Vehicle and method for controlling vehicle

• US 9,535,657 B2
• Filed: 04/05/2011
• Issued: 01/03/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/05/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Yaguchi, Hideaki
• Primary Examiner(s): To, Tuan C.
• Application Number:
  US14/009,717
• Publication Number:
  US 20140025268A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,100 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 6/445 Differential gearing distribution type
• CPC Class Codes: B60L 50/16 with provision for separate direct mechanical propulsion
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/18 including control of braking systems
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 10/184 with wheel brakes
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 20/00 Control systems specially adapted for hybrid vehicles hybrid vehicle design, B60K6/00; electric vehicles B60L
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 20/40 Controlling the engagement or disengagement of prime movers, e.g. for transition between prime movers power-up or power-down of the driveline B60W30/192
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2510/12 Differentials
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/06 Ignition switch
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/12 Brake pedal position
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 2540/16 Ratio selector position
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/18018 Start-stop drive, e.g. in a traffic jam
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 30/18109 Braking
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/08 Interaction between the driver and the control system
• CPC Class Codes: B60W 50/10 Interpretation of driver requests or demands
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 7/00 Methods or arrangements for processing data by operating upon the order or content of the data handled logic circuits H03K19/00
• CPC Class Codes: Y02T 10/62 Hybrid vehicles

Abstract

When a start switch is operated, and a vehicle is running, and a system of a vehicle is in an activated state, ECU executes a program including the steps of determining whether or not a brake is in an on-state, and shifting the system of the vehicle to a stopped state when the brake is in the on-state while an operation duration is equal to or greater than a threshold value Tc (0), or when the brake is in the off-state while the operation duration Tc is equal to or greater than a threshold value Tc (1) greater than threshold value Tc (0).

Claims

1. A vehicle, comprising:

a first operating unit to be operated by a user to instruct a system of the vehicle to stop;

a second operating unit to be operated to change a running state of said vehicle, the second operating unit comprising a brake pedal, an accelerator pedal, or a shift lever for selecting any one of a plurality of shift positions including a running position and a neutral position; and

a controller for stopping said system when a determination condition is satisfied, the determination condition adapted for determining reception of an instruction to stop said system in accordance with an operational state of said first operating unit,

said controller modifying said determination condition in accordance with an operational state of said second operating unit when said first operating unit is operated by the user during running of said vehicle, and stopping said system when said modified determination condition is satisfied, wherein

the stopping said system indicates that the supply of electric power to some equipments of the plurality of equipments necessary for running of vehicle is stopped, so that said some equipments are shifted to an operation stopped state.

2. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein

said second operating unit includes the brake pedal, and

said operational state of said second operating unit includes a state where said brake pedal is pressed and a state where pressing on said brake pedal is released, and

said determination condition in the state where said brake pedal is pressed includes a condition that a duration of operation to said first operating unit is equal to or greater than a first threshold value, and

said determination condition in the state where pressing on said brake pedal is released includes a condition that said duration of operation is equal to or greater than a second threshold value, and

said second threshold value is greater than said first threshold value.

3. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein

said second operating unit includes the brake pedal, and

said operational state of said second operating unit includes a state where said brake pedal is pressed and a state where pressing on said brake pedal is released, and

said determination condition in the state where said brake pedal is pressed includes a condition that a number of operations to said first operating unit within a predetermined time period is equal to or greater than a first threshold value, and

said determination condition in the state where pressing on said brake pedal is released includes a condition that said number of operations is equal to or greater than a second threshold value, and

said second threshold value is greater than said first threshold value.

4. The vehicle according to claim 2, wherein said controller determines that said brake pedal is pressed when a force of pressing said brake pedal is greater than a predetermined value, and determines that pressing on said brake pedal is released when the force of pressing said brake pedal is less than said predetermined value.

5. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein

said second operating unit includes the shift lever, and

said operational state of said second operating unit includes a state where said running position is selected and a state where said neutral position is selected, and

said determination condition in the state where said running position is selected includes a condition that a duration of operation to said first operating unit is equal to or greater than a first threshold value, and

said determination condition in the state where said usual position is selected includes a condition that said duration of operation is equal to or greater than a second threshold value, and

said second threshold value is greater than said first threshold value.

6. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein

said second operating unit includes the shift lever, and

said operational state of said second operating unit includes a state where said running position is selected and a state where said neutral position is selected, and

said determination condition in the state where said running position is selected includes a condition that a number of operations to said first operating unit within a predetermined time period is equal to or greater than a first threshold value, and

said determination condition in the state where said usual position is selected includes a condition that said number of operations is equal to or greater than a second threshold value, and

said second threshold value is greater than said first threshold value.

7. A method for controlling a vehicle including a first operating unit to be operated by a user to instruct a system of the vehicle to stop, and a second operating unit to be operated to change a running state of said vehicle, the second operating unit comprising a brake pedal, an accelerator pedal, or a shift lever for selecting any one of a plurality of shift positions including a running position and a neutral position;

said method comprising the steps of;

determining whether or not said first operating unit is operated by the user during running of said vehicle;

stopping said system when a determination condition is satisfied, the determination condition adapted for determining reception of an instruction to stop said system in accordance with an operational state of said first operating unit; and

modifying said determination condition in accordance with an operational state of said second operating unit when said first operating unit is operated by the user during running of said vehicle, wherein

the stopping said system indicates that the supply of electric power to some equipments of the plurality of equipment necessary for running of vehicle is stopped, so that said some equipments are shifted to an operation stopped state.