Driving force control apparatus for vehicle

• US 6,920,384 B2
• Filed: 12/18/2002
• Issued: 07/19/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 12/25/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Aisin AW Company Limited (Aisin Corp.), Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Aisin AW Company Limited (Aisin Corp.), Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha (Toyota Motor Corporation)
• Inventors: Ogawa, Fumiharu, Tamura, Tadashi, Taniguchi, Hiroji, Shiimado, Toshihiro, Imanaga, Yuuji, Inoue, Daisuke, Okasaka, Kazuomi
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, TAN QUANG
• Application Number:
  US10/321,627
• Publication Number:
  US 20030130780A1
• Time in Patent Office: 944 Days
• Field of Search: 701/65, 701/55, 701/56, 701/61, 701/64, 477/37, 477/46, 477/97
• US Class Current: 701/65
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 59/60 Inputs being a function of ambient conditions
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 61/0213 characterised by the method for generating shift signals
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 61/662 with endless flexible members
• CPC Class Codes: F16H 61/66259 using electrical or electronical sensing or control means

Abstract

A driving force control apparatus for a vehicle includes an accelerator opening sensor that detects an accelerator opening for a vehicle, and an automatic transmission control device that controls an automatic transmission based on road information and the accelerator opening. The automatic transmission control device, in an interval prior to a deceleration required interval, controls an automatic transmission so as to ease a shifting operation that corresponds to a decrease in the accelerator opening.

Claims

1. A driving force control apparatus for a vehicle, comprising:

an accelerator opening sensor that detects an accelerator opening for a vehicle; and

an automatic transmission control device that controls an automatic transmission based on a road information and the accelerator opening, wherein the automatic transmission control device, in an interval prior to a deceleration required interval, controls the automatic transmission so as to ease a shifting operation that corresponds to a decrease in the accelerator opening, and wherein the interval prior to the deceleration required interval begins when a predetermined condition is satisfied.

2. The driving force control apparatus for the vehicle according to claim 1, wherein in the interval prior to the deceleration required interval based on a position for the vehicle, when the accelerator opening is in a completely closed state, the automatic transmission control device controls the automatic transmission by using a recommended input shaft rotation number for the deceleration required interval as a target input shaft rotation number for the deceleration required interval.

3. The driving force control apparatus for the vehicle according to claim 1, wherein in the interval prior to the deceleration required interval based on the position for the vehicle, when the accelerator opening is not in a completely closed state and an actual input shaft rotation number of the automatic transmission is lower than the recommended input shaft rotation number for the deceleration required interval, the automatic transmission control device controls the automatic transmission by using the actual input shaft rotation number as a target input shaft rotation number for the deceleration required interval.

4. The driving force control apparatus for the vehicle according to claim 3, wherein the automatic transmission control device controls the automatic transmission so that upshifting is not executed when the accelerator opening is completely closed.

5. The driving force control apparatus for the vehicle according to claim 1, wherein, in the interval prior to the deceleration required interval based on the position for the vehicle, when the accelerator opening is not in a completely closed state and an actual input rotation number of the automatic transmission is higher than the recommended input shaft rotation number for the deceleration required interval, the automatic transmission control device controls the automatic transmission by using the recommended input shaft rotation number as a target input shaft rotation number for the deceleration required interval.

6. The driving force control apparatus for the vehicle according to claim 5, wherein the automatic transmission control device controls the automatic transmission so that a shifting speed is lowered.

7. The driving force control apparatus for the vehicle according to claim 1, wherein when the deceleration required interval based on the position for the vehicle continues, the automatic transmission control device controls the automatic transmission so that the shifting speed is lowered and downshifting is executed.

8. The driving force control apparatus for the vehicle according to claim 1, further comprising a road information transmission device that transmits road information to the automatic transmission control device.

9. The driving force control apparatus for the vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the road information includes a road shape or a road gradient.

10. The driving force control apparatus for the vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the automatic transmission is a continuously variable transmission.

11. The driving force control apparatus for the vehicle according to claim 1, wherein in the interval prior to the deceleration required interval based on the position for the vehicle, when the accelerator opening is not in a completely closed state, a target input shaft rotation number for the deceleration required interval is set to zero.

12. The driving force control apparatus for the vehicle according to claim 1, wherein in the interval prior to the deceleration required interval based on the position for the vehicle, when the accelerator opening is not in a completely closed state, the automatic transmission control device controls the automatic transmission by using an initial value of a target input shaft rotation number for the deceleration required interval.

13. The driving force control apparatus for the vehicle according to claim 12, wherein, in the interval prior to the deceleration required interval based on the position for the vehicle, the automatic transmission control device controls the automatic transmission so that a shifting speed is lowered and upshifting is executed when the accelerator opening is completely closed.

14. A method of controlling a driving force for a vehicle, comprising:

detecting an accelerator opening for a vehicle; and

controlling an automatic transmission based on a road information and the accelerator opening, wherein controlling the automatic transmission, in an interval prior to a deceleration required interval, eases a shifting operation that corresponds to a decrease in the accelerator opening, and wherein the interval prior to the deceleration required interval begins when a predetermined condition is satisfied.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein in the interval prior to the deceleration required interval based on a position for the vehicle, when the accelerator opening is in a completely closed state, controlling the automatic transmission by using a recommended input shaft rotation number for the deceleration required interval as a target input shaft rotation number for the deceleration required interval.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein in the interval prior to the deceleration required interval based on the position for the vehicle, when the accelerator opening is not in a completely closed state and an actual input shaft rotation number of the automatic transmission is lower than the recommended input shaft rotation number for the deceleration required interval, controlling the automatic transmission by using the actual input shaft rotation number as a target input shaft rotation number for the deceleration required interval.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein controlling the automatic transmission is performed so that upshifting is not executed when the accelerator opening is completely closed.

18. The method of claim 14, wherein, in the interval prior to the deceleration required interval based on the position for the vehicle, when the accelerator opening is not in a completely closed state and the actual input rotation number of the automatic transmission is higher than the recommended input shaft rotation number for the deceleration required interval, controlling the automatic transmission by using the recommended input shaft rotation number as a target input shaft rotation number for the deceleration required interval.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein controlling the automatic transmission is performed so that a shifting speed is lowered.

20. The method of claim 14, wherein when the deceleration required interval based on the position for the vehicle continues, controlling the automatic transmission is performed so that the shifting speed is lowered and downshifting is executed.

21. The method of claim 14, further comprising transmitting the road information to an automatic transmission control device.

22. The method of claim 14, wherein transmitting the road information includes transmitting a road shape or a road gradient.

23. The method of claim 14, wherein controlling the automatic transmission is performed with a continuously variable transmission.

24. The method of claim 14, further comprising, in the interval prior to the deceleration required interval based on the position for the vehicle, when the accelerator opening is not in a completely closed state, setting a target input shaft rotation number for the deceleration required interval to zero.

25. The method of claim 14, wherein in the interval prior to the deceleration required interval based on the position for the vehicle, when the accelerator opening is not in a completely closed state, controlling the automatic transmission by using an initial value of a target input shaft rotation number for the deceleration required interval.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein, in the interval prior to the deceleration required interval based on the position for the vehicle, controlling the automatic transmission is performed so that a shifting speed is lowered and upshifting is executed when the accelerator opening is completely closed.