Vehicular control apparatus and vehicular control method

• US 8,954,250 B2
• Filed: 11/09/2012
• Issued: 02/10/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/21/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Kimura, Kenji
• Primary Examiner(s): Tarcza, Thomas
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lee, Tyler J
• Application Number:
  US13/673,416
• Publication Number:
  US 20130131945A1
• Time in Patent Office: 823 Days
• Field of Search: 701/70, 701/78, 701/80, 701/83, 701/93, 701/300, 701/301, 340/425.5, 340901-905, 180/170, 180/174, 180/179, 303/3
• US Class Current: 701/70
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2310/28 Following time setting methods, e.g. elapsed delay between preceding and host vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 31/0008 including means for detecting potential obstacles in vehicle path
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 2201/022 Collision avoidance systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 7/22 initiated by contact of vehicle, e.g. bumper, with an external object, e.g. another vehicle , or by means of contactless obstacle detectors mounted on the vehicle
• CPC Class Codes: B60T 8/175 Brake regulation specially adapted to prevent excessive wheel spin during vehicle acceleration, e.g. for traction control safety devices for propulsion unit control responsive to, or preventing, skidding of wheels B60K28/16
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/06 including control of combustion engines
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/184 with wheel brakes
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/10 Accelerator pedal position
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2710/105 Output torque
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/16 Anti-collision systems road vehicle drive control systems for predicting or avoiding probable or impending collision otherwise than by control of a particular sub-unit B60W30/08
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/166 for active traffic, e.g. moving vehicles, pedestrians, bikes

Abstract

An electronic control unit performs driving force reduction control to reduce the driving force of a driving wheel of the vehicle. Then, if an accelerator pedal is operated after the lapse of a predetermined time since detection of an obstacle that may collide with a vehicle, the electronic control unit brakes the driving wheel as driving force reduction control.

Claims

1. A vehicular control apparatus that performs driving force reduction control to reduce a driving force of a driving wheel of a vehicle, the vehicular control apparatus comprising:

an accelerator pedal sensor that detects operation of an accelerator pedal;

an electronic control unit in communication with the accelerator pedal sensor, the electronic control unit determines whether or not the driving force reduction control needs to be performed, on a basis of a time from detection of an obstacle that may collide with the vehicle by the electronic control unit, to the detected operation of the accelerator pedal.

2. The vehicle control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

an obstacle that approaches the vehicle or an obstacle that approaches a travelling side of the vehicle is detected as the obstacle that may collide with the vehicle.

3. The vehicular control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the electronic control unit brakes the driving wheel as the driving force reduction control.

4. The vehicular control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the electronic control unit reduces an engine output of the vehicle as the driving force reduction control.

14. The vehicle control apparatus of claim 1 wherein, the electronic control performs the driving force reduction control when the time from detection of the obstacle that may collide with the vehicle to the detected operation of the accelerator pedal is less than a first predetermined threshold, or when the time from detection of an obstacle that may collide with the vehicle by the electronic control unit to the detected operation of the accelerator pedal is greater than a second predetermined threshold.

5. A vehicular control apparatus comprising:

an accelerator pedal sensor that detects operation of an accelerator pedal;

a brake pedal sensor that detects the operation of a brake pedal;

an electronic control unit in communication with the accelerator pedal sensor and the brake pedal sensor, the electronic control unit performs a driving force reduction control to reduce a driving force of a driving wheel of a vehicle, when the brake pedal of the vehicle is not operated before a lapse of a first predetermined time from a detection of an obstacle that may collide with the vehicle by the electronic control unit, and the accelerator pedal of the vehicle is operated after the lapse of the first predetermined time from the detection of the obstacle that may collide with the vehicle.

6. The vehicle control apparatus according to claim 5, wherein an obstacle that approaches the vehicle or an obstacle that approaches a travelling path of the vehicle is detected as the obstacle which may collide with the vehicle.

7. The vehicular control apparatus according to claim 5, wherein

the electronic control unit brakes the driving wheel as the driving force reduction control.

8. The vehicular control apparatus according to claim 5, wherein

the electronic control unit reduces an engine output of the vehicle as the driving force reduction control.

9. The vehicular control apparatus according to claim 5, wherein

the electronic control unit reduces an engine output of the vehicle, when the accelerator is operated before lapse of a second predetermined time that is earlier than the first predetermined time since detection of the obstacle that may collide with the vehicle.

10. A vehicular control method for performing driving force reduction control to reduce a driving force of a driving wheel of a vehicle, the vehicular control method, comprising:

determining, by an electronic control unit, whether or not the driving force reduction control needs to be performed, on a basis of a time from detection of an obstacle that may collide with the vehicle, to an operation of an accelerator pedal of the vehicle; and

performing a driving force reduction when the electronic control unit determines the reduction needs to be performed.

11. The vehicle control method according to claim 10, wherein

an obstacle that approaches to the vehicle or an obstacle that approaches a travelling path of the vehicle is detected as the obstacle that may collide with the vehicle.

12. A vehicular control method comprising:

performing a driving force reduction control to reduce a driving force of a driving wheel of a vehicle, when an electronic control unit determines a brake pedal of the vehicle is not operated before lapse of a first predetermined time since detection of an obstacle that may collide with the vehicle, and an accelerator pedal of the vehicle is operated after lapse of the first predetermined time since detection of the obstacle that may collide with the vehicle.

13. The vehicle control method according to claim 12, wherein

an obstacle that approaches the vehicle or an obstacle that approaches a travelling path of the vehicle is detected as the obstacle that may collide with the vehicle.