Driving force control method and driving force control device

Abstract

This driving force control method for controlling the driving force of a vehicle comprises: determining whether or not a driver has an acceleration intention and whether or not another vehicle exists within a prescribed distance ahead of an own vehicle; and, if it has been determined that the driver has the acceleration intention and that no other vehicle exists within the prescribed distance ahead of the own vehicle, performing driving force correction to add, to a basic driving force according to an accelerator pedal operation amount by the driver, a gradually increasing additional driving force.

Description

Technical Field

[0005] ,

[0001] The present invention relates to a driving force control method and a driving force control device for a vehicle.

Background Art

[0002] As a driving force control method for a vehicle, JP6625039B describes control to switch to driving by the driver's operation (hereinafter also referred to as self-driving) when the acceleration intention of the driver is detected during driving by automatic driving. During self-driving, it is common for the controller to generate a target driving force according to the opening of the accelerator pedal operated by the driver (hereinafter also referred to as the accelerator pedal opening), and control the drive source according to this target driving force. On the other hand, during automatic driving, it is common for the controller to generate a value corresponding to the accelerator pedal opening according to the set vehicle speed, surrounding conditions, etc., generate a target driving force corresponding to this, and control the drive source.

[0003] By the way, in the above document, the magnitude relationship between the target driving force according to the accelerator pedal opening during self-driving and the target driving force according to the value corresponding to the accelerator pedal opening during automatic driving is not mentioned. Therefore, even if the driver switches to self-driving by showing an acceleration intention, it is reasonable to consider that the driving force given according to the accelerator pedal opening is the same as during automatic driving. In this case, for example, in situations such as immediately after merging onto the main line of a highway or during overtaking on a highway, the accelerator pedal will be depressed deeply, and repeating this may promote driver fatigue. That is, there is room for improvement in the control of the above document from the perspective of reducing driver fatigue.

[0004] Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a driving force control method and a driving force control device that can achieve reduction of driver fatigue.

[0005] According to one aspect of the present invention, a driving force control method for controlling the driving force of a vehicle is provided. In this method, when the driver intends to accelerate and there are no other vehicles within a predetermined distance in front of the vehicle, a driving force correction is performed by adding a gradually increasing additional driving force to the basic driving force corresponding to the amount the driver operates the accelerator pedal.

[0006] According to another aspect of the present invention, a drive force control device for controlling the driving force of a vehicle is provided. The device includes an acceleration intention determination unit that determines whether or not the driver intends to accelerate; an other vehicle determination unit that determines whether or not there is another vehicle within a predetermined distance in front of the vehicle; and a drive force correction unit that, when the driver intends to accelerate and there is no other vehicle within a predetermined distance in front of the vehicle, performs a drive force correction by adding an additional driving force that gradually increases to the basic driving force corresponding to the amount the driver operates the accelerator pedal. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0007] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a vehicle to which an embodiment of the present invention is applied. [Figure 2] Figure 2 is a diagram of the vehicle's system configuration. [Figure 3] Figure 3 is a flowchart showing the control routine for driving force correction. [Figure 4] Figure 4 is a flowchart for determining whether or not the correction conditions are met. [Figure 5] Figure 5 is a flowchart for determining whether or not the release conditions have been met. [Figure 6] Figure 6 is a flowchart showing a control routine for preventing hunting. [Figure 7] Figure 7 shows the time chart during the acceleration scene. [Figure 8] Figure 8 is a time chart for the deceleration scene. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0008] Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

[0009] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a vehicle 100 to which this embodiment is applied. The vehicle 100 is a so-called electric vehicle that uses an electric motor 1 as a drive source. The vehicle 100 includes an electric motor 1 that rotates the wheels 4 as a drive source, an inverter 2 that controls the output of the electric motor 1, a battery 3 that supplies power to the electric motor 1, and a controller 7 that sends commands to the inverter 2.

[0010] The controller 7 is connected to sensors 5 and interface 6. The controller 7 consists of a microcomputer equipped with a central processing unit (CPU), read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), and input / output interface (I / O interface). It is also possible to configure the controller 7 with multiple microcomputers.

[0011] In this embodiment, the case where vehicle 100 is an electric vehicle is described, but the vehicle type to which this embodiment can be applied is not limited to electric vehicles; for example, it can also be applied to a series hybrid vehicle.

[0012] Figure 2 is a system configuration diagram of vehicle 100. The controller 7 makes various decisions and calculations based on information from sensors 5 and interface 6. For example, it makes decisions such as determining the driver's intention to accelerate as an acceleration intention determination unit, determining whether there is an intention to decelerate, determining the presence or absence of other vehicles as an other vehicle determination unit, setting the basic driving force (described later), and performing driving force correction (described later) as a driving force correction unit. The controller 7 then controls the actuators based on these decision results and calculation results. An actuator is, for example, an electric motor 1, and the controller 7 controls the electric motor 1 via an inverter 2.

[0013] Sensors 5 include, for example, a navigation system 10, a brake switch 11, an accelerator pedal position sensor 12, a camera 13, a radar 14, and a vehicle speed sensor and acceleration sensor (not shown).

[0014] The navigation system 10 determines the position of the vehicle 100 based on radio signals received from a GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System). The navigation system 10 then searches for a driving route and provides guidance based on the determined position information and map data stored within the system. The map data may be obtained by communication with an external storage device (for example, on the cloud).

[0015] The brake switch 11 turns on when the driver presses the brake pedal and turns off when the pedal is not pressed. The accelerator pedal position sensor 12 detects the amount the driver presses the accelerator pedal.

[0016] Both camera 13 and radar 14 acquire information about the driving environment at least in front of vehicle 100. For example, radar 14 can detect at least other vehicles, obstacles, pedestrians, etc. in front of the vehicle. Similarly, camera 13 can detect at least other vehicles, obstacles, pedestrians, etc. in front of the vehicle, as well as lines marking the lane in which vehicle 100 is traveling, pedestrian crossings, stop lines, road signs, etc.

[0017] Interface 6 is, for example, a display 15. The display 15 can display various information, including maps. The display 15 also functions as an operating unit and, by being configured as a touch panel or the like, accepts various operations from the user, such as setting a destination or selecting a driving route. If the vehicle 100 can switch between multiple driving modes, the driving mode may be switched via the display 15. Alternatively, instead of a touch panel, an operating device may be provided to operate icons or the like displayed on the display 15.

[0018] Incidentally, the controller 7 sets a target driving force based on the accelerator pedal opening degree or the like. And a proportional or nearly proportional relationship is provided between the accelerator pedal opening degree and the target driving force, and this relationship is generally constant regardless of the driving scene. That is, whether it is acceleration in a low-speed range in an urban area or the like, or acceleration in a high-speed range on an expressway or the like, the change amount of the target driving force per change amount of the accelerator pedal opening degree is constant. For this reason, when a larger driving force is required during acceleration on an expressway or the like than during acceleration in an urban area or the like, the amount of depression of the accelerator pedal also increases. And the repetition of this large accelerator pedal operation can be a major factor in the accumulation of driver fatigue.

[0019] Therefore, in the present embodiment, by performing the driving force correction described below, the operation amount of the accelerator pedal is reduced, and the driver's fatigue is reduced.

[0020] FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a control routine for driving force correction. Hereinafter, it will be described according to the steps.

[0021] In step S100, the controller 7 determines whether a condition for performing driving force correction (hereinafter also referred to as a correction condition) is satisfied. If it is satisfied, the process of step S110 is executed, and if it is not satisfied, the current routine is terminated.

[0022] Here, a method for determining whether the correction condition is satisfied will be described. FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing the content of the determination.

[0023] In step S200, the controller 7 determines based on the map information and the position information whether the road on which the vehicle 100 is currently traveling is the main line of an expressway. If it is the main line of an expressway, the process of step S210 is executed, and if it is not, it is determined that the correction condition is not satisfied in step S240.

[0024] In step S210, the controller 7 determines whether the distance between the vehicle 100 and the leading vehicle is equal to or greater than L1 as a threshold value. If it is equal to or greater than L1, the process of step S220 is executed; otherwise, it is determined in step S240 that the correction condition is not satisfied. The distance between the vehicle and the leading vehicle may be calculated from the image acquired by the camera 13 or measured by the radar 14. The vehicle distance L1 is a distance at which an appropriate vehicle distance can be maintained between the vehicle 100 and the leading vehicle even if the vehicle 100 accelerates. Specific values can be arbitrarily set, but for example, it is 50 m or more. Note that when there is no leading vehicle, the case where the vehicle distance is equal to or greater than L1 is included.

[0025] In step S220, the controller 7 determines whether the accelerator pedal opening APO is equal to or greater than the accelerator pedal opening APO1 as a threshold value. If the accelerator pedal opening is equal to or greater than APO1, it is determined in step S230 that the correction condition is satisfied; otherwise, it is determined in step S240 that the correction condition is not satisfied. The accelerator pedal opening APO1 is an opening that can be regarded as the driver having an intention to accelerate. For example, when the full opening is regarded as 100%, it is an opening of 50%. Note that instead of the accelerator pedal opening APO, the amount of change or the rate of change of the accelerator pedal opening may be used to determine the presence or absence of an intention to accelerate.

[0026] Also, between steps S200 and S210, it may be added to determine whether there are continuous corners within a predetermined distance in the traveling direction. In this case, when there are continuous corners, it is determined that the correction condition is not satisfied, and when there are no continuous corners, the process of step S210 is executed. The presence or absence of continuous corners is determined based on the map information. Here, the continuous corners mean a road shape that requires interruption of acceleration or deceleration, and specific curvatures and the like are determined in advance by simulation or the like. Also, the predetermined distance is the distance required until the end of acceleration, and specific values are determined in advance based on the power performance of the vehicle 100 and the like.

[0027] Furthermore, while the correction condition is met using the determination method in Figure 4 only when vehicle 100 is traveling on the main lane of the expressway and the following distance is L1 or greater, even if these conditions are not met, if vehicle 100 is traveling on a merging lane or an overtaking lane, the determination in step S220 may be performed to make the correction condition meet. This is because, for example, when vehicle 100 is traveling on a merging lane, even if the following distance is less than L1, the vehicle in front will also accelerate as it merges onto the main lane, so the following distance is unlikely to decrease significantly from its current level. Similarly, for example, when vehicle 100 is traveling in the overtaking lane of the main lane, it is highly likely that not only vehicle 100 but also the vehicle in front will be accelerating, so the following distance is unlikely to decrease.

[0028] Returning to the explanation of Figure 3, in step S110, the controller 7 determines whether the current driving mode is a mode in which the response of the driving force to the accelerator pedal operation is slower compared to other driving modes. If it is slower, it executes the process in step S120; otherwise, it terminates the routine. The vehicle 100 has multiple driving modes, for example, an eco mode that prioritizes energy efficiency, a sport mode that prioritizes power performance, and a standard mode that considers the balance between energy efficiency and power performance. In eco mode, the response of the driving force to the accelerator pedal operation is slower than in sport mode or standard mode in order to suppress power consumption when the accelerator pedal is pressed. Also, in sport mode, the response of the driving force to the accelerator pedal operation is sharper than in standard mode in order to improve acceleration performance when the accelerator pedal is pressed. In other words, if the current driving mode is eco mode or standard mode, the result is that the response of the driving force to the accelerator pedal operation is slower compared to other modes.

[0029] In step S120, the controller 7 performs a drive force correction. Specifically, it adds an additional drive force to the basic drive force, which is determined according to the amount of accelerator pedal operation by the driver in the current driving mode. The magnitude of the additional drive force is set to be, for example, equivalent to the basic drive force in the driving mode with the sharpest response to accelerator pedal operation (in this case, sport mode). Due to the characteristics of the electric motor 1, it is possible to instantaneously add an additional drive force at the start of acceleration to make the drive force equivalent to the basic drive force in sport mode. However, if the response to accelerator pedal operation changes abruptly even though the driver has not switched driving modes, it may cause discomfort to the driver. Therefore, in this embodiment, the additional drive force is gradually increased over a predetermined period of time from the start of acceleration. This predetermined period can be set arbitrarily, but for example, it is set to a few seconds.

[0030] After performing the drive force correction in step S120, the controller 7 determines in step S130 whether the conditions for releasing the drive force correction have been met. If the conditions for releasing the conditions have been met, the process in step S140 is executed; otherwise, the determination in this step is repeated until the conditions have been met.

[0031] Figure 5 is a flowchart showing the control routine for determining whether the release condition has been met. The steps are explained below.

[0032] In step S300, the controller 7 determines whether or not the vehicle is currently traveling on the main highway. If it is traveling on the main highway, it executes the process in step S310. Otherwise, in step S380, it determines that the release condition is not met.

[0033] In step S310, the controller 7 determines whether the distance between vehicle 100 and the vehicle in front is less than or equal to the threshold L2. If it is less than or equal to L2, it executes the process in step S360; if it is greater than L2, it executes the process in step S320. The threshold distance L2 is, for example, the distance beyond which the likelihood of deceleration becomes higher than the likelihood of acceleration. A specific value can be set arbitrarily, but for example, it is about 100m.

[0034] In step S320, the controller 7 determines whether the brake lights of the vehicle in front are illuminated based on the image acquired by the camera 13. If they are illuminated, the controller 7 executes the process in step S360; otherwise, the controller 7 executes the process in step S330.

[0035] In step S330, the controller 7 determines whether the vehicle 100 is approaching a junction or other branch road based on map data and location information. If it is approaching, it executes the process in step S360; otherwise, it executes the process in step S340. The distance to the branch road used as the criterion for determining whether or not the vehicle is approaching can be set arbitrarily, but for example, it can be set to about 1-2 km.

[0036] In step S340, the controller 7 determines, based on map data and location information, whether the vehicle 100 is approaching a parking area PA or service area SA and is traveling in the lane on the side with an access road to the parking area PA or service area SA. The definition of "approaching" here is the same as that in step S300.

[0037] In step S350, the controller 7 determines whether the vehicle 100 is approaching an interchange IC based on map data and location information. If it is approaching, it executes the process in step S360; otherwise, it executes the process in step S380. The definition of "approaching" here is the same as that in step S300.

[0038] In step S360, the controller 7 determines whether the accelerator pedal opening APO is less than or equal to the threshold accelerator pedal opening APO2. If it is less than or equal to APO2, the controller determines in step S370 that the release condition is met; otherwise, the controller determines in step S380 that the release condition is not met. The accelerator pedal opening APO2 is an opening that can be considered to indicate the driver's intention to decelerate, and is, for example, an opening of about 20% when full open is considered to be 100%.

[0039] Returning to the explanation of Figure 3, in step S140, the controller 7 releases the drive force correction and terminates this routine. In other words, it stops adding additional drive force. At this time, instead of suddenly reducing the additional drive force to zero, it is gradually reduced over a predetermined period of time. This is to suppress any discomfort caused by a sudden change in drive force. The predetermined period here can be set arbitrarily, but for example, it can be set to a few seconds.

[0040] In this embodiment, the case where vehicle 100 is traveling on a highway has been described, but the situations in which the above-mentioned driving force correction can be applied are not limited to this. For example, it can be similarly applied to toll roads similar to highways, and to roadways with two or more lanes on each side and a central median.

[0041] Furthermore, the driver may be given the option to choose whether or not to perform drive force correction when the correction conditions are met. This selection is made using a switch displayed on the display 15 or a physical switch provided separately from the display 15.

[0042] Incidentally, the drive force correction control shown in Figures 3 to 5 is based on the premise that accurate position information is obtained based on radio signals received from GNSS. However, radio signals may be lost, for example, while vehicle 100 is traveling in a tunnel. If drive force correction control is performed when the accuracy of position information has deteriorated due to the loss of radio signals, there is a risk of hunting. Therefore, in order to prevent hunting in the event of radio signal loss, the control described below is performed. This control is performed in parallel with the control shown in Figures 3 to 5.

[0043] Figure 6 is a flowchart showing the control routine that controller 7 executes to prevent the hunting described above. This routine is executed repeatedly at a predetermined interval. The following steps will explain the process.

[0044] In step S400, the controller 7 determines whether or not drive force correction is currently being performed. If it is, it executes the process in step S410; otherwise, it terminates the current routine.

[0045] In step S410, the controller 7 determines whether the navigation system 10 is receiving a radio signal. If it is receiving a signal, it terminates the current routine; otherwise, it executes the process in step S420.

[0046] In step S420, the controller 7 determines whether the vehicle 100 is traveling on a highway. If it is traveling on a highway, it executes the process in step S430; otherwise, it executes the process in step S440. In this step, the controller 7 extracts the speed limit of the road the vehicle is currently traveling on from the image captured by the camera 13 and makes a decision based on this speed limit. If a vehicle-to-infrastructure communication device is provided, the speed limit may be obtained using that device.

[0047] In step S430, the controller 7 decides to continue the current drive force correction and terminates the routine.

[0048] In step S440, the controller 7 interrupts the control routines shown in Figures 3 to 5, cancels the driving force correction, and terminates the routine.

[0049] As described above, if the navigation system 10 loses its radio signal, the drive force correction will continue until the radio signal can be received again, provided the vehicle is driving on a highway. If the vehicle exits the highway, the drive force correction will be canceled. This prevents the control from hunting.

[0050] Next, the effects of performing the above control will be explained with reference to Figures 7 and 8.

[0051] Figure 7 shows the time chart when the above control is performed during acceleration. Figure 8 shows the time chart when deceleration occurs while drive force correction is being performed.

[0052] Figure 7 shows the situation where, at timing t1 after merging from the connecting road onto the main highway, the accelerator pedal opening is APO1 or greater, and driving force correction is performed. In the accelerator pedal opening APO chart, the solid line shows the accelerator pedal opening after driving force correction, and the dashed line shows the accelerator pedal opening if no driving force correction were performed.

[0053] As illustrated, the addition of the additional driving force begins at timing t1 and gradually increases until timing t2. The change in the accelerator pedal opening APO during acceleration is smaller when the driving force correction is performed than when it is not. This is because the driving force generated by the electric motor 1 increases with the same accelerator pedal opening APO due to the addition of the additional driving force. In other words, the accelerator pedal opening APO required to obtain the driving force necessary to accelerate to the desired vehicle speed becomes smaller when the additional driving force is added. In this way, reducing the amount of accelerator pedal operation during acceleration can reduce driver fatigue while driving on highways.

[0054] Furthermore, by adding additional driving force, the deceleration when the accelerator pedal opening APO is reduced for purposes such as adjusting the distance between vehicles is decreased, thus reducing the number of times the accelerator pedal is pressed for re-acceleration. This reduction in the number of times the accelerator pedal is pressed leads to improved energy efficiency.

[0055] Figure 8 shows a situation where, while driving with driving force correction applied, the distance to the vehicle in front (A in the figure) decreases, and at timing t1, the accelerator pedal opening APO becomes APO2 or less, causing the additional driving force to gradually decrease.

[0056] In this situation, since the driver of vehicle 100 intends to decelerate, a larger deceleration is desirable as a result of the decrease in accelerator pedal opening APO. For this reason, it is preferable not to apply additional driving force. However, a sudden change in deceleration in response to accelerator pedal operation may cause discomfort to the driver. Therefore, in this embodiment, the occurrence of the above discomfort is avoided by gradually decreasing the additional driving force.

[0057] Next, the effects of this embodiment will be described.

[0058] In this embodiment, when the driver intends to accelerate and there are no other vehicles within a predetermined distance in front of vehicle 100 (the vehicle itself), a driving force correction is performed by adding a gradually increasing additional driving force to the basic driving force corresponding to the amount the driver operates the accelerator pedal. This reduces the amount the accelerator pedal is operated and alleviates driver fatigue. Furthermore, by gradually increasing the additional driving force, it is possible to suppress the discomfort to the driver caused by abrupt changes in the responsiveness of the driving force to the amount the accelerator pedal is operated. In addition, it is possible to improve energy efficiency by reducing the number of accelerator pedal operations.

[0059] In this embodiment, the conditions for adding additional driving force may include the driver having an intention to accelerate, the absence of other vehicles within a predetermined distance in front of the vehicle 100, and the absence of consecutive corners with two or more corners within a predetermined forward-looking distance. This eliminates the need to perform calculations related to driving force correction in driving scenes where the effect of driving force correction cannot be obtained, thereby suppressing an unnecessary increase in the amount of calculation required.

[0060] In this embodiment, the system may determine whether the conditions for applying additional driving force are met when the vehicle 100 is traveling on the main lane of an expressway or the main lane of a toll road. This makes it possible to reduce the amount and number of accelerator pedal operations, especially in driving scenarios where the amount of accelerator pedal operation tends to be large in the conventional system.

[0061] In this embodiment, the system may determine whether the conditions for applying additional driving force are met when the vehicle 100 is traveling on a roadway with a central median and two or more lanes. This makes it possible to reduce the amount and number of accelerator pedal operations, especially in driving scenarios where the amount of accelerator pedal operation tends to be large in conventional systems, as described above.

[0062] In this embodiment, among multiple driving modes, each with a different magnitude of basic driving force corresponding to the accelerator pedal operation, if the accelerator pedal operation amount for the same basic driving force is larger in a driving mode compared to other driving modes, an additional driving force is added to make the accelerator pedal operation amount equivalent to that in the driving mode with the smallest accelerator pedal operation amount for the same basic driving force. As a result, the electric motor 1 generates a driving force appropriate for the driving scene, and consequently, the accelerator pedal operation amount and the number of accelerator pedal operations can be reduced.

[0063] In this embodiment, when the driver's intention to decelerate is confirmed while driving with the driving force correction in place, the additional driving force is gradually reduced until it becomes zero. This provides the vehicle 100 with a deceleration appropriate for the deceleration scene, and reduces the number of times the accelerator pedal is operated.

[0064] In this embodiment, the driver can choose to allow or prohibit the execution of drive force correction. This enables driving in accordance with the driver's intentions.

[0065] In this embodiment, if the current position of the vehicle 100 cannot be recognized due to the inability to receive position information during the execution of drive force correction, the current control is continued until position information can be received again. This prevents control hunting that occurs when position information cannot be received.

[0066] Although embodiments of the present invention have been described above, these embodiments only represent a part of the application examples of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the technical scope of the present invention to the specific configurations of the above embodiments.

Claims

1. A method for controlling the driving force of a vehicle, wherein the controller performs a driving force correction by adding a gradually increasing additional driving force to the basic driving force corresponding to the amount the driver operates the accelerator pedal, when the driver intends to accelerate and there are no other vehicles within a predetermined distance in front of the vehicle, The aforementioned controller, A driving force control method in which, among a plurality of driving modes in which the magnitude of the basic driving force corresponding to the amount of accelerator pedal operation differs for each mode, if the amount of accelerator pedal operation for the same basic driving force is larger in one driving mode than in the other driving modes, an additional driving force is added to make the amount of accelerator pedal operation equivalent to the amount of accelerator pedal operation in the driving mode with the smallest amount of accelerator pedal operation for the same basic driving force.

2. In the driving force control method according to claim 1, A driving force control method in which the conditions for adding the additional driving force are that the driver intends to accelerate, there are no other vehicles within a predetermined distance in front of the vehicle, and there are no consecutive corners with two or more corners within a predetermined forward distance.

3. In the driving force control method described in claim 2, The aforementioned controller, A driving force control method for determining whether the conditions for adding the additional driving force are met when the vehicle is traveling on the main lane of an expressway or the main lane of a toll road.

4. In the driving force control method described in claim 2, A driving force control method for determining whether the conditions for applying the additional driving force are met when the vehicle is traveling on a roadway with a central median and two or more lanes.

5. In the driving force control method according to claim 1, The aforementioned controller, A driving force control method in which, while driving with the aforementioned driving force correction performed, if the driver's intention to decelerate is confirmed, the additional driving force is gradually reduced until it becomes zero.

6. In the driving force control method according to claim 1, A driving force control method in which the driver can choose to permit or prohibit the execution of the aforementioned driving force correction.

7. In the driving force control method according to claim 3 or 4, The aforementioned controller, A driving force control method in which, if the vehicle's current position becomes unrecognizable due to the inability to receive position information during the execution of the aforementioned driving force correction, the current control is continued until the position information can be received again.

8. In the driving force control method according to claim 1, The controller is A driving force control method that does not perform the aforementioned driving force correction if the driver does not intend to accelerate, or if there is another vehicle within a predetermined distance in front of the vehicle.

9. In a drive force control device that controls the driving force of a vehicle, An acceleration intention determination unit that determines whether or not the driver intends to accelerate, A unit that determines whether or not there is another vehicle within a predetermined distance in front of the vehicle, A drive force correction unit performs a drive force correction that adds a gradually increasing additional drive force to the basic drive force corresponding to the amount the driver operates the accelerator pedal, when the driver intends to accelerate and there are no other vehicles within a predetermined distance in front of the vehicle. A driving force control device comprising, among a plurality of driving modes in which the magnitude of the basic driving force according to the amount of accelerator pedal operation differs for each mode, if the amount of accelerator pedal operation for the same basic driving force is larger in a driving mode compared to other driving modes, the device adds an additional driving force that makes the amount of accelerator pedal operation equivalent to the amount of accelerator pedal operation in the driving mode with the smallest amount of accelerator pedal operation for the same basic driving force.

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