Accelerator pedal system

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11853097-B2
Application number	US-202217893883-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 23, 2022
Priority date	Aug 25, 2021
Publication date	Dec 26, 2023
Grant date	Dec 26, 2023

Abstract

An accelerator pedal system includes a pedal lever, a lock mechanism, an actuator, and an ECU. The pedal lever operates according to a step-on operation. The lock mechanism can restrict an operation of the pedal lever. The actuator switches between a locked state in which the operation of the pedal lever is restricted by the lock mechanism and an unlocked state in which the operation of the pedal lever is not restricted. The ECU includes an actuator control unit and a vehicle drive force control unit. The actuator control unit controls a drive of the actuator. When, during a travel of a vehicle in the locked state, (i) a disturbance is detected and (ii) the locked state is released, the vehicle drive control unit suppresses a vehicle drive force according to an opening degree of the pedal lever than a no disturbance situation.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An accelerator pedal system, comprising:
a pedal lever configured to operate 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
an actuator control unit configured to control the actuator, and
a vehicle drive control unit configured to control a vehicle drive force, wherein

the vehicle drive control unit is configured to suppress the vehicle drive force in accordance with an opening degree of the pedal lever, when (i) a disturbance more than a determination threshold is detected and (ii) the locked state is released during a travel of the vehicle with the pedal lever in the locked state, as compared with a case where no disturbance is detected;
the lock mechanism is capable of holding the locked state in a state where a power supply to the actuator is turned off, and
the controller is configured to, when the disturbance more than the determination threshold is detected, suppress the vehicle drive force until the disturbance becomes smaller than the determination threshold, and
the controller is configured to terminate the suppression of the vehicle drive force when the disturbance becomes smaller than the determination threshold.

2. The accelerator pedal system of claim 1 , wherein
the disturbance is a decelerating acceleration at a time when the vehicle is decelerated.

3. The accelerator pedal system of claim 1 , wherein
the disturbance is vibration in a vertical direction of the vehicle.

4. The accelerator pedal system of claim 1 , wherein
the disturbance is an operation of a driver irrelevant to driving.

5. The accelerator pedal system according to claim 1 , wherein
the vehicle drive control unit is configured to set a drive mode between a normal mode and a drive force suppression mode in which the vehicle drive force in accordance with the opening degree of the pedal lever is always smaller than that in the normal mode, and
the vehicle drive control unit is configured to set the drive force suppression mode when the locked state is released, until the disturbance becomes smaller than the determination threshold.

6. The accelerator pedal system according to claim 1 , wherein
the controller is configured to, when the disturbance more than the determination threshold is detected, start energization to the actuator from a state in which the actuator is turned off.

7. The accelerator pedal system according to claim 1 , wherein
the controller is configured to, after terminating the suppression of the vehicle drive force when the disturbance becomes smaller than the determination threshold, turn off the energization to the actuator.

8. An accelerator pedal system for a vehicle, comprising:
a pedal lever configured to operate 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 control the actuator, and to control a vehicle drive force, wherein
the controller is configured to detect a disturbance during a travel of the vehicle, and to control the vehicle drive force in accordance with an opening degree of the pedal lever in the unlocked state when no disturbance is detected, and
the controller is configured to reduce the vehicle drive force in accordance with the opening degree of the pedal lever, when (i) the disturbance more than a determination threshold is detected (ii) the locked state is released during the travel of the vehicle;
the lock mechanism is capable of holding the locked state in a state where a power supply to the actuator is turned off, and
the controller is configured to, when the disturbance more than the determination threshold is detected suppress the vehicle drive force until the disturbance becomes smaller than the determination threshold, and
the controller is configured to terminate the suppression of the vehicle drive force when the disturbance becomes smaller than the determination threshold.

Assignees

• Denso Corp

Inventors

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

Classifications

• G05G1/30 Primary

  Controlling members actuated by foot · CPC title

• B60K26/021 Primary

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

• G05G5/005

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

• G05G5/03

  Means for enhancing the operator's awareness of arrival of the controlling member at a command or datum position; Providing feel, e.g. means for creating a counterforce (arrangements for indicating the position of the controlling member G05G1/015) · CPC title

• B60K2026/023

  with electrical means to generate counter force or torque · CPC title