Method and control device for controlling a haptic accelerator pedal of a motor vehicle by means of a position control

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2015127234-A1
Application number	US-201214361800-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Oct 19, 2012
Priority date	Dec 12, 2011
Publication date	May 7, 2015
Grant date	—

Abstract

A method and to a control device for controlling a haptic accelerator pedal in a motor vehicle includes displacing a pedal lever in an actuation direction between a rest position and a maximally actuated position. The pedal lever is configured to be excited by an actuator by exerting a counter force against the actuation direction to generate a haptically perceivable signal. A current position of the pedal lever relative to a current position of the actuator is determined outside the phases for generating the haptically perceivable signal, and the actuator is subsequently controlled in such a manner that the actuator actively follows a change in the determined position of the pedal lever. The positional control is configured to prevent interfering influences on the pedal lever by the actuator.

First claim

1 . A method for controlling a haptic accelerator pedal in a motor vehicle, the accelerator pedal having a pedal lever configured to be (i) moved between an inoperative position and a position in which it is operated to the maximum extent along an operating direction within a movement range and (ii) excited in order to generate a haptically perceivable signal by exerting an opposing force counter to the operating direction with an actuator, the method comprising:
determining a current position of the pedal lever relative to a current position of the actuator, and controlling the actuator in such a way that said actuator actively follows a change in the determined position of the pedal lever.

2 . The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the current position of the pedal lever is determined by a pedal lever position sensor, and wherein signals from the pedal lever position sensor are configured to be used as a guide variable to control the position of the actuator.

3 . The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the current position of the actuator is determined by an actuator position sensor and signals from the actuator position sensor are configured to be used as a control variable to control the position of the actuator.

4 . The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the actuator is controlled in such a way that said actuator actively follows a change in the determined position of the pedal lever, without a force being exerted between the actuator and the pedal lever.

5 . The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the actuator is controlled in such a way that an offset between a virtual current position of the actuator and an actual current position of the actuator remains within a predetermined offset range, the virtual current position being configured to establish an operative connection with the pedal lever.

6 . The method as claimed in claim 5 , wherein the offset range is an angular range of from 1 to 10°.

7 . The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein other disturbing effects that influence a system response of the actuator, are at least partially compensated by a supplementary correction device.

8 . The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein, during a time phase in which no haptically perceivable signal is configured to be generated, the actuator is controlled by a position control device in such a way that said actuator actively follows a change in the determined position of the pedal lever.

9 . The method as claimed in claim 1 , wherein, during a time phase in which a haptically perceivable signal is configured to be generated, the actuator is controlled by a current control device in such a way that a predetermined force profile of a haptically perceivable signal acts on the pedal lever by virtue of a predetermined time profile of the current that is applied to the actuator being controlled.

10 . A control device for controlling a haptic accelerator pedal in a motor vehicle, the accelerator pedal having a pedal lever configured to be (i) moved between an inoperative position and a position in which it is operated to the maximum extent along an operating direction within a movement range and (ii) excited in order to generate a haptically perceivable signal by exerting an opposing force counter to the operating direction with an actuator, the control device being configured to carry out a method including:
determining a current position of the pedal lever relative to a current position of the actuator, and controlling the actuator in such a way that said actuator actively follows a change in the determined position of the pedal lever.

11 . The control device as claimed in claim 10 , further comprising a pilot control block configured to generate an actuating signal for an actuating motor of an actuator of the accelerator pedal, wherein the pilot control block generates the actuating signal on the basis of a guide signal from a pedal lever position sensor.

12 . The control device as claimed in claim 11 , further comprising a controller configured to correct disturbing effects in the actuating signal which that arise due to influences on a system response of the actuator.

13 . A computer program product having computer-readable instructions that instruct a programmable control device to carry out a method for controlling a haptic accelerator pedal in a motor vehicle, the accelerator pedal having a pedal lever configured to be (i) moved between an inoperative position and a position in which it is operated to the maximum extent along an operating direction within a movement range and (ii) excited in order to generate a haptically perceivable signal by exerting an opposing force counter to the operating direction with an actuator, the method including:
determining a current position of the pedal lever relative to a current position of the actuator, and controlling the actuator in such a way that said actuator actively follows a change in the determined position of the pedal lever.

14 . The computer program product as claimed in claim 13 , wherein the computer program product is stored in a computer-readable medium.

Assignees

• Bosch Gmbh Robert

Inventors

• Wagner Alexandre
• Sieber Udo
• Henning Daniel

Classifications

• G05D13/02

  Details · CPC title

• G05D13/62 Primary

  characterised by the use of electric means, e.g. use of a tachometric dynamo, use of a transducer converting an electric value into a displacement {(electric motor control H02P)} · CPC title

• B60K26/021 Primary

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