steering torque is inputted and the inputted steering torque exceeds a threshold value determined in accordance with the inputted steering torque in a case where the direction indicator is operated.