Pedal reaction force applying device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9815367-B2
Application number	US-201615138959-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 26, 2016
Priority date	Apr 27, 2015
Publication date	Nov 14, 2017
Grant date	Nov 14, 2017

Abstract

A pedal reaction force applying device includes an acceleration pedal used in a stepping-in operation and a returning operation, a motor configured to apply a pedal reaction force acting on an acceleration pedal in the stepping-in operation and the returning operation, a power transmitting device provided between the acceleration pedal and the motor and including a speed-reduction mechanism, an operation direction determiner configured to determine an operation direction of the acceleration pedal, and a reaction force controller configured to control the pedal reaction force on the acceleration pedal. The reaction force controller controls a magnitude of the pedal reaction force by controlling a power of the motor based on the operation direction of the acceleration pedal determined by the operation direction determiner.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A pedal reaction force applying device comprising:
a pedal member provided to a vehicle and operable for a driver to perform a stepping-in operation in which the pedal member is operated in a stepping-in direction and a returning operation in which the pedal member is operated in a returning direction;
an actuator configured to generate a power as a pedal reaction force applied to the pedal member in the stepping-in operation and the returning operation of the pedal member;
a power transmitting device including a speed-reduction mechanism and provided between the pedal member and the actuator to transmit the power of the actuator to the pedal member via the speed-reduction mechanism;
an operation direction determiner configured to determine whether an operation direction of the pedal member is the stepping-in direction or the returning direction; and
a reaction force controller configured to control the pedal reaction force, wherein
the reaction force controller controls a magnitude of the pedal reaction force by controlling the power of the actuator based on the operation direction of the pedal member determined by the operation direction determiner,
the reaction force controller sets: a stepping-in direction power as the power of the actuator when the operation direction of the pedal member is in a stepping-in direction; and a returning direction power having a magnitude different from a magnitude of the stepping-in direction power as the power of the actuator when the operation direction of the pedal member is in a returning direction, and
the reaction force controller performs switching from the returning direction power to the stepping-in direction power when the operation direction of the pedal member changes from the returning direction to the stepping-in direction, whereas the reaction force controller maintains, when the operation direction of the pedal member changes from the stepping-in direction to the returning direction, the stepping-in direction power until a predetermined initialization condition is established after the change.

2. The pedal reaction force applying device according to claim 1 , wherein
the reaction force controller controls the power of the actuator such that the power of the actuator becomes larger when the operation direction of the pedal member is in the returning direction than when the operation direction of the pedal member is in the stepping-in direction.

3. The pedal reaction force applying device according to claim 1 , wherein
the reaction force controller further performs switching from the returning direction power to the stepping-in direction power when the operation direction of the pedal member changes from the returning direction to the stepping-in direction, whereas the reaction force controller performs switching from the stepping-in direction power to the returning direction power more gradually than the switching from the returning direction power to the stepping-in direction power when the operation direction of the pedal member changes from the stepping-in direction to the returning direction.

4. The pedal reaction force applying device according to claim 1 , wherein the reaction force controller in a gradual manner performs the switching from the returning direction power to the stepping-in direction power when the operation direction of the pedal member changes from the returning direction to the stepping-in direction.

5. The pedal reaction force applying device according to claim 1 , wherein the pedal member is configured to be set at its original position after the returning operation, the pedal reaction force applying device further comprising an original position determiner configured to determine whether the pedal member is returned to the original position, wherein
the initialization condition that defines an end of a duration in which the stepping-in direction power is maintained is established when the original position determiner determines that the pedal member is returned to a vicinity of the original position.

6. The pedal reaction force applying device according to claim 1 , further comprising an operation amount acquirer configured to acquire an operation amount of the pedal member, wherein
the operation direction determiner determines the operation direction of the pedal member based on a temporal change characteristic related to the operation amount of the pedal member acquired by the operation amount acquirer.

7. A pedal reaction force applying device comprising:
a pedal member provided to a vehicle and operable for a driver to perform a stepping-in operation in which the pedal member is operated in a stepping-in direction and a returning operation in which the pedal member is operated in a returning direction;
an actuator configured to generate a power as a pedal reaction force applied to the pedal member in the stepping-in operation and the returning operation of the pedal member;
a power transmitting device including a speed-reduction mechanism and provided between the pedal member and the actuator to transmit the power of the actuator to the pedal member via the speed-reduction mechanism;
an operation direction determiner configured to determine whether an operation direction of the pedal member is the stepping-in direction or the returning direction;
a reaction force controller configured to control the pedal reaction force, wherein
the reaction force controller controls a magnitude of the pedal reaction force by controlling the power of the actuator based on the operation direction of the pedal member determined by the operation direction determiner; and
an operation amount acquirer configured to acquire an operation amount of the pedal member, wherein
the operation direction determiner determines that the operation direction of the pedal member is switched, when a change direction of the operation amount of the pedal member acquired by the operation amount acquirer is inverted and a variation related to the operation amount of the pedal member after the inversion becomes larger than a predetermined first variation threshold.

8. A pedal reaction force applying device comprising:
a pedal member provided to a vehicle and operable for a driver to perform a stepping-in operation in which the pedal member is operated in a stepping-in direction and a returning operation in which the pedal member is operated in a returning direction;
an actuator configured to generate a power as a pedal reaction force applied to the pedal member in the stepping-in operation and the returning operation of the pedal member;
a power transmitting device including a speed-reduction mechanism and provided between the pedal member and the actuator to transmit the power of the actuator to the pedal member via the speed-reduction mechanism;
an operation direction determiner configured to determine whether an operation direction of the pedal member is the stepping-in direction or the returning direction;
a reaction force controller configured to control the pedal reaction force, wherein
the reaction force controller controls a magnitude of the pedal reaction force by controlling the power of the actuator based on the operation direction of the pedal member determined by the operation direction determiner; and
an operation amount acquirer configured to acquire an operation amount of the pedal member, wherein
the operation direction determiner determines that the operation direction of the pedal member is switched, when a temporal variation related to the operation amount of the pedal member acquired by the operation amount acquirer becomes less than a predetermined second variation threshold.

9. The pedal reaction force applying device according

Assignees

• Honda Motor Co Ltd

Inventors

• Maruyama Kohei
• Arai Toshiaki
• Sato Yoshikazu
• Nebuya Hideto
• Suzaki Go

Classifications

• B60W2556/50

  of positioning data, e.g. GPS [Global Positioning System] data · CPC title

• B60W50/16

  Tactile feedback to the driver, e.g. vibration or force feedback to the driver on the steering wheel or the accelerator pedal · 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

• B60K26/021 Primary

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

• B60K2026/022

  with tactile feedback from a controller, e.g. vibrations · CPC title