vehicle

Abstract

To achieve both of enhancement of a safety property and intentional acceleration.SOLUTION: A vehicle comprises one of or a plurality of processors. The processor is provided with a control part which performs acceleration restraint control which restrains acceleration with respect to step-down of an accelerator pedal and releases the acceleration restraint control when operation is performed by an operator with respect to two more operation parts.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 4

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle.

Background Art

[0002] Conventionally, a vehicle has been proposed that performs acceleration suppression control to suppress the acceleration of the vehicle due to a misstep of the accelerator pedal (for example, Patent Document 1). Thereby, the vehicle can improve safety against missteps of the accelerator pedal.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the vehicle as described above, even when the driver intentionally depresses the accelerator pedal to accelerate the vehicle, there is a problem that the acceleration suppression control is performed and the vehicle cannot be accelerated.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object thereof is to achieve both improved safety and intentional acceleration.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] A vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention includes one or more processors, and the processor performs acceleration suppression control to suppress acceleration in response to depression of the accelerator pedal, and when two or more operation units are operated by the driver, During operation of the accelerator pedal and the two or more of the operating units, a control unit that cancels the acceleration suppression control.

Effects of the Invention

[0007] According to the present invention, it is possible to achieve both improved safety and intentional acceleration. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0008] [Figure 1] This is a diagram showing the vehicle's configuration. [Figure 2] This is a diagram showing the configuration of the steering wheel 6. [Figure 3] This diagram shows how to operate the paddle shift lever 7. [Figure 4] This flowchart shows the process for exiting and ending safe mode. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0009] <1. Vehicle Configuration> Figure 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of vehicle 1. As shown in Figure 1, vehicle 1 comprises an engine 2, a transmission 3, an accelerator pedal 4, an accelerator pedal sensor 5, a steering wheel 6, a paddle shift lever 7, an operation button 8, a shift lever sensor 9, a speed sensor 10, an acceleration sensor 11, and a control unit 12.

[0010] Engine 2 is provided as the power source for vehicle 1. Engine 2 is, for example, a horizontally opposed engine in which a pair of cylinder groups are arranged horizontally in the left-right direction on either side of a crankshaft. Engine 2 reciprocates a piston by combustion pressure obtained by burning a mixture of gasoline and air in the cylinder. Engine 2 then obtains power by rotating a crankshaft, which is connected to the piston via a connecting rod. Engine 2 may be an inline engine, a V-type engine, or the like. Engine 2 may also be a diesel engine. Furthermore, the power source may consist of both engine 2 and a motor, or even just a motor instead of engine 2.

[0011] Furthermore, the engine 2 is equipped with multiple sensors (such as a rotation speed sensor and a water temperature sensor) to detect the state of the engine 2, and outputs the detection results from these sensors to the control unit 12.

[0012] The transmission 3 is connected to the crankshaft of the engine 2 and transmits power from the crankshaft to the drive wheels after changing the gear ratio. The transmission 3 may be a stepped transmission or a continuously variable transmission.

[0013] The accelerator pedal 4 receives input from the driver. The accelerator pedal sensor 5 detects the amount of depression of the accelerator pedal 4 and outputs a signal indicating the detected depression amount to the control unit 12.

[0014] The steering wheel 6 accepts rotational input from the driver. The vehicle 1 is steered according to the rotation angle of the steering wheel 6. The steering wheel 6 is equipped with paddle shift levers 7 and control buttons 8.

[0015] Figure 2 shows the configuration of the steering wheel 6. As shown in Figure 2, the steering wheel 6 comprises a ring-shaped rim 21, a hub 22 positioned in the center of the rim 21, and spokes 23 connecting the rim 21 and the hub 22.

[0016] The spokes 23 consist of a right spoke 23a extending to the right from the hub 22, a left spoke 23b extending to the left from the hub 22, and a lower spoke 23c extending downward from the hub 22, and are formed in a roughly T-shape overall.

[0017] In vehicle 1, the driver's right hand is positioned at the connection point with the right spoke 23a on the rim 21, and the driver's left hand is positioned at the connection point with the left spoke 23b on the rim 21, and the steering wheel 6 is operated.

[0018] The right spoke 23a and the left spoke 23b each have an operation button 8 for receiving the driver's pressing operation. That is, the operation button 8 on the right spoke 23a is arranged at a position that can be operated by the driver's right thumb. Also, the operation button 8 on the left spoke 23b is arranged at a position that can be operated by the driver's left thumb. When the operation button 8 is operated by the driver, it outputs a signal corresponding to the operation button 8 to the control unit 12.

[0019] A paddle shift lever 7 is attached to the back side (the side facing away from the driver) of the spoke 23 in the hub 22. The paddle shift lever 7 includes a shift-up lever 7a for shifting up and a shift-down lever 7b for shifting down. The shift-up lever 7a is arranged on the back side of the right spoke 23a. The shift-down lever 7b is arranged on the back side of the left spoke 23b.

[0020] Therefore, when the steering wheel 6 is rotated by the driver, the paddle shift lever 7 and the operation button 8 rotate along with the rotation of the steering wheel 6.

[0021] Figure 3 is a diagram showing the operation method of the paddle shift lever 7. In Figure 3, as an example of the paddle shift lever 7, the operation method of the shift-up lever 7a will be described, but the same applies to the shift-down lever 7b.

[0022] As shown on the left side of Figure 3, when the shift-up lever 7a is not operated, the driver grasps the rim 21 with the entire right and left hands. At this time, the driver's thumb is in close contact with the front surface of the rim 21, and the index finger to the little finger of the driver are in close contact with the back surface of the rim 21.

[0023] Then, when the driver attempts to operate the shift-up lever 7a, they extend their index finger to their little finger and move it away from the back of the rim 21, as shown in the center of Figure 3. After that, as shown on the right side of Figure 3, the driver places their index finger to their little finger against the back of the shift-up lever 7a and then moves the shift-up lever 7a forward by gripping it with their index finger to their little finger.

[0024] Thus, the paddle shift lever 7 is an operating part that cannot be operated unless the driver intentionally (consciously) moves their hand, and it cannot be operated unconsciously, for example, when the driver is in a hurry.

[0025] On the other hand, the control button 8 is a control that can be operated with almost no finger movement when the driver's hands are in the normal position for holding the steering wheel 6, and there is a risk that it may be operated unconsciously, for example, when the driver is flustered.

[0026] Returning to Figure 1, the shift lever sensor 9 detects that the paddle shift lever 7 has been operated and outputs a signal to the control unit 12 based on the detection result, namely a signal indicating that either the shift up lever 7a or the shift down lever 7b has been operated. The speed sensor 10 detects the speed of vehicle 1 and outputs a signal indicating the speed of vehicle 1 to the control unit 12. The acceleration sensor 11 detects the acceleration of the vehicle 1 and outputs a signal indicating the acceleration of the vehicle 1 to the control unit 12.

[0027] The control unit 12 is composed of a processor (computer) including a CPU (Central Processing Unit), RAM (Random Access Memory), and ROM (Read Only Memory). The control unit 12 may be composed of one or more processors.

[0028] The control unit 12 controls the entire vehicle 1 by reading a program stored in ROM or a storage unit (not shown) into RAM and executing it. For example, the control unit 12 controls the engine 2 and the transmission 3 based on signals input from the engine 2, accelerator pedal sensor 5, shift lever sensor 9, speed sensor 10, and acceleration sensor 11.

[0029] For example, the control unit 12 determines the target torque and target engine speed of the engine 2 by referring to a pre-stored map based on a signal indicating the amount of pedal depression input from the accelerator pedal sensor 5 and a signal indicating the speed of the vehicle 1 input from the speed sensor 10. Then, the control unit 12 drives the engine 2 to achieve the determined target torque and target engine speed.

[0030] Furthermore, the control unit 12 determines the gear ratio (gear position) of the transmission 3 based on the signal indicating the amount of pedal depression input from the accelerator pedal sensor 5, the signal indicating the speed of the vehicle 1 input from the speed sensor 10, and the engine speed input from the engine 2. Then, the control unit 12 controls the transmission 3 to achieve the determined gear ratio (gear position).

[0031] Furthermore, when the control unit 12 receives a signal from the shift lever sensor 9, it can determine the gear ratio (gear step) based on that signal and shift the transmission 3 to achieve the determined gear ratio (gear step). For example, when the control unit 12 receives a signal indicating that the shift-up lever 7a has been operated, it shifts the gear up by one step, and when it receives a signal indicating that the shift-down lever 7b has been operated, it shifts the gear down by one step. Note that the method of controlling engine 2 and transmission 3 is just one example, and other methods may be used.

[0032] Furthermore, Vehicle 1 is equipped with a safe mode (acceleration suppression control) that limits the acceleration of Vehicle 1. The safe mode is activated, for example, when the engine 2 is started using a key that has been pre-associated with the execution of the safe mode.

[0033] Safe mode is a mode provided for, for example, elderly drivers. Safe mode is designed to suppress unintended acceleration of vehicle 1 when the driver mistakenly presses the accelerator pedal sensor 5.

[0034] When the control unit 12 is in safe mode, it controls the engine 2 so that even if the accelerator pedal 4 is pressed, the acceleration detected by the acceleration sensor 11 does not exceed a preset upper limit. As a result, the vehicle 1 will only accelerate up to an acceleration below the upper limit.

[0035] However, in situations where you want to increase the speed of vehicle 1 over a relatively short distance (short time), such as when merging onto a highway, it is necessary to accelerate vehicle 1 above the upper limit. If safe mode can be easily deactivated in response to such demands, there is a risk that safe mode may be deactivated even in situations where acceleration is actually intended to be limited.

[0036] Therefore, in the vehicle 1 of this embodiment, the control unit 12 temporarily deactivates the safe mode (acceleration suppression control) when two or more control units are operated by the driver.

[0037] Specifically, in situations where acceleration is required, the control unit 12 temporarily deactivates the safe mode if the accelerator pedal 4 is operated first, and then the shift-up lever 7a and the shift-down lever 7b are operated almost simultaneously while the accelerator pedal 4 is being operated.

[0038] Figure 4 is a flowchart showing the process for exiting and ending safe mode. In step S1, the control unit 12 determines whether safe mode is running. If safe mode is not running (No in step S1), the process terminates. If safe mode is running (Yes in step S1), in step S2, the control unit 12 determines whether the accelerator pedal 4 is being operated. Here, the control unit 12 determines that the accelerator pedal 4 is being operated if the signal indicating the amount of depression of the accelerator pedal 4, input from the accelerator pedal sensor 5, is greater than 0.

[0039] If the accelerator pedal 4 is operated (Yes in step S2), in step S3 the control unit 12 determines whether the shift-up lever 7a and the shift-down lever 7b were operated at approximately the same time. Here, if the shift lever sensor 9 receives signals indicating that the shift-up lever 7a has been operated and signals indicating that the shift-down lever 7b has been operated within a predetermined time (e.g., 200 ms), it is determined that the shift-up lever 7a and the shift-down lever 7b were operated at approximately the same time.

[0040] If the shift-up lever 7a and the shift-down lever 7b are operated almost simultaneously, the gear change will be performed for the paddle shift lever 7 that was operated first. However, since the operation of the paddle shift lever 7 that is operated later will perform the opposite gear change to the operation of the paddle shift lever 7 that was operated first, the gear ratio of the transmission 3 will return to its original value. In other words, if the shift-up lever 7a and the shift-down lever 7b are operated almost simultaneously, the gear ratio (gear position) of the transmission 3 will not change.

[0041] However, since the shift-up lever 7a and the shift-down lever 7b may be operated almost simultaneously, the control unit 12 may refrain from shifting gears for a predetermined time after one of the paddle shift levers 7 is operated. In this case, the control unit 12 will not shift gears if the other paddle shift lever 7 is operated before the predetermined time has elapsed since the first paddle shift lever 7 was operated. Furthermore, once the predetermined time has elapsed since one of the paddle shift levers 7 was operated, the control unit 12 will shift gears in accordance with the operation of the first paddle shift lever 7.

[0042] If the accelerator pedal 4 is not operated (No in step S2), or if the accelerator pedal 4 is operated but the shift-up lever 7a and the shift-down lever 7b are not operated at approximately the same time (Yes in step S2, No in step S3), the process returns to step S2.

[0043] On the other hand, if the shift-up lever 7a and the shift-down lever 7b are operated almost simultaneously after the accelerator pedal 4 is operated (Yes in step S2, Yes in step S3), the control unit 12 deactivates the safe mode in step S4. That is, the control unit 12 controls the engine 2 to perform acceleration at an acceleration value greater than the upper limit.

[0044] Subsequently, in step S5, the control unit 12 determines whether the pre-set release termination condition has been met. The termination conditions are the conditions for ending the process of exiting safe mode. The conditions for ending the deactivation include, for example, when the accelerator pedal 4, the shift-up lever 7a, or the shift-down lever 7b is no longer operated. This condition reflects the driver's intention to end the deactivation of safe mode. Another example of a condition for ending the release is that the acceleration of vehicle 1 falls below the upper limit of safe mode. This condition means that the acceleration of vehicle 1 becomes low and there is no need to release safe mode.

[0045] If the conditions for ending the deactivation are not met (No in step S5), return to step S5 and continue deactivating safe mode. On the other hand, if the condition for termination of the release is met (Yes in step S5), in step S6 the control unit 12 terminates the release of safe mode and restarts safe mode.

[0046] <2. Variant> Although embodiments of the present invention have been described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described examples and can take on a variety of configurations. For example, in the embodiment described above, the safe mode is deactivated when the shift-up lever 7a and the shift-down lever 7b are operated almost simultaneously. However, the safe mode is not limited to these operating parts, as long as the safe mode is deactivated when two or more operating parts are operated by the driver. For example, the system could be configured to disable safe mode if two or more operation buttons 8 are pressed almost simultaneously. However, it is desirable that the control unit for disabling safe mode be located on the steering wheel 6. Since the control unit rotates in conjunction with the rotation of the steering wheel 6, it becomes difficult for the driver to operate the control unit when the steering wheel 6 is rotated beyond a certain point. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the vehicle 1 from becoming unstable due to sharp turns and sudden acceleration.

[0047] Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the safe mode is deactivated when the accelerator pedal 4 is pressed first and then the shift-up lever 7a and the shift-down lever 7b are operated almost simultaneously. However, the safe mode may be deactivated when the shift-up lever 7a and the shift-down lever 7b are operated almost simultaneously, regardless of the operation of the accelerator pedal 4. However, it is preferable to deactivate the safe mode when the accelerator pedal 4 is pressed first and then the shift-up lever 7a and the shift-down lever 7b are operated almost simultaneously.

[0048] Furthermore, a condition for ending the deactivation may be set that the speed of vehicle 1 is equal to or greater than a predetermined set speed. This allows vehicle 1 to terminate the deactivation of safe mode when it accelerates rapidly and reaches the set speed, preventing the rapid acceleration from continuing without the deactivation of safe mode due to abnormal operation by the driver or the operation unit (shift-up lever 7a and shift-down lever 7b) being stuck in the "on" position. The set speed can be set to a traffic sign recognition value, a value set by the driver, a value shown in map information, etc.

[0049] <3. Summary of Embodiments> As described above, the vehicle 1 of the embodiment comprises one or more processors, the processors include an acceleration suppression control (safe mode) that suppresses acceleration in response to pressing the accelerator pedal 4, and a control unit 12 that releases the acceleration suppression control when two or more operating units (shift-up lever 7a and shift-down lever 7b) are operated by the driver. As a result, the control unit 12 temporarily releases the acceleration suppression control and performs a rapid acceleration of the vehicle 1 only when two or more control units are operated by the driver. Therefore, while normally performing acceleration suppression control to prevent sudden acceleration due to mistakenly pressing the accelerator pedal 4, vehicle 1 can also temporarily release the acceleration suppression control in response to the driver's conscious operation when sudden acceleration is necessary, such as when merging onto a highway, thereby enabling sudden acceleration of vehicle 1.

[0050] Furthermore, the control unit 12 releases the acceleration suppression control if two or more control units are operated by the driver after the accelerator pedal 4 has been pressed. As a result, even if the accelerator pedal 4 is pressed after two or more control units have been operated by the driver, the control unit 12 can consider this to be a possible driver error, such as pressing the accelerator pedal 4 again, and prevent sudden acceleration. Therefore, the vehicle 1 can be made safer. Furthermore, if two or more control units are stuck in the "on" position before the accelerator pedal 4 is pressed, the acceleration suppression control will not be released, preventing sudden acceleration and thus ensuring safety. Furthermore, since it is highly unlikely that two or more control units will become stuck in the "on" position after the accelerator pedal 4 is pressed, safety can be ensured.

[0051] Furthermore, the control unit 12 releases the acceleration suppression control if the driver operates two or more control units that issue conflicting instructions. Since two or more operating parts for issuing opposing commands (such as shifting up and shifting down), such as the shift-up lever 7a and the shift-down lever 7b, will not be operated simultaneously unless the driver intentionally operates them, the control unit 12 can prevent sudden acceleration due to erroneous operation.

[0052] Furthermore, the control unit is located on the steering wheel 6 and rotates in conjunction with the rotation of the steering wheel 6. This allows for the disengagement of the safe mode during a gentle turn of the vehicle 1, while also making it difficult for the driver to simultaneously operate the shift-up lever 7a and the shift-down lever 7b when a large steering angle is input to the steering wheel 6. This prevents the vehicle 1 from becoming unstable due to sharp turns and rapid acceleration.

[0053] The control unit is a paddle shift lever 7 used to change gears. Since the shift-up lever 7a and the shift-down lever 7b can only be operated consciously (see Figure 3), the acceleration limit control can only be released through conscious operation. Therefore, vehicle 1 can be made safer. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0054] 1 vehicle 2 engines 3. Transmission 4. Accelerator pedal 6 Steering Wheel 7. Paddle shift levers 7a Shift Up Lever 7b Shift down lever 12 Control Unit

Claims

1. Equipped with one or more processors, The aforementioned processor, The system performs acceleration suppression control to suppress acceleration in response to the pressing of the accelerator pedal, and when two or more control units are operated by the driver, the control unit releases the acceleration suppression control while the accelerator pedal and the two or more control units are being operated. A vehicle equipped with the following features.

2. The control unit, If two or more of the aforementioned control units are operated by the driver after the accelerator pedal has been pressed, the acceleration suppression control is released. The vehicle according to claim 1.

3. The control unit, If two or more of the aforementioned control units, which issue conflicting instructions, are operated by the driver, the acceleration suppression control is released. The vehicle according to claim 1 or claim 2.

4. The operating unit is mounted on the steering wheel and rotates in conjunction with the rotation of the steering wheel. The vehicle according to claim 1 or claim 2.

5. The aforementioned operating unit is a paddle shift lever for changing gears. The vehicle according to claim 4.

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