Accelerator device

Abstract

An accelerator device (1) comprises: a pedal lever (20); a reaction force drive source (31); a motive force transmission mechanism (40); and a control unit (60). The pedal lever (20) is operable in response to a stepping action. The reaction force drive source (31) generates a driving force when current is passed therethrough. The motive force transmission mechanism (40) transmits the driving force of the reaction force drive source (31) to the pedal lever (20), and can apply thereto a reaction force which is a force in a direction opposite to the stepping direction of the pedal lever (20). The control unit (60) has: a pedal opening degree calculation unit (61) that calculates a pedal opening degree, which is the rotation angle of the pedal lever (20); and a reaction force control unit (65) that, when the pedal opening degree reaches a pedal opening degree threshold value, controls the reaction force drive source (31) so that an additional reaction force applied to the pedal lever (20) becomes equal to a target reaction force value. The reaction force control unit (65) changes a reaction force increase rate until the target reaction force value is reached, in accordance with the stepping speed with respect to the pedal lever (20).

Description

Accelerator CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0001] This application is based on Patent Application No. 2024-014244, filed February 1, 2024, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] The present disclosure relates to an accelerator device.

[0003] Conventionally, accelerator pedal force control devices that control the accelerator pedal force of a vehicle are known. For example, in Patent Document 1, when increasing the accelerator pedal force from a base pedal force, the increase rate of the first increase in the accelerator pedal force is set to be smaller than the increase rate of the second increase in the accelerator pedal force.

[0004] Patent No. 5316339

[0005] In Patent Document 1, the rate of increase in the added reaction force in the first stage is set to be gradual, so if the increase in pedal force is greater than the added reaction force, the pedal position cannot be maintained and the pedal will be depressed further. An object of the present disclosure is to provide an accelerator device that can appropriately add reaction force.

[0006] The accelerator device of the present disclosure includes a pedal lever, a reaction force drive source, a power transmission mechanism, and a control unit. The pedal lever is operable in response to depression of the pedal lever. The reaction force drive source generates a driving force when energized. The power transmission mechanism transmits the driving force of the reaction force drive source to the pedal lever and can apply a reaction force in the direction opposite to the direction of depression of the pedal lever.

[0007] The control unit includes a pedal opening calculation unit that calculates the pedal opening, which is the rotation angle of the pedal lever, and a reaction force control unit that controls the reaction force drive source when the pedal opening reaches a pedal opening threshold so that the additional reaction force applied to the pedal lever becomes the reaction force target value. The reaction force control unit changes the reaction force increase rate until the reaction force reaches the reaction force target value in accordance with the pedal lever depression speed. This allows an appropriate reaction force to be applied to the pedal lever.

[0008] The above and other objects, features and advantages of the present disclosure will become more apparent from the following detailed description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The drawings are as follows: Figure 1 is a schematic diagram showing an accelerator device according to one embodiment; Figure 2 is a block diagram showing a control unit according to one embodiment; Figure 3 is a characteristic diagram showing pedal force characteristics when reaction force is not applied according to one embodiment; Figure 4 is a characteristic diagram showing pedal force characteristics when reaction force is applied according to one embodiment; Figure 5 is a flowchart explaining reaction force control processing according to one embodiment; Figure 6 is a time chart when reaction force is not applied according to one embodiment; Figure 7 is a time chart showing reaction force control when the pedaling speed is relatively low in one embodiment; Figure 8 is a time chart showing reaction force control when the pedaling speed is relatively high in one embodiment; Figure 9 is an explanatory diagram showing the amount of load change in one embodiment; Figure 10 is a time chart showing reaction force control when the pedaling speed is higher than the upper limit in one embodiment; Figure 11 is a characteristic diagram showing pedal force characteristics when the additional reaction force is higher than the maintaining pedal force; and Figure 12 is a time chart showing reaction force control when the additional reaction force is higher than the maintaining pedal force.

[0009] An accelerator device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure will now be described with reference to the drawings. An accelerator device according to one embodiment is shown in FIGS. 1 to 10. As shown in FIG. 1, the accelerator device 1 includes a pedal lever 20, a motor 31, a power transmission mechanism 40, an ECU 50, and other components, and is mounted on a vehicle (not shown). The vehicle on which the accelerator device 1 is mounted is a so-called hybrid vehicle that uses an engine and a battery as a driving source, but may also be a gasoline-powered vehicle, a plug-in hybrid vehicle, an electric vehicle, or the like.

[0010] The pedal lever 20 has a pad 21, an arm 23, and a pedal 25, which are driven as a unit by the driver's depression or the like. The pad 21 is provided so that it can be depressed by the driver. The pad 21 is rotatably supported by a fulcrum member 22 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 surface of the housing H, but a hanging type (pendant type) may also be used. In this embodiment, the parts of the housing that are not driven by the driving of the motor 31 or the depression of the pedal lever 20, such as the pedal housing and the motor housing, are collectively referred to as the "housing H."

[0011] The arm 23 connects the pad 21 and the pedal 25. One end of the pedal 25 is rotatably supported on the housing H by a fulcrum member 26, and the other end is connected to the arm 23. As a result, when the driver operates the pad 21, the pad 21, arm 23, and pedal 25 are driven as a unit. A pedal opening sensor 29 that detects the pedal opening is provided on one end of the pedal 25. The pedal biasing member 27 is a compression coil spring, one end of which is fixed to the pedal 25 and the other end of which is fixed to the housing H, and biases the pedal 25 in the accelerator closing direction.

[0012] The motor 31 is, for example, a brushed DC motor. The driving force of the motor 31 is transmitted to the pedal lever 20 via a power transmission mechanism 40. Here, the entire configuration that transmits power from the motor 31, which is a reaction force drive source, to the pedal lever 20 via the power transmission mechanism 40 is referred to as the actuator 30.

[0013] The power transmission mechanism 40 includes a gear set 41, an actuator lever 45, and an actuator lever biasing member 47. The gear set 41 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 31 to the actuator lever 45. The position sensor 49 detects the rotational position of any of the gears that make up the gear set 41.

[0014] One end of the actuator lever 45 is connected to the gear set 41, and the other end abuts against the pedal lever 20. This allows the driving force of the motor 31 to be transmitted to the pedal lever 20 via the power transmission mechanism 40. In FIG. 1 , the other end of the actuator lever 45 abuts against the pad 21, but it may also be configured to abut against the arm 23 or the pedal 25. The actuator lever biasing member 47 is a compression coil spring that biases the actuator lever 45 in the reaction force application direction, maintaining the actuator lever 45 in a state of abutting against the pedal lever 20.

[0015] The ECU 50 includes a motor driver 51, a current sensor 52, and a control unit 60. The motor driver 51 has a switching element (not shown) for switching the current supplied to the motor 31. The current sensor 52 detects the current supplied to the motor 31.

[0016] The control unit 60 is mainly composed of a microcomputer or the like, and includes a CPU, ROM, RAM, I / O, and bus lines connecting these components (all not shown). Each process in the control unit 60 may be software processing in which the CPU executes a program pre-stored in a physical memory device (i.e., a readable non-transitory recording medium) such as ROM, or may be hardware processing using a dedicated electronic circuit. Although FIG. 1 shows each functional block as being configured by one control unit 60, some functions may be configured by different ECUs.

[0017] As shown in FIG. 2, the control unit 60 has, as functional blocks, an angle calculation unit 61, a pedaling speed calculation unit 62, a pedal force increase speed calculation unit 63, a pedal opening degree threshold setting unit 64, and a reaction force control unit 65.

[0018] The angle calculation unit 61 acquires the detection value of the pedal opening sensor 29 and calculates the pedal angle θap, which is the depression amount of the pedal lever 20 from the fully closed position. Although Fig. 1 illustrates the case where the detection value is acquired directly from the pedal opening sensor 29, the detection value may be acquired via communication from another device such as a higher-level ECU. The pedal angle θap may also be calculated from the detection value of the position sensor 49 by converting it into a gear ratio.

[0019] The depression speed calculation unit 62 calculates the depression speed Vap of the pedal lever 20 based on the pedal angle θap. The depression speed Vap has a positive value when the pedal lever 20 is depressed and a negative value when the pedal lever 20 is released.

[0020] The pedal force increase rate calculation unit 63 calculates the pedal force increase rate Vf, which is the pedal force increase rate per unit time, based on the pedaling speed Vap (see equation (1)). k1 in equation (1) is a coefficient for converting the pedaling speed Vap into the pedal force increase rate Vf.

[0021] Vf=Vap×k1...(1)

[0022] The pedal opening threshold setting unit 64 sets a pedal opening threshold Ath, which is a threshold for the pedal angle at which a reaction force is applied. In this embodiment, when the pedal angle θap reaches the pedal opening threshold Ath, a reaction force is applied so that the pedal lever 20 is held at that position.

[0023] In this embodiment, the pedal opening threshold Ath is set according to the pedal opening at which the vehicle switches from EV driving to engine driving. Note that the value according to the pedal opening at which the vehicle switches from EV driving to engine driving is not limited to the value at which the driving mode switches, but may be a value set including a margin. The same applies to values ​​related to the fuel consumption rate and legal speed, which will be described later.

[0024] Furthermore, if the vehicle equipped with the accelerator device 1 is a gasoline-powered vehicle, the pedal opening threshold Ath is set according to the fuel consumption rate. Specifically, a driving range DR1 where the fuel consumption rate is relatively low and no fuel increase control is applied, and a driving range DR2 where the fuel consumption rate is relatively high and fuel increase control is applied during acceleration are set, and the pedal opening threshold Ath is set according to the driving state and the pedal opening at which the driving range DR1 switches to the driving range DR2.

[0025] The pedal opening threshold Ath may also be set according to a pedal opening corresponding to a vehicle driving force exceeding the legal speed limit. For example, when the vehicle is located in a safety-conscious area such as Zone 30, in cooperation with an on-board camera or a navigation system, the pedal opening threshold Ath may be set to a pedal opening corresponding to a vehicle driving force that exceeds the speed limit, and the vehicle speed may be suppressed to guide the driver to drive safely.

[0026] When the pedal angle θap becomes equal to or greater than the pedal opening threshold Ath, the reaction force control unit 65 energizes the motor 31 to apply a reaction force to the pedal lever 20. By applying a reaction force at the point where depressing the pedal lever 20 would worsen fuel efficiency, a sense of barrier is created and the driver is prevented from depressing the pedal lever 20.

[0027] The pedal force characteristics of the pedal lever 20 are shown in Figures 3 and 4. In Figures 3 and 4, the horizontal axis represents the pedal angle θap, and the vertical axis represents the pedal force. Figure 3 shows the pedal force characteristics when no reaction force is added, in which the pedal force fp increases when the pedal lever 20 is depressed and decreases when the pedal lever 20 is released. A hysteresis loop is formed so that the pedal force relative to the pedal angle θap differs between the depression operation and the release operation. Hereinafter, the difference in pedal force between the depression operation and the release operation is referred to as the holding pedal force fh. In this embodiment, within the hysteresis loop, the holding pedal force fh is constant regardless of the pedal angle θap, but it may be set to vary depending on the pedal angle θap.

[0028] Figure 4 shows the pedal force characteristics when a reaction force is added. In Figure 4, the pedal force characteristics when a reaction force is not added are shown by a dashed line. As shown in Figure 4, when the pedal angle θap becomes equal to or greater than the pedal opening threshold Ath, a reaction force fr is added. In this embodiment, the added reaction force fr is set to a value smaller than the maintained pedal force fh so that the pedal angle θap is maintained at the pedal opening threshold Ath. In other words, fr<fh.

[0029] Here, if the rate of increase in the additional reaction force fr is smaller than the rate of increase in the pedal force fp when the driver depresses the pedal lever 20, the addition of the reaction force may not keep up, and the driver may end up depressing the pedal lever 20 more. If the driver switches the driving range due to the increased depression, there is a possibility that the driving range with good fuel economy may not be fully utilized. Therefore, in this embodiment, the rate of increase in the additional reaction force fr is controlled based on the depression speed Vap of the pedal lever 20.

[0030] The reaction force control process of this embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of Fig. 5. This process is executed at a predetermined cycle by the control unit 60. Note that the "step" in step S101 and other steps will be omitted and simply denoted by the symbol "S".

[0031] In S101, the control unit 60 determines whether the vehicle is traveling. If it is determined that the vehicle is not traveling (S101: NO), the control unit 60 skips the processing from S102 onward. If it is determined that the vehicle is traveling (S101: YES), the control unit 60 proceeds to S102.

[0032] In S102, the pedal opening threshold setting unit 64 sets a pedal opening threshold Ath at which a reaction force is added. In S103, the angle calculation unit 61 calculates a pedal angle θap based on the detection value of the pedal opening sensor 29. In S104, the pedal depression speed calculation unit 62 calculates a pedal depression speed Vap based on the pedal angle θap.

[0033] In S105, the reaction force control unit 65 determines whether the pedaling speed Vap is greater than or equal to 0 and less than an upper limit Vmax. The upper limit Vmax is a value that defines the upper limit of the reaction force application range in which reaction force is applied. If the pedaling speed Vap is determined to be less than 0 or greater than the upper limit Vmax (S105: NO), the process from S106 onward is skipped and no reaction force is applied. Specifically, if the pedaling speed Vap is less than 0, i.e., if the pedal lever 20 is in the return operating state, no reaction force is applied. Furthermore, if the pedaling speed Vap is greater than the upper limit Vmax, it is determined that the driver intends to accelerate, and no reaction force is applied, giving priority to the driver's pedal operation. If the pedaling speed Vap is determined to be greater than or equal to 0 and less than the upper limit Vmax (S105: YES), the process proceeds to S106.

[0034] In S106, the pedal force increase rate calculation unit 63 calculates the pedal force increase rate Vf based on the pedaling speed Vap (see equation (1)). In S107, the reaction force control unit 65 determines whether the pedal angle θap is equal to or greater than the pedal opening threshold Ath. If it is determined that the pedal angle θap is smaller than the pedal opening threshold Ath (S107: NO), the process returns to S103. If it is determined that the pedal angle θap is equal to or greater than the pedal opening threshold Ath (S107: YES), the process proceeds to S108.

[0035] In S108, the reaction force control unit 65 sets the reaction force increasing speed Vrf (see equation (2)). The coefficient k2 in equation (2) is set to an arbitrary value greater than 1 so as to prevent further depression of the pedal lever 20. In equation (2), the reaction force increasing speed Vrf is calculated based on the pedal force increasing speed Vf, but the reaction force increasing speed Vrf may also be calculated directly from the pedaling speed Vap (see equation (3)). The coefficient k3 in equation (3) is a value corresponding to k1 × k2.

[0036] Vrf=Vf×k2...(2) Vrf=Vap×k3...(3)

[0037] The pedal force increase speed Vf used to calculate the reaction force increase speed Vrf is preferably the value immediately before the pedal angle θap exceeds the pedal opening threshold Ath. Furthermore, taking into consideration the driver's pedal operation fluctuations, detection errors, etc., the reaction force increase speed Vrf may be calculated using a calculated value such as an average value of a predetermined range before the pedal angle θap reaches the pedal opening threshold Ath.

[0038] In S109, the reaction force control unit 65 controls the supply of electricity to the motor 31 so that the reaction force increasing speed Vfr becomes the speed set in S108, and applies a reaction force to the pedal lever 20. In S110, the reaction force control unit 65 adjusts the applied reaction force so that the applied reaction force becomes equal to the reaction force target value Fr ＊ When the target value is reached, it is determined whether the reaction force application has been completed. If it is determined that the reaction force application has not been completed (S110: NO), the process returns to S109 and the reaction force application continues. If it is determined that the reaction force application has been completed (S110: YES), this process ends. Note that the process related to the reaction force maintenance and reaction force release after the target value has been reached is executed in a separate process.

[0039] The reaction force control process of this embodiment will be described with reference to the time charts of Figures 6 to 8 and 10. Figure 6 shows the case where reaction force control is not performed. In Figure 6, the horizontal axis represents a common time axis, and from the top, the horizontal axis represents the pedal angle θap, the pedal depression speed Vap, and the load P. The hysteresis region in which the pedal lever 20 is maintained is indicated by hatching. As shown in Figure 6, when reaction force is not applied, when the driver depresses the pedal lever 20 at a constant speed, the pedal angle θap increases at a constant rate.

[0040] 7, 8, 10, and 12, the horizontal axis represents a common time axis, and from the top, the graphs show the pedal angle θap, pedal depression speed Vap, load P, and reaction force fr. The pedal angle θap when no reaction force is applied is shown by a dashed line. Regarding the load P when a reaction force is applied, the pedal depression force characteristics are shown by a solid line, and the driver's pedal force load is shown by a dashed double-dot line.

[0041] 7 shows a case where the pedal depression speed Vap1 of the driver is relatively small. At time x11, when the pedal angle θap reaches the pedal opening threshold Ath, the power supply to the motor 31 is controlled so that the reaction force increases at a reaction force increasing speed Vrf1 corresponding to the pedal depression speed Vap1, and a reaction force is applied to the pedal lever 20. The load when the pedal angle θap reaches the pedal opening threshold Ath is defined as P1. At time x12, the added reaction force reaches the reaction force target value Fr ＊ When the reaction force target value Fr ＊ Furthermore, as a result of the reaction force being applied to the pedal lever 20, the pedal angle θap is maintained at the pedal opening degree threshold Ath from time x11 onwards.

[0042] 8 shows a case where the driver's pedal depression speed Vap2 is relatively high within a range below the upper limit Vmax, i.e., Vap1 < Vap2 < Vmax. When the driver's pedal depression speed is relatively high, the pedal angle θap reaches the pedal opening threshold Ath earlier than when the pedal depression speed is relatively low. That is, in the examples of FIGS. 7 and 8, x21 < x11.

[0043] At time x21, the power supply to the motor 31 is controlled so that the reaction force increases at a reaction force increasing speed Vfr2 that is higher in accordance with the pedal depression speed Vap2 than when the pedal depression speed is relatively low, and a reaction force is applied to the pedal lever 20. That is, in the examples of FIGS. 7 and 8, Vfr2>Vfr1. At time x22, the added reaction force increases to the reaction force target value Fr ＊ When the reaction force target value Fr ＊ Continue applying reaction force.

[0044] In the example of Figure 8, the pedal depression speed when the pedal angle θap reaches the pedal opening threshold Ath is greater than in the example of Figure 7, so in order to suppress further depression, the reaction force increase speed is made greater than in the example of Figure 7. As a result, the time from the start of reaction force application until the target value is reached is shorter. In other words, (x22 - x21) < (x12 - x11).

[0045] 9 shows the load change amounts of the pedal force fp and the additional reaction force fr, with the horizontal axis representing time and the vertical axis representing the load change amount, and the load change amount of the driver's pedal force fp is indicated by a dashed line. As indicated by the two-dot chain line, if the load change amount of the additional reaction force fr is smaller than the load change amount of the pedal force fp, the additional reaction force may not keep up with the increase in the pedal force of the driver, and the driver may end up depressing the pedal lever 20 further. For example, if the pedal opening threshold Ath is set according to fuel efficiency, if the pedal angle θap cannot be maintained at the pedal opening threshold Ath and the driver depresses the pedal lever 20 further, the driver will not be able to fully utilize the fuel-efficient driving range.

[0046] Therefore, in this embodiment, as shown by the solid line, a reaction force is added so that the load change amount of the additional reaction force fr is greater than the load change amount of the driver's pedal force fp, thereby preventing the driver from stepping on the pedal more when a reaction force is added.

[0047] 10 shows a case where the driver's pedal depression speed Vap3 is greater than the upper limit Vmax. When the pedal depression speed Vap3 is greater than the upper limit Vmax (i.e., Vap3 > Vmax), it is determined that the driver intends to accelerate. At time x31, even if the pedal angle θap reaches the pedal opening threshold Ath, no reaction force is applied, and the driver's pedal operation is prioritized. This prevents the driver from being prevented from depressing the pedal lever 20, allowing the driver to achieve the acceleration desired.

[0048] 11 and 12 show a reference example in which the additional reaction force fr is greater than the hysteresis holding force fh. As shown in Fig. 11, when the additional reaction force fr is greater than the holding force fh, the hysteresis loop shifts upward in relation to the driver's pedal force. Therefore, when the pedal angle θap is greater than the pedal opening threshold Ath and a reaction force is being applied, the pedal lever 20 operates with a return characteristic.

[0049] 12 , when the pedal angle θap reaches the pedal opening threshold Ath at time x41, the addition of reaction force begins. When the additional reaction force fr reaches the holding pedal force fh at time x42, the driver's pedal force becomes equal to or less than the pedal force characteristic on the return side of the pedal lever 20, causing the pedal lever 20 to return. In this embodiment, the additional reaction force fr is set smaller than the holding pedal force fh, and the driver's pedal force, indicated by the two-dot chain line, is controlled to be within the hysteresis region indicated by the hatching. This prevents the pedal lever 20 from returning due to the addition of reaction force, and prevents deterioration of operability.

[0050] As described above, the accelerator device 1 includes the pedal lever 20, the motor 31, the power transmission mechanism 40, and the control unit 60. The pedal lever 20 is operable in response to depression of the pedal lever 20. The motor 31 generates driving force when energized. The power transmission mechanism 40 transmits the driving force of the motor 31 to the pedal lever 20 and can apply a reaction force in the direction opposite to the direction in which the pedal lever 20 is depressed.

[0051] The control unit 60 includes an angle calculation unit 61 that calculates a pedal angle θap, which is the rotation angle of the pedal lever 20, and a reaction force target value Fr ＊ The reaction force control unit 65 controls the motor 31 so that the reaction force target value Fr ＊ This allows an appropriate reaction force to be applied to the pedal lever 20 in accordance with the depression speed Vap of the pedal lever 20.

[0052] Specifically, the reaction force control unit 65 controls the motor 31 so that the reaction force increase rate Vrf is greater than the pedal force increase rate Vf, which is a value corresponding to the pedaling speed Vap, thereby suppressing further depression of the pedal lever 20 when a reaction force is applied.

[0053] The pedal lever 20 has a hysteresis characteristic in which the pedal force is different when the pedal is depressed and when the pedal is released. ＊is equal to or less than the holding pedal force fh, which is the difference between the pedal force during the depressing operation and the pedal force during the releasing operation. This makes it possible to prevent the pedal lever 20 from being pushed back by the addition of a reaction force.

[0054] When the pedal depression speed Vap is greater than the upper limit Vmax of the reaction force application range, the reaction force control unit 65 continues not to apply reaction force even if the pedal angle θap reaches the pedal opening threshold Ath. When the pedal depression speed Vap is greater than the upper limit Vmax, the reaction force control unit 65 determines that the driver intends to accelerate and does not apply reaction force, thereby making it possible to operate the pedal lever 20 without interfering with the driver's intention to accelerate.

[0055] In this embodiment, the accelerator device 1 is mounted on a vehicle that can switch between EV driving, in which the vehicle runs using the driving force of a traction motor, and engine driving, in which the vehicle runs using the driving force of an internal combustion engine. The pedal opening threshold Ath is set according to the pedal opening at which the vehicle switches from EV driving to engine driving. This makes it possible to suppress engine start and prevent a deterioration in fuel efficiency.

[0056] The pedal opening threshold Ath may be set according to the pedal opening at which the driving range changes from a relatively low fuel consumption rate to a relatively high fuel consumption rate. By configuring in this way, for example, in an engine vehicle, it is possible to guide the driving range to a fuel-efficient driving range.

[0057] Furthermore, the pedal opening threshold Ath may be set according to the pedal opening corresponding to the legal speed limit of the vehicle in question, thereby suppressing the vehicle speed and encouraging safe driving.

[0058] In the embodiment, the motor 31 corresponds to the "reaction force drive source," the angle calculation unit 61 corresponds to the "pedal opening calculation unit," and the pedal angle θap corresponds to the "pedal opening."

[0059] In the above embodiment, the reaction force increasing speed is variable depending on the pedal depression speed. In another embodiment, if a load sensor capable of directly detecting the pedal force applied to the pedal lever is provided, the reaction force increasing speed may be calculated based on the detected value of the load sensor.

[0060] In the above embodiment, the drive source is a brushed DC motor. In other embodiments, a motor other than a brushed DC motor or something other than a motor may be used as the drive source. In addition, the configuration of the power transmission mechanism, the arrangement of parts, etc. may be different from those in the above embodiment.

[0061] (Disclosure of Technical Ideas) This specification discloses multiple technical ideas described in the following multiple clauses. Some clauses may be described in a multiple dependent form, with the subsequent clause alternatively referring to the preceding clause. Furthermore, some clauses may be described in a multiple dependent form, with the subsequent clause referring to another multiple dependent clause. These multiple dependent clauses define multiple technical ideas.

[0062] (Technical Idea 1) An accelerator device comprising: a pedal lever (20) operable in response to depression thereof; a reaction force drive source (31) that generates a drive force when energized; a power transmission mechanism (40) that transmits the drive force of the reaction force drive source to the pedal lever and is capable of adding a reaction force that is a force in the opposite direction to the depression direction of the pedal lever; and a control unit (60) having a pedal opening calculation unit (61) that calculates a pedal opening that is the rotation angle of the pedal lever, and a reaction force control unit (65) that controls the reaction force drive source so that the added reaction force added to the pedal lever becomes a reaction force target value when the pedal opening reaches a pedal opening threshold value, wherein the reaction force control unit changes the reaction force increase rate until the reaction force target value is reached in accordance with the depression speed of the pedal lever. (Technical Idea 2) An accelerator device according to Technical Idea 1, wherein the reaction force control unit controls the reaction force drive source so that the reaction force increase rate is greater than the depression force increase rate that is a value corresponding to the depression speed. (Technical Idea 3) An accelerator device according to Technical Idea 1 or 2, wherein the pedal lever has a hysteresis characteristic in which the pedal force differs between a depression operation and a release operation, and the reaction force target value is equal to or less than a holding pedal force which is the difference between the pedal force during a depression operation and the pedal force during a release operation. (Technical Idea 4) An accelerator device according to any one of Technical Ideas 1 to 3, wherein the reaction force control unit continues to not apply reaction force even if the pedal opening reaches the pedal opening threshold if the depression speed is greater than an upper limit of a reaction force application range. (Technical Idea 5) An accelerator device according to any one of Technical Ideas 1 to 4, which is mounted on a vehicle capable of switching between EV running, in which the vehicle is driven by the driving force of a traction motor, and engine running, in which the vehicle is driven by the driving force of an internal combustion engine, and the pedal opening threshold is set according to the pedal opening at which the vehicle switches from the EV running to the engine running. (Technical Idea 6) An accelerator device according to any one of Technical Ideas 1 to 4, wherein the pedal opening degree threshold is set according to the pedal opening degree at which the driving range switches from a driving range in which the fuel consumption rate is relatively low to a driving range in which the fuel consumption rate is relatively high.(Technical Concept 7) An accelerator device according to any one of Technical Concepts 1 to 4, wherein the pedal opening degree threshold is set according to the pedal opening degree corresponding to a legal speed limit of a traveling position of a vehicle in which the accelerator device is installed.

[0063] The control unit and the method described herein may be implemented by a special-purpose computer configured by configuring a processor and memory programmed to execute one or more functions embodied in a computer program. Alternatively, the control unit and the method described herein may be implemented by a special-purpose computer configured by configuring a processor with one or more dedicated hardware logic circuits. Alternatively, the control unit and the method described herein may be implemented by one or more special-purpose computers configured by combining a processor and memory programmed to execute one or more functions with a processor configured with one or more hardware logic circuits. Furthermore, the computer program may be stored in a computer-readable non-transitory tangible recording medium as instructions to be executed by a computer. As described above, the present disclosure is not limited to the above embodiments and can be implemented in various forms without departing from the spirit of the present disclosure.

[0064] The present disclosure has been described based on the embodiments. However, the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments and structures. The present disclosure also encompasses various modifications and variations within the scope of equivalents. Furthermore, various combinations and forms, as well as other combinations and forms including only one element, more than one element, or less than one element, are also within the scope and spirit of the present disclosure.

Claims

1. An accelerator device comprising: a pedal lever (20) operable in response to depression; a reaction force drive source (31) that generates a drive force when energized; a power transmission mechanism (40) that transmits the drive force of the reaction force drive source to the pedal lever and can add a reaction force that is a force in the opposite direction to the depression direction of the pedal lever; a pedal opening calculation unit (61) that calculates the pedal opening that is the rotation angle of the pedal lever; and a control unit (60) having a reaction force control unit (65) that controls the reaction force drive source so that the added reaction force added to the pedal lever becomes a reaction force target value when the pedal opening reaches a pedal opening threshold value, wherein the reaction force control unit changes the reaction force increase rate until the reaction force target value is reached in accordance with the depression speed of the pedal lever.

2. An accelerator device according to claim 1, wherein the reaction force control section controls the reaction force drive source so that the reaction force increase rate is greater than the pedal force increase rate, which is a value corresponding to the pedaling speed.

3. An accelerator device as described in claim 1 or 2, wherein the pedal lever has a hysteresis characteristic in which the pedal force differs when the pedal is depressed and when the pedal is released, and the reaction force target value is equal to or less than the holding pedal force, which is the difference between the pedal force when the pedal is depressed and the pedal force when the pedal is released.

4. An accelerator device as described in claim 1, wherein the reaction force control unit continues to not apply reaction force even if the pedal opening reaches the pedal opening threshold when the pedal depression speed is greater than the upper limit of the reaction force application range.

5. An accelerator device as described in claim 1, which is mounted on a vehicle capable of switching between EV driving, which runs using the driving force of a traction motor, and engine driving, which runs using the driving force of an internal combustion engine, and wherein the pedal opening threshold is set according to the pedal opening at which the vehicle switches from EV driving to engine driving.

6. The accelerator device according to claim 1, wherein the pedal opening threshold is set in accordance with the pedal opening at which the fuel consumption rate switches from a driving range in which the fuel consumption rate is relatively low to a driving range in which the fuel consumption rate is relatively high.

7. An accelerator device according to claim 1, wherein the pedal opening threshold is set in accordance with the pedal opening corresponding to the legal speed limit of the vehicle in which the accelerator device is installed.

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