Interrelated power delivery controls – including engine control – Transmission control – Engine controlled by transmission
Reexamination Certificate
2000-03-03
2001-10-23
Estremsky, Sherry (Department: 3681)
Interrelated power delivery controls, including engine control
Transmission control
Engine controlled by transmission
C477S110000, C701S058000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06306062
ABSTRACT:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a driving force control for an automotive vehicle.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The term “standard resistance” or “standard running resistance” is herein used to mean any force which opposes the motion of an automotive vehicle which is driven to keep rolling over the surface of a flat road having 0% gradient at a constant vehicle speed. The term “running resistance” is herein used to mean any force that opposes the motion of an automotive vehicle which is driven to keep rolling over the surface of a road at a constant vehicle speed. Running resistance is equal to standard resistance if an automotive vehicle is driven to keep rolling over the surface of a flat road having 0% gradient at a constant vehicle speed. Running resistance increases and becomes greater than standard resistance if the automotive vehicle is accelerated to increase speed from the constant vehicle speed. The term “acceleration resistance” is herein used to mean this increment or difference in running resistance that has occurred due to acceleration. Running resistance is greater when the automotive vehicle is driven to keep rolling over the surface of a flat road having gradient greater than 0% at a constant vehicle speed than standard resistance for the same vehicle speed. The term “gradient resistance” is used to mean this increment or difference in running resistance.
On an ascending road, running resistance that opposes the motion of an automotive vehicle increases due to road gradient, so that the vehicle operator would feel a lack of acceleration if driving force for a flat road having 0% gradient were kept. Accordingly, the operator manipulates an accelerator pedal to cause a power train including an internal combustion engine and an automatic transmission to increase its driving force.
JP-A 9-242862 and JP-A 9-287502 disclose driving force control systems that estimate road gradient and cause a power train to alter its driving force in response to the estimated road gradient.
JP-A 9-242862 teaches selecting appropriate one of different ratio change patterns of an automatic transmission in response to road gradient for timely adjustment to an increase in running resistance caused by the road gradient.
JP-A 9-287502 teaches varying an increase in target engine torque in proportion to an increase in running resistance over the whole variation of the increase in running resistance.
The above-mentioned driving force control systems are satisfactory to some extent. However, a need remains to develop a driving force control system in such a direction as to determine a correction in amount of driving force in response to operator demand on the motion of an automotive vehicle relative to the surface of an ascending road as well as an increase in running resistance due to the road gradient.
An object of the present invention is to provide a driving force control for an automotive vehicle, which provides a good ride feel to meet operator demand on the motion of an automotive vehicle relative to the surface of an ascending road.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a driving force control system for an automotive vehicle having an accelerator pedal, an engine, and an automatic transmission, comprising:
an ordinary target driving force generator generating ordinary target driving force in response to operator manipulation of the accelerator pedal and vehicle speed;
a running resistance increment generator including a standard resistance generator that generates standard resistance, said running resistance increment generator being operative to determine an increment in running resistance from said standard resistance;
a driving force correction generator converts said increment in running resistance into said driving force correction over a portion of variations of said increment in running resistance at a rate that is variable in response to said increment in running resistance;
a corrected driving force generator determining corrected target driving force by adding said driving force correction to said ordinary target driving force;
a target engine torque generator generating a target engine torque in response to said corrected target driving force; and
a target ratio generator generating a target ratio in response to said corrected target driving force.
According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a driving force control system for an automotive vehicle having a power train including an internal combustion engine and a continuously variable transmission (CVT), and a controller that determines an increment in running resistance derived from road gradient, determines a driving force correction in response to the determined increment in running resistance, and corrects a target driving force applied to the power train with the driving force correction,
wherein said controller determines said driving force correction in response to operator demand on motion of the automotive vehicle relative to the surface of a road as well as said increment in running resistance.
REFERENCES:
patent: 4720793 (1988-01-01), Watanabe et al.
patent: 5364321 (1994-11-01), Togai et al.
patent: 5728026 (1998-03-01), Sakaguchi et al.
patent: 5806009 (1998-09-01), Horiguchi
patent: 5832400 (1998-11-01), Takahashi et al.
patent: 0 899 149 (1999-03-01), None
patent: 9-242862 (1997-09-01), None
patent: 9-287502 (1997-11-01), None
patent: 168405 (2000-06-01), None
Nishijima Hiroaki
Toukura Nobusuke
Yasuoka Masayuki
Estremsky Sherry
Foley & Lardner
Lewis Tisha D.
Nissan Motor Co,. Ltd.
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