Active control method of pedal effort for accelerator

• US 9,128,509 B2
• Filed: 07/15/2013
• Issued: 09/08/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/07/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group), Kia Motors Corporation (Kia Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Hyundai Motor Company (Hyundai Motor Group), Kia Motors Corporation (Kia Corp.)
• Inventors: Min, Jeong Seon, Cho, Yang Rae
• Primary Examiner(s): Cheung, Calvin
• Assistant Examiner(s): Martinez Borrero, Luis A
• Application Number:
  US13/942,429
• Publication Number:
  US 20140331813A1
• Time in Patent Office: 785 Days
• Field of Search: 701/70, 701/112, 701/102, 701/54, 701/93, 701/87, 701/99, 701/51, 701/53, 701/67, 701/90, 180/6.44, 180/6.7, 180/9.44, 180/65.23, 180/65.275
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2026/023 with electrical means to generate counter force or torque
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 26/021 with means for providing feel, e.g. by changing pedal force characteristics
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/16 Tactile feedback to the driver, e.g. vibration or force feedback to the driver on the steering wheel or the accelerator pedal
• CPC Class Codes: G05G 1/40 adjustable
• CPC Class Codes: G05G 1/44 pivoting
• CPC Class Codes: G05G 5/03 Means for enhancing the operator's awareness of arrival of the controlling member at a command or datum position; Providing feel, e.g. means for creating a counterforce arrangements for indicating the position of the controlling member G05G1/015
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 74/20534 Accelerator

Abstract

An active control method for controlling a pedal effort for an accelerator, may include determining, in a vehicle velocity determining step, whether a vehicle velocity is in 0 (zero) state while the vehicle provided with an accelerator an pedal effort of which is controllable starts-on; determining, in a shifting stage determining step, whether the current shifting stage is on a neutral state or a parking state when it is determined that the vehicle velocity has been in 0 (zero) state in the vehicle velocity determining step; and controlling, in a pedal effort increasing control step, a current pedal effort to increase to a set target pedal effort when it is determined that the current shifting stage has been on the neutral stage or the parking stage in the shifting stage determining step.

Claims

1. An active control method for controlling a pedal effort for an accelerator, comprising:

determining by a controller, in a vehicle velocity determining step, whether a vehicle velocity is in a 0 (zero) state while the vehicle provided with an accelerator and an pedal effort of which is controllable starts-on;

determining by the controller, in a shifting stage determining step, whether the current shifting stage is on a neutral state or a parking state when it is determined that the vehicle velocity has been in 0 (zero) state in the vehicle velocity determining step; and

controlling by the controller, in a pedal effort increasing control step, a current pedal effort to increase to a set target pedal effort when it is determined that the current shifting stage has been on the neutral stage or the parking stage in the shifting stage determining step,

determining by the controller, in an accelerator operation determining step and subsequent to the pedal effort increasing control step, whether the accelerator is operated,

determining, in a shifting stage variation determining step, whether the current shifting stage is switched to a driving stage or a reverse stage when it is determined that the accelerator has not been operated in the accelerator operation determining step

wherein the current pedal effort that is increased through the pedal effort increasing control step is controlled to decrease to a set target pedal effort when it is determined that the shifting stage has been switched to the driving stage or the reverse stage in the shifting stage variation determining step.

2. The active control method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining by the controller, in a pedal effort control system determining step and prior to the vehicle velocity determining step, whether a pedal effort control system is in a normal state while a vehicle starts-on.

3. The active control method of claim 2, wherein the vehicle velocity determining step is performed by the controller only when it is determined that the pedal effort control system has been in a normal state in the pedal effort control system determining step, and the current pedal effort for an accelerator is reset as an initial pedal effort state when it is determined that the pedal effort control system has been in an abnormal state.

4. The active control method of claim 2, wherein the pedal effort control system is determined by the controller to be in a normal state in the pedal effort control system determining step when a voltage signal of a battery is normal, there is no signal for initiating the pedal effort control system pursuant to an urgent situation, and the signal for a pedal effort active control mode is generated.

5. The active control method of claim 1, wherein when it is determined by the controller that the vehicle velocity has not been in the 0 (zero) state in the vehicle velocity determining step, the accelerator is determined to operate, and the current pedal effort for the accelerator is kept as an existing pedal effort (right previous pedal effort) state while the accelerator operates.

6. The active control method of claim 1, wherein when it is determined by the controller that the accelerator has been operated in the accelerator operation determining step, mal-operation signal is provided to the driver.

7. The active control method of claim 1, wherein the current pedal effort is kept as a pedal effort that is increased through the pedal effort increasing control step when it is determined that the shifting stage has not been switched to the driving stage or the reverse stage in the shifting stage variation determining step.