Accelerator Pedal System

Abstract

To provide an accelerator pedal system which can appropriately control a locked state of a pedal lever.SOLUTION: An accelerator pedal system 1 comprises a pedal lever 20, a lock mechanism 50, an actuator 40, and an ECU 60. The pedal lever 20 operates in response to a stepping operation. The lock mechanism 50 can restrict operation of the pedal lever 20. The actuator 40 performs switching between a locked state in which operation of the pedal lever 20 is restricted by the lock mechanism 50 and an unlocked state in which it is not restricted. The ECU 60 has a lock actuation determination part 64, an actuator control part 65, and an information acquisition part 62. The lock actuation determination part 64 determines switching of lock actuation by the lock mechanism 50. The actuator control part 65 controls driving of the actuator 40. The lock actuation determination part 64 locks the pedal lever 20 when a vehicle is travelling in a specific location in an automatic driving mode.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an accelerator pedal system. [Background technology]

[0002] Conventionally, systems with a cruise control function that maintains a constant vehicle speed are known. For example, in Patent Document 1, when the vehicle is in cruise control mode, a pedal device generates a force required to hold the pedal, causing the pedal to function as a footrest. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] European Patent No. 2384921 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] For example, when using the cruise control mode in urban areas, there are many occasions when the driver needs to operate the pedals according to the surrounding traffic conditions, compared to on expressways. Therefore, if the pedals are turned into footrests in the cruise control mode in conditions where the driver has many opportunities to operate the pedals, such as urban areas, the driver may need to release the footrest state more frequently, which may increase the driver's operational burden.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned problems, and has an object to provide an accelerator pedal system that can appropriately control the lock state of the pedal lever. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The accelerator pedal system of the present invention includes a pedal lever (20), a lock mechanism (50), an actuator (40), and a control unit (60). The pedal lever operates in response to depression of the pedal lever. The lock mechanism is capable of restricting the operation of the pedal lever. The actuator switches between a locked state, in which the operation of the pedal lever is restricted by the lock mechanism, and an unlocked state, in which the operation of the pedal lever is not restricted.

[0007] The control unit has a lock operation determination unit (64), an actuator control unit (65), and an information acquisition unit (62). The lock operation determination unit determines switching of the lock operation by the lock mechanism. The actuator control unit controls driving of the actuator. The information acquisition unit acquires vehicle position information. The lock operation determination unit locks the pedal lever when the vehicle is traveling at a specific position in the autonomous driving mode, Even if the vehicle is in autonomous mode If you are not traveling at a specific location, Or, when the vehicle is traveling at a specific location, and both the input from the control side by the automatic driving and the pedal input from the driver are being input, the vehicle enters an override mode in which the input by the driver takes priority, The pedal lever is unlocked, which makes it possible to appropriately control the locked state of the pedal lever. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram showing an accelerator pedal system according to a first embodiment. [Diagram 2] 2 is a schematic diagram showing a state in which the pedal lever is locked in the accelerator pedal system according to the first embodiment; FIG. [Diagram 3] 1 is a block diagram showing a control configuration of an accelerator pedal system according to a first embodiment. [Figure 4] 4 is a flowchart illustrating a lock operation control process according to the first embodiment. [Diagram 5] 4 is a time chart illustrating a lock operation control process according to the first embodiment. [Figure 6] 4 is a time chart illustrating a lock operation control process according to the first embodiment. [Figure 7] 10 is a flowchart illustrating a lock operation control process according to a second embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS An accelerator pedal system according to the present invention will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following, in a number of embodiments, substantially the same components are designated by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted.

[0010] (First embodiment) The first embodiment is shown in Figures 1 to 6. As shown in Figure 1, an accelerator pedal system 1 includes a pedal lever 20, an actuator 40, a power transmission mechanism 45, a lock mechanism 50, and an ECU 60 as a control unit.

[0011] The pedal lever 20 has a pad 21, an arm 31, and a pedal 35, and is driven as a unit by the driver's depressing operation or the like. The pad 21 is provided so as to be depressable by the driver. The pad 21 is rotatably supported by a fulcrum member 23 provided on the housing H. FIG. 1 shows a so-called floor-standing type (organ type) in which the pad 21 is provided so as to extend in a direction along one side of the housing H, but it may be a hanging type (pendant type). In this embodiment, the housing parts that are not driven by the driving of the motor 41 or the depressing operation of the pedal lever 20, such as the pedal housing and the motor housing, are collectively referred to as the "housing H."

[0012] The arm 31 connects the pad 21 and the pedal 35. One end of the pedal 35 is rotatably supported by the housing H, and the other end is connected to the arm 31. Thus, when the driver operates the pad 21, the pad 21, the arm 31 and the pedal 35 are driven integrally. A pedal opening sensor 39 that detects a pedal opening θ is provided on one end side of the pedal 35.

[0013] The pedal biasing member 37 is a compression coil spring, one end of which is fixed to the pedal 35 and the other end of which is fixed to the housing H, and which biases the pedal 35 in the accelerator closing direction. In Figures 1 and 2, the accelerator fully closed state is indicated by a solid line, and the accelerator fully open state is indicated by a dashed line.

[0014] The actuator 40 has a motor 41 and a power transmission mechanism 45. The motor 41 is, for example, a DC motor, and its driving is controlled by the ECU 60. The driving force of the motor 41 is transmitted to the pedal lever 20 via the power transmission mechanism 45. Here, it can be said that the actuator 40 is a series of components that transmits power from the motor 41, which is a driving source, to the pedal lever 20 via the power transmission mechanism 45.

[0015] The power transmission mechanism 45 has a gear set 46, a power transmission member 47, and the like. The gear set 46 is composed of a motor gear that rotates integrally with the motor shaft and a plurality of gears that mesh with the motor gear, and transmits the driving force of the motor 41 to the power transmission member 47. Here, the gear set 46 includes a gear 461 on which a locked portion 52, which will be described later, is provided. The gear 461 is provided with a position sensor 49 that detects a rotation position. Hereinafter, the rotation direction of the motor 41, the gear 461, and the like when the gear 461 is rotated counterclockwise on the page is defined as positive, and the rotation direction of the motor 41, the gear 461, and the like when the gear 461 is rotated clockwise on the page is defined as negative.

[0016] The power transmission member 47 is, for example, a cam, and one end side of the power transmission member 47 meshes with the gear set 46, so that the power transmission member 47 is rotated by the driving of the motor 41. The other end side of the power transmission member 47 abuts against the pedal lever 20. In this way, the driving force of the motor 41 is transmitted to the pedal lever 20. In FIG. 1, the other end of the power transmission member 47 abuts against the pad 21, but it may be configured to abut against the arm 31 or the pedal 35.

[0017] By rotating the motor 41 in the forward direction while the power transmission member 47 and the pedal lever 20 are in contact with each other, a reaction force in the return direction can be applied to the pedal lever 20. When no reaction force is to be applied to the pedal lever 20, it is preferable to rotate the motor 41 in the negative direction and retract the power transmission member 47 so that the pedal lever 20 and the power transmission member 47 do not come into contact with each other in the entire range from the fully closed to the fully open position of the pedal lever 20. This makes it possible to prevent cogging torque and the like from the power transmission mechanism 45 from affecting the pedal force when no reaction force is applied.

[0018] By actively applying a reaction force in the return direction to the pedal lever 20 by the motor 41, a wall sensation is created by applying a reaction force at a point where it is determined that depressing the pad 21 will result in a deterioration of fuel efficiency based on, for example, the driving situation, and the driver is prevented from depressing the pad 21. This can improve fuel efficiency. Also, for example, by pulse-driving the pedal lever 20 in the return direction, it can be used to transmit information such as a notification of switching from automatic driving to manual driving.

[0019] The locking mechanism 50 includes a locking member 51, a locked portion 52, and an elastic member 55. The locking member 51 is provided so that a tapered surface formed on one end side can come into contact with the locked portion 52. The other end side of the locking member 51 is accommodated in an accommodation chamber 56 formed in the housing H, and is provided so as to be able to reciprocate in the axial direction. The locked portion 52 is provided so as to protrude from a gear 461 that constitutes the gear set 46, and rotates integrally with the gear 461. The locked portion 52 comes into contact with the locking member 51 at the tapered surface.

[0020] The elastic member 55 is accommodated in an accommodating chamber 56 provided in the housing H. One end of the elastic member 55 abuts against the locking member 51, and the other end is engaged with the housing H, biasing the locking member 51 in the direction toward the locked portion 52.

[0021] 1 shows the locking start state. When the gear 461 is rotated counterclockwise on the paper by the driving force of the motor 41 with the locked portion 52 and the locking member 51 in contact with each other, the locked portion 52 pushes the locking member 51, compressing the elastic member 55. When the gear 461 is further rotated counterclockwise and the locked portion 52 climbs over the locking member 51 and turns around to the upper side of the paper, the biasing force of the elastic member 55 returns the locking member 51 to its initial position.

[0022] 2, in the locked state, the locking member 51 engages the locked portion 52 by the biasing force of the elastic member 55, thereby restricting the rotation of the gear 461. In addition, the power transmission member 47 functions as a locking force transmission portion, thereby restricting the movement of the pedal lever 20. As a result, in a non-energized state where the supply of electricity to the motor 41 is turned off, the movement of the pedal lever 20 can be restricted.

[0023] Hereinafter, restricting the operation of the pedal lever 20 will be simply referred to as "locking." For example, during automatic driving, comfort can be ensured by locking the pedal lever 20 and using the pad 21 as a footrest. In this embodiment, the pedal lever 20 will be described as being locked in the fully closed position.

[0024] 2, when gear 461 is rotated clockwise on the page by the driving force of motor 41, locked portion 52 pushes locking member 51, compressing elastic member 55. When locked portion 52 climbs over locking member 51 and turns to the lower side on the page, the locked state is released, and locking member 51 returns to its initial position by the biasing force of elastic member 55. The locked state can also be released when a predetermined or greater pedal force is applied to pedal lever 20.

[0025] When the pedal lever 20 is not locked, it is desirable to rotate the gear 461 further counterclockwise from the state shown in FIG. 1 to move the locking member 51 and the locked portion 52 away from contact with each other.

[0026] 3, the ECU 60 is mainly composed of a microcomputer and includes a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, an I / O, and a bus line connecting these components (all not shown). Each process in the ECU 60 may be software processing in which the CPU executes a program stored in advance in a substantial memory device (i.e., a readable non-transitory tangible recording medium) such as a ROM, or may be hardware processing in which a dedicated electronic circuit is used.

[0027] The ECU 60 has, as functional blocks, a pedal opening detection unit 61, an information acquisition unit 62, a target reaction force calculation unit 63, a lock operation determination unit 64, an actuator control unit 65, a notification control unit 67, and a vehicle drive control unit 68. Although one ECU 60 is shown in Fig. 3, some of the functions may be configured by a separate ECU or the like.

[0028] The pedal opening detection unit 61 detects the pedal opening θ based on the detection value of the pedal opening sensor 39. The information acquisition unit 62 acquires various information from the position sensor 49, the driving state detection unit 71, the disturbance detection unit 72, the driving operation detection unit 73, the vehicle surroundings information acquisition unit 74, the vehicle speed detection unit 75, the position information detection unit 76, the voice detection unit 77, etc.

[0029] A target reaction force calculation unit 63 calculates a target reaction force to be applied to the pedal lever 20. A lock operation determination unit 64 determines whether the pedal lever 20 should be switched between a locked state in which the pedal lever 20 is locked and an unlocked state in which the pedal lever 20 is not locked, based on various information acquired by the information acquisition unit 62. Hereinafter, switching from an unlocked state to a locked state will be referred to as "lock activation," and switching from a locked state to an unlocked state will be referred to as "lock release," as appropriate. An actuator control unit 65 controls the drive of the motor 41 based on the target reaction force and the determination result of the lock operation determination unit 64, etc.

[0030] The notification control unit 67 issues a command to the notification device 80 to notify the driver of information. In this embodiment, the notification control unit 67 notifies information related to locking and unlocking of the pedal lever 20. The vehicle drive control unit 68 controls the drive of the vehicle.

[0031] The driving state detection unit 71 detects the driving mode as the driving state. The driving modes include an override mode in addition to an automatic driving mode and a manual driving mode. The control in the automatic driving mode is a cruise control such as ACC (Adaptive Cruise Control), but the details of the control are not important. In the override mode, both the input from the control side by the automatic driving and the pedal input from the driver are input, and in the override mode, the input by the driver's pedal operation is always given priority.

[0032] The disturbance detection unit 72 detects disturbances based on information from a G sensor that detects acceleration, a suspension behavior detection device, an interior camera, etc. Disturbances include, for example, vehicle deceleration G caused by relatively sudden deceleration, vehicle vibration caused by road bumps, etc. In addition, non-driving operations that are operations other than normal driving operations, such as the driver reseating, fastening or unfastening the seat belt, picking up something that has fallen, stretching, the driver's state of consciousness, etc., may be considered as disturbances.

[0033] The driving operation detection unit 73 detects the operation of a turn signal and steering wheel by the driver. The vehicle surroundings information acquisition unit 74 detects the approach of other vehicles and obstacles, etc., by road-to-vehicle communication, vehicle-to-vehicle communication, an in-vehicle camera, radar, etc.

[0034] The vehicle speed detection unit 75 detects the vehicle speed, which is the traveling speed of the vehicle. The vehicle speed detection unit 75 is not limited to using a vehicle speed sensor, and may be configured to detect the vehicle speed by performing calculations using position data such as GPS. The position information detection unit 76 detects the current position of the vehicle based on information such as map information, GPS, road-to-vehicle communication, and in-vehicle camera. The position information detection unit 76 may use the exemplified information alone or in combination. Information other than the exemplified information may also be used.

[0035] The voice detector 77 detects the voice of the passenger. The notification device 80 has a display device 81 such as a display, and a speaker 82, and notifies the driver of various information.

[0036] In this embodiment, since the pedal lever 20 can be locked by the lock mechanism 50, the pedal lever 20 can be used as a footrest by, for example, locking the pedal during cruising control that maintains a constant speed. When using the cruising control mode in urban areas, there are more occasions where pedal operation is required depending on the surrounding traffic conditions, such as deceleration followed by acceleration, compared to motorways. Therefore, if the pedal lever 20 is used as a footrest in the cruising control mode in situations where pedal operation is required frequently, such as urban areas, the number of times the footrest state is released may increase, which may increase the operational burden on the driver.

[0037] Therefore, in this embodiment, the vehicle's position information is used to allow the pedal to be locked and used as a footrest when automatic driving such as cruising control mode is being performed in an area where the footrest is unlikely to be released.

[0038] The lock operation control process of this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of Fig. 4. This process is executed at a predetermined interval by the ECU 60. Hereinafter, the "step" such as step S101 will be omitted and the steps will simply be referred to as "S".

[0039] In S101, the ECU 60 judges whether the current driving mode is the automatic driving mode or not. Here, for example, an override mode in which automatic driving is temporarily cancelled by operating the pedal lever 20 or the brake pedal and the driver's operation is reflected in the driving is regarded as not being the automatic driving mode. If it is judged not to be the automatic driving mode (S101: NO), the process proceeds to S109. If it is judged to be the automatic driving mode (S101: YES), the process proceeds to S102.

[0040] In S102, the information acquisition unit 62 acquires location information related to the current traveling position of the vehicle from the location information detection unit 76. The location information is acquired using map information, positioning information from GPS, information from road-to-vehicle communication such as DSRC (Dedicated Short Range Communications), information from an in-vehicle camera, etc., but other information may also be used.

[0041] In S103, the lock operation determination unit 64 determines whether the vehicle is traveling on a motorway. The motorway here means a road on which pedestrians and light vehicles do not pass or cross, including so-called expressways. In this embodiment, the motorway corresponds to the "specific position."

[0042] For example, when the position information acquisition means is a road-to-vehicle communication, it is possible to determine that the vehicle is traveling on a highway by detecting the passage of an ETC lane. Signs, etc. By recognizing the vehicle, it is possible to determine that the vehicle is traveling on a freeway. If it is determined that the vehicle is not traveling on a freeway (S103: NO), the process proceeds to S109. If it is determined that the vehicle is traveling on a freeway (S103: YES), the process proceeds to S104.

[0043] In S104, the lock operation determination unit 64 determines whether or not the pedal lever 20 is in a locked state. If it is determined that the pedal lever 20 is in a locked state (S104: YES), the process from S105 onward is skipped. If it is determined that the pedal lever 20 is not in a locked state (S104: NO), the process proceeds to S105.

[0044] In S105, the notification control unit 67 issues a notification via the notification device 80 to prompt the driver to determine whether or not to activate the lock of the pedal lever 20. In S106, the lock operation determination unit 64 determines whether or not the driver has selected lock activation. If lock activation has not been selected (S106: NO), the process skips S107 and subsequent steps. If lock activation has been selected (S106: YES), the process proceeds to S107.

[0045] In S107, the actuator control unit 65 drives the motor 41 to lock the pedal lever 20. In S108, the notification control unit 67 notifies the driver via the notification device 80 of information that the pedal lever 20 is locked.

[0046] In S109, which is reached when a negative determination is made in S101 or S103, the lock operation determination unit 64 determines whether or not the pedal lever 20 is in a locked state. If it is determined that the pedal lever 20 is not in a locked state (S109: NO), the process proceeds to S110. If it is determined that the pedal lever 20 is in a locked state (S109: YES), the process proceeds to S110.

[0047] In S110, the actuator control unit 65 drives the motor 41 to unlock the pedal lever 20. In S111, the notification control unit 67 notifies the driver via the notification device 80 of information that the pedal lever 20 has been unlocked.

[0048] The lock operation control process of this embodiment will be described with reference to the time charts of Figures 5 and 6. As shown in Figure 5, when autonomous driving is started at time x10, if the vehicle is not traveling on a motorway, the pedal lever 20 is not locked and the unlocked state is maintained.

[0049] At time x11, when the vehicle enters a freeway, a notification is given to the driver to confirm his / her intention to lock the vehicle, and at time x12, when the driver's intention to activate the lock is input, the motor 41 is driven to lock the pedal lever 20. At time x13, when the vehicle leaves the freeway, the pedal lever 20 is unlocked, and the driver is notified of the fact that the lock has been released.

[0050] In Fig. 6, the process from time x20 to time x22 is the same as the process from time x21 to x12 in Fig. 5. When the driver depresses the pedal lever 20 at time x23, the locked state is released by the depression force. At this time, the driving mode becomes the override mode, so the unlocked state is maintained. Furthermore, if the override mode is entered by an operation other than depressing the pedal lever 20 (for example, steering wheel operation or blinker operation), the motor 41 is driven to release the lock.

[0051] At time x24, when the override mode ends, the vehicle is traveling at a specific position, so the pedal lever 20 is locked again. Here, it is described that the pedal lever 20 is locked when the override ends, but the pedal lever 20 may be locked after confirming the driver's intention, as in times x21 to x22. Also, at time x21, the pedal lever 20 may be locked without confirming the driver's intention.

[0052] As described above, the accelerator pedal system 1 of this embodiment includes the pedal lever 20, the lock mechanism 50, the actuator 40, and the ECU 60. The pedal lever 20 operates in response to depression of the pedal lever. The lock mechanism 50 is capable of restricting the operation of the pedal lever 20. Here, "capable of restricting the operation of the pedal lever" is not limited to completely fixing the pedal lever 20 to reduce the amount of movement to zero, but includes the concept of making the amount of movement smaller than when unlocked. The actuator 40 switches between a locked state in which the operation of the pedal lever 20 is restricted by the lock mechanism 50, and an unlocked state in which the operation is not restricted.

[0053] The ECU 60 has a lock operation determination unit 64, an actuator control unit 65, and an information acquisition unit 62. The lock operation determination unit 64 determines whether to switch the lock operation by the lock mechanism 50. The actuator control unit 65 controls the drive of the actuator 40 in accordance with the determination result of the lock operation determination unit 64. In this embodiment, the actuator control unit 65 mainly controls the drive of the motor 41. The information acquisition unit 62 acquires vehicle position information.

[0054] When the vehicle is traveling at a specific location in the autonomous driving mode, the lock operation determination unit 64 locks the pedal lever 20. The specific location is a location where there are few opportunities for acceleration / deceleration operation using the pedal lever 20, and in this embodiment, is a motorway. In other words, even in the cruise control mode, on general roads where there are likely to be opportunities for acceleration / deceleration operation using the pedal lever 20 due to an override, locking of the pedal lever 20 is not permitted.

[0055] This makes it possible to appropriately control the locked state of the pedal lever 20. In particular, it is possible to reduce the frequency of the driver's operations of locking and unlocking while driving, thereby reducing the operational burden on the driver.

[0056] The ECU 60 has a notification control unit 67 that notifies the driver that the pedal lever 20 is locked by the notification device 80. This allows the driver to know the locked state of the pedal lever 20, thereby reducing the driver's anxiety.

[0057] Second embodiment A second embodiment is shown in Fig. 7. This embodiment differs from the above embodiment in the lock operation control process, and this point will be mainly described. The lock operation control process of this embodiment will be described based on the flowchart of Fig. 7. The process of S201 is similar to the process of S101 in Fig. 4.

[0058] In S202, the information acquisition unit 62 acquires location information and traffic information related to the current driving position of the vehicle. The process of S203 is the same as S103 in Fig. 4. If it is determined that the vehicle is driving on a motorway (S203: YES), the process proceeds to S205, and if it is determined that the vehicle is not driving on a motorway (S203: NO), the process proceeds to S204.

[0059] In S204, the lock operation determination unit 64 determines whether or not the location where the vehicle is traveling is congested. If it is determined that there is a traffic jam (S204: YES), the process proceeds to S205. If it is determined that there is no traffic jam (S204: NO), the process proceeds to S210. The processes of S205 to S212 are the same as the processes of S104 to S111 in FIG. 4.

[0060] In this embodiment, when the vehicle is traveling through an area where congestion is occurring and tracking control or the like is being performed, there are few opportunities for the driver to operate the pedal, so the congested road is regarded as a "specific position" and the pedal lever 20 is locked to turn it into a footrest.

[0061] In this embodiment, the specific position is a location where congestion occurs. That is, even if it is a general road, when there is congestion and there are few opportunities to operate the pedal lever 20 due to, for example, following control, the pedal lever 20 is locked. This makes it possible to appropriately control the locked state of the pedal lever 20. Also, the same effects as those of the above embodiment are achieved.

[0062] (Other embodiments) In the above embodiment, the locking member 51 is provided on the fixed side, and the locked portion 52 is provided on the movable side. In other embodiments, the locking member may be provided on the movable side, and the locked portion on the fixed side. In the above embodiment, the locked portion is configured as a convex portion. In other embodiments, the locked portion may be configured as a concave portion. In addition, one of the locked portion or the locking member is not limited to being a spur gear, and may be provided on a member other than the spur gear that constitutes the power transmission mechanism.

[0063] In the above embodiment, the locking member is provided so as to be movable in a linear direction along the axial direction of the elastic member, which is a compression coil spring. In another embodiment, the locking member may be configured to rotate to switch between a locked state and an unlocked state. By switching the locked state by rotating the locking member, uneven wear of the contact portion can be suppressed. In another embodiment, the elastic member is not limited to a compression coil spring, and may be, for example, a torsion spring. Furthermore, the locking member itself may be formed of an elastic member such as rubber, and the locked state may be switched by elastic deformation.

[0064] In addition, the power transmission mechanism and the locking mechanism may be different from those in the above embodiment. The shapes of the locking member and the non-locking member may be different from those in the above embodiment depending on the arrangement of parts, etc. In the above embodiment, a common actuator is used for applying a reaction force to the pedal lever and for locking operation. In other embodiments, an actuator for applying a reaction force and an actuator for locking operation may be provided separately.

[0065] In the above embodiment, the locking mechanism can maintain the locked state in a non-energized state where the supply of electricity to the motor is turned off. In another embodiment, the locking mechanism may be configured to maintain the locked state by continuing to supply electricity to the motor.

[0066] In the above embodiment, the pedal lever is locked at the fully closed position by the lock mechanism. In other embodiments, the lock position of the pedal lever may be the fully open position, or may be an intermediate position between the fully closed position and the fully open position. The pedal lever may also be configured to be lockable in multiple stages.

[0067] In the above embodiment, the expressway and the road where traffic jam occurs are defined as the "specific position." In other embodiments, a location other than the above where there are few opportunities to operate the pedal may be defined as the specific position, and the pedal lever may be locked.

[0068] In the above embodiment, the driver is notified when the lock is activated and when the lock is released. In other embodiments, at least one of the notifications when the lock is activated and when the lock is released may be omitted. In addition, whether or not to notify may be changed depending on the situation, such as by notifying when the lock is activated immediately after the start of autonomous driving and not notifying when the lock is activated when an override is ended during autonomous driving. The same applies to whether or not to confirm the driver's intention regarding the lock activation and release.

[0069] The control unit and the method described in the present disclosure may be realized by a dedicated computer provided by configuring a processor and a memory programmed to execute one or more functions embodied in a computer program. Alternatively, the control unit and the method described in the present disclosure may be realized by a dedicated computer provided by configuring a processor with one or more dedicated hardware logic circuits. Alternatively, the control unit and the method described in the present disclosure may be realized by one or more dedicated computers configured by a combination of a processor and a memory programmed to execute one or more functions and a processor configured with one or more hardware logic circuits. In addition, the computer program may be stored in a computer-readable non-transient tangible recording medium as instructions executed by a computer. As described above, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment, and can be implemented in various forms within the scope of the invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0070] 1. Accelerator pedal system 20 Pedal lever 40...Actuator 50 Locking mechanism 60...ECU (control unit) 62...Information acquisition section 64 Lock operation determination unit 65 Actuator control section 67 Notification control section 80....Alarm device

Claims

1. A pedal lever (20) that operates in response to a stepping operation; A lock mechanism (50) capable of restricting the operation of the pedal lever; an actuator (40) for switching between a locked state in which the operation of the pedal lever is restricted by the lock mechanism and an unlocked state in which the operation of the pedal lever is not restricted; a control unit (60) having a lock operation determination unit (64) that determines switching of the lock operation by the lock mechanism, an actuator control unit (65) that controls the drive of the actuator, and an information acquisition unit (62) that acquires vehicle position information; Equipped with The lock operation determination unit is When the vehicle is traveling at a specific location in an autonomous driving mode, the pedal lever is locked; An accelerator pedal system that unlocks the pedal lever when the vehicle is in an autonomous driving mode but not traveling through the specific location, or when the vehicle is traveling through the specific location and both input from the control side via autonomous driving and pedal input from the driver are present, resulting in an override mode in which the driver's input takes priority.

2. 2. The accelerator pedal system according to claim 1, wherein the specific location is a freeway.

3. 3. The accelerator pedal system according to claim 1, wherein the specific position is a location where congestion occurs.

4. 4. The accelerator pedal system according to claim 1, wherein the control unit has an alarm control unit (67) that notifies the driver that the pedal lever is locked by an alarm device (80).

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