Left-right wheel drive force distribution control apparatus for a vehicle

• US 8,788,170 B2
• Filed: 07/05/2011
• Issued: 07/22/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/09/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Tsushima, Yohei
• Primary Examiner(s): Tarcza, Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): PIPALA, EDWARD J
• Application Number:
  US13/700,345
• Publication Number:
  US 20130073160A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,113 Days
• Field of Search: 701/1, 701/51, 701/53, 701/58, 701/60, 701/65, 701/67, 701/68, 701/69, 701/70, 701/71, 701/72, 701/74, 701/76, 701/77, 701/78, 701/80, 701/81, 701/82, 701/88, 701/89, 701/90, 180/170, 180/197, 180/271, 180/282, 340/438, 340/439, 340/440, 340/441
• US Class Current: 701/69
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 17/344 having a transfer gear
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2023/043 Control means for varying left-right torque distribution, e.g. torque vectoring
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 23/04 for differential gearing
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2720/30 Wheel torque
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 2048/205 using the steering as a control parameter
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 48/19 consisting of two linked clutches
• CPC Class Codes: G05D 17/00 Control of torque; Control of mechanical power

Abstract

When a rear wheel total drive force is smaller than a rear wheel drive force difference and the rear wheel drive force difference cannot be accomplished by dividing the rear wheel total drive force between the left and right rear wheels, an inside wheel target drive force is not set to 0 and an outside wheel target drive force is not set to. Instead, the inside wheel target drive force is set to a default drive force that is a minimum value required to prevent a three-wheel drive state from occurring, and the outside wheel target drive force is set a value equal to the sum of the default drive force and the rear wheel drive force difference, which is a value with which the rear wheel drive force difference can be achieved under the condition of the inside wheel target drive force being equal to the default drive force.

Claims

1. A vehicle left-right wheel drive force distribution control apparatus comprising:

a controller programmed to execute individual drive force controls of drive forces distributed to a pair of left and right subordinate drive wheels so as to simultaneously control a first distribution of drive forces between a pair of left and right main drive wheels and the pair of left and right subordinate drive wheels and control a second distribution of drive forces between the left and right subordinate drive wheels, the controller including

a subordinate drive wheel total drive force target value setting section that sets a subordinate drive wheel total drive force target value as a target value of a total drive force to be distributed to the left and right subordinate drive wheels;

a subordinate drive wheel drive force difference target value setting section that sets a subordinate drive wheel drive force difference target value as a target value of a difference between drive forces to be distributed to the left and right subordinate drive wheels;

a subordinate drive wheel target drive force computing section that computes a left target drive force of the left subordinate drive wheel and a right target drive force of the right subordinate drive wheel that achieve both the subordinate drive wheel total drive force target value set by the subordinate drive wheel total drive force target value setting section and the subordinate drive wheel drive force difference target value set by the subordinate drive wheel drive force difference target value setting section, and feeds the computed left and right target drive forces to the individual drive force controls of the drive forces directed to the left and right subordinate drive wheels;

a target value comparing section that determines whether the subordinate drive wheel total drive force target value is smaller than the subordinate drive wheel drive force difference target value; and

a target drive force limiting section that limits a smaller value of the left and right target drive force computed by the subordinate drive wheel target drive force computing section to a minimum allowable value upon the target value comparing section determining that the subordinate drive wheel total drive force target value is smaller than the subordinate drive wheel drive force difference target value.

2. The vehicle left-right wheel drive force distribution control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the subordinate drive wheel target drive force difference target value setting section sets the second distribution of the drive forces of the left and right subordinate drive wheels by:

estimating a longitudinal acceleration of the vehicle and a lateral acceleration of the vehicle, finding a left-right subordinate drive wheel drive force difference necessary to resolve an under-steering state of the vehicle based on a combination of the longitudinal and lateral accelerations, and setting the same as a steady-state control amount;

computing a target yaw rate based on a steering angle and a vehicle speed, finding a left-right subordinate drive wheel drive force difference corresponding to the target yaw rate, and setting the same as a transient control amount; and

distributing a sum value of the steady-state control amount and the transient control amount such that a left-right subordinate drive wheel drive force difference targeted during a vehicle turning behavior is obtained.

3. The vehicle left-right wheel drive force distribution control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the controller is programmed to execute the individual drive force controls of the drive forces to rear wheels of the vehicle as the left and right subordinate drive wheels.

4. The vehicle left-right wheel drive force distribution control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the target drive force limiting section replaces a larger of the left and right target drive forces of the left and right subordinate drive wheels computed by the subordinate drive wheel target drive force computing section to with a sum value of the minimum allowable value and the subordinate drive wheel drive force difference target value, and feeds the replaced left or right target drive force to the individual drive force control of the drive force distributed to the corresponding left or right subordinate drive wheel, upon the target value comparing section having determined that the subordinate drive wheel total drive force target value is smaller than the subordinate drive wheel drive force difference target value.

5. The vehicle left-right wheel drive force distribution control apparatus according to claim 4, wherein

the subordinate drive wheel drive force difference target value setting section sets the first distribution of drive forces between the pair of main drive wheels and the pair of subordinate drive wheels in accordance with a drive slippage degree of the left and right main drive wheels, a longitudinal acceleration of the vehicle and an accelerator opening degree.

6. The vehicle left-right wheel drive force distribution control apparatus according to claim 4, wherein

the subordinate drive wheel target drive force difference target value setting section sets the second distribution of the drive forces of the left and right subordinate drive wheels by:

estimating a longitudinal acceleration of the vehicle and a lateral acceleration of the vehicle, finding a left-right subordinate drive wheel drive force difference necessary to resolve an under-steering state of the vehicle based on a combination of the longitudinal and lateral accelerations, and setting the same as a steady-state control amount;

computing a target yaw rate based on a steering angle and a vehicle speed, finding a left-right subordinate drive wheel drive force difference corresponding to the target yaw rate, and setting the same as a transient control amount; and

distributing a sum value of the steady-state control amount and the transient control amount such that a left-right subordinate drive wheel drive force difference targeted during a vehicle turning behavior is obtained.

7. The vehicle left-right wheel drive force distribution control apparatus according to claim 4, wherein

the controller is programmed to execute the individual drive force controls of the drive forces to rear wheels of the vehicle as the left and right subordinate drive wheels.

8. The vehicle left-right wheel drive force distribution control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the subordinate drive wheel drive force difference target value setting section sets the first distribution of drive forces between the pair of main drive wheels and the pair of subordinate drive wheels in accordance with a drive slippage degree of the left and right main drive wheels, a longitudinal acceleration of the vehicle and an accelerator opening degree.

9. The vehicle left-right wheel drive force distribution control apparatus according to claim 8, wherein

the subordinate drive wheel target drive force difference target value setting section sets the second distribution of the drive forces of the left and right subordinate drive wheels by:

estimating a longitudinal acceleration of the vehicle and a lateral acceleration of the vehicle, finding a left-right subordinate drive wheel drive force difference necessary to resolve an under-steering state of the vehicle based on a combination of the longitudinal and lateral accelerations, and setting the same as a steady-state control amount;

computing a target yaw rate based on a steering angle and a vehicle speed, finding a left-right subordinate drive wheel drive force difference corresponding to the target yaw rate, and setting the same as a transient control amount; and

distributing a sum value of the steady-state control amount and the transient control amount such that a left-right subordinate drive wheel drive force difference targeted during a vehicle turning behavior is obtained.

10. The vehicle left-right wheel drive force distribution control apparatus according to claim 8, wherein

the controller is programmed to execute the individual drive force controls of the drive forces to rear wheels of the vehicle as the left and right subordinate drive wheels.