Accelerator pedal system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11813939-B2
Application number	US-202217893637-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 23, 2022
Priority date	Aug 25, 2021
Publication date	Nov 14, 2023
Grant date	Nov 14, 2023

Abstract

An accelerator pedal system includes a pedal lever that performs an operation in accordance with a step-on operation, a lock mechanism configured to restrict the operation of the pedal lever, and an actuator configured to switch between a locked state in which the operation of the pedal lever is restricted by the lock mechanism and an unlocked state in which the operation of the pedal lever is not restricted by the lock mechanism. A controller includes a locking operation determination unit that determines switching of a locking operation by the lock mechanism, an actuator control unit that controls a driving operation of the actuator, and an information acquisition unit that acquires vehicle speed information. The locking operation determination unit locks the pedal lever when a vehicle is traveling in an automatic driving mode and when a vehicle speed is equal to or more than an activation-determination lower limit value.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An accelerator pedal system comprising:
a pedal lever configured to perform an operation in accordance with a step-on operation;
a lock mechanism configured to restrict the operation of the pedal lever;
an actuator configured to switch between a locked state in which the operation of the pedal lever is restricted by the lock mechanism and an unlocked state in which the operation of the pedal lever is free from restriction by the lock mechanism; and
a controller including
a locking operation determination unit configured to determine switching of a locking operation by the lock mechanism,
an actuator control unit configured to control a driving operation of the
actuator, and
an information acquisition unit configured to acquire vehicle speed
information, wherein:
the controller is configured to start a time count of an elapsed time from when a vehicle speed is equal to or more than an activation-determination lower limit value,
the locking operation determination unit locks the pedal lever (i) when a vehicle is traveling in an automatic driving mode, and (ii) when the controller determines that the elapsed time passes a transition determination time and (iii) the when vehicle speed is equal to or more than the activation-determination lower limit value, and
the locking operation determination unit maintains the unlocked state in a case where the automatic driving mode is subjected to overriding before the transition determination time elapses after the vehicle speed becomes equal to or more than the activation-determination lower limit value during traveling in the automatic driving mode.

2. The accelerator pedal system according to claim 1 , wherein
the locking operation determination unit locks the pedal lever in a case where the automatic driving mode is resumed after the overriding is terminated and the vehicle speed becomes equal to or more than the activation-determination lower limit value and equal to or less than an activation-determination upper limit value.

3. The accelerator pedal system according to claim 1 , wherein the locking operation determination unit determines the switching of the locking operation, based on an opening degree of the pedal lever in addition to the vehicle speed during traveling in the automatic driving mode.

4. The accelerator pedal system according to claim 1 , wherein a vehicle speed range in which the pedal lever is allowed to be locked in the automatic driving mode includes a vehicle speed that is set for traveling in the automatic driving mode.

5. The accelerator pedal system according to claim 1 , wherein the controller includes a notification control unit configured to cause a notification device to notify that the pedal lever is locked.

6. The accelerator pedal system according to claim 1 , wherein
the controller is configured to terminate the time count of the elapsed time to reset the time count, when the vehicle speed is out of a lock activation range that is a range between the activation-determination lower limit value and an activation-determination upper limit value allowable in the automatic driving mode.

7. The accelerator pedal system according to claim 1 , wherein
the controller is configured to hold the locked state in a non-energized state in which energization to the actuator is turned off.

8. An accelerator pedal system comprising:
a pedal lever configured to perform an operation in accordance with a step-on operation;
a lock mechanism configured to restrict the operation of the pedal lever;
an actuator configured to switch between a locked state in which the operation of the pedal lever is restricted by the lock mechanism and an unlocked state in which the operation of the pedal lever is free from restriction by the lock mechanism; and
a controller including at least one processor configured to determine switching of a locking operation by the lock mechanism, to control a driving operation of the actuator, and to acquire vehicle speed information, wherein:
the controller is configured to start a time count of an elapsed time from when a vehicle speed is equal to or more than an activation-determination lower limit value,
the controller locks the pedal lever in response with the vehicle speed being equal to or more than activation-determination lower limit value when the controller determines that the elapsed time passes a transition determination time and when the vehicle is traveling in an automatic driving mode, and
the controller is configured to:
set an override mode, in which an input by the step-on operation is always prioritized when both an automatic driving and the step-on operation are input, before the transition determination time elapses after the vehicle speed becomes equal to or more than the activation-determination lower limit value during travelling in the automatic driving mode, and
maintain the unlocked state during the override mode.

9. The accelerator pedal system according to claim 7 , wherein
the controller is configured to lock the pedal lever in response to that the automatic driving mode is resumed after the override mode is terminated and the vehicle speed becomes equal to or more than the activation-determination lower limit value and equal to or less than an activation-determination upper limit value.

10. The accelerator pedal system according to claim 8 , wherein
the controller is configured to terminate the time count of the elapsed time to reset the time count, when the vehicle speed is out of a lock activation range that is a range between the activation-determination lower limit value and an activation-determination upper limit value allowable in the automatic driving mode.

11. The accelerator pedal system according to claim 8 , wherein
the controller is configured to hold the locked state in a non-energized state in which energization to the actuator is turned off.

Assignees

• Denso Corp

Inventors

• Yoshida Yuusuke
• Kinouchi Soichi
• Kita Takuto
• Mori Hideyuki

Classifications

• B60K26/02 Primary

  of initiating means or elements · CPC title

• G05G1/44

  pivoting · CPC title

• G05G5/005

  for preventing unintentional use of a control mechanism (G05G5/28 takes precedence) · CPC title

• B60K26/021

  with means for providing feel, e.g. by changing pedal force characteristics · CPC title

• B60Q9/00

  Arrangement or adaptation of signal devices not provided for in one of main groups B60Q1/00 - B60Q7/00 {, e.g. haptic signalling} · CPC title