Nissan Motor Company Limited

Hideaki Inoue

Minoru Tamura

Naoki Maruko

Shinji Matsumoto

Yosuke Kobayashi

Takayuki Watanabe

Sunao Hano

Hirotsugu Yamaguchi

Shinji Katayose

Akira Takei

Hiroshi Iwano

Susumu Komiyama

Ichiro Yamaguchi

Youji Seto

Takashi Oka

Yoji Seto

Terukiyo Murakami

Taketora Negome

Satoshi Tange

Jun Kubo

Yoshitaka Deguchi

Hiroyuki Asano

Toru Iwata

Yoshinori Yamamura

Kouichi Akabori

Hideto Murakami

Akihiko Kobayashi

Yousuke Kobayashi

Satoshi Kishi

Shunichi Inoue

A transmission has a first gearshift group, a second gearshift group, and a controller. The controller is configured to perform a method that includes fully coupling the first gearshift group to an engine drive shaft, and partially coupling the second gearshift group to the drive shaft while the first gearshift group is fully coupled to the drive shaft.

Control device for a transmission having a plurality of automatic clutches

A drive force distribution system for a four wheel independent drive vehicle is configured to suppress changes in longitudinal and lateral accelerations and change in yaw moment about the center of gravity of the vehicle that occur when the brake/drive force of one wheel changes or is changed deliberately. The drive force distribution system is configured such that when the brake forces and the drive forces determined by the brake/drive force determining section based on the motion requirements of the vehicle are to be changed, the drive force revising section revises the brake/drive forces of the left front wheel, the right front wheel, the left rear wheel, and the right rear wheel by amounts, respectively, based on the sensitivities of the tire lateral forces of each of the wheels estimated by the tire lateral force sensitivity estimating section so as to satisfy the motion requirements of the vehicle.

Drive force distribution system for four wheel independent drive vehicle

In automatic shift control apparatus and method for a manual transmission, at least one clutch is interposed between an engine and the manual transmission and a controller performs a feedback control for an engagement force of the clutch after a gear shift for the manual transmission is ended in such a manner that an input revolution speed of the clutch is directed toward another revolution speed thereof after the gear shift occurs at a predetermined time variation rate, the controller setting mutually different feedback control gains in a variation region of the input revolution speed of the clutch in which the input revolution speed of the clutch is directed toward the other revolution speed after the gear shift occurs and in a convergence region of the input revolution speed in which the input revolution speed of the clutch has reached to the other revolution speed after the gear shift occurs.

Automatic shift control apparatus and method for manual transmission

A target driving power is calculated in accordance with the operating condition, a fuel consumption rate per power unit is calculated at all the possible operating points of an engine () and a drive motor () to realize the target driving power, a target fuel consumption rate is set on the basis of the operating condition, and an operating point of the engine () and drive motor () at which a fuel consumption rate that is equal to the target fuel consumption rate can be realized is searched. When an operating point at which a fuel consumption rate that is equal to the target fuel consumption rate can be realized is not found, the fuel consumption rate relating to driving power is corrected with only the fuel consumption rate relating to electric power for charging a battery device set at a predetermined value which is smaller than the actual fuel consumption rate, an operating point at which the fuel consumption rate relating to driving power reaches a minimum is selected, and the engine () and drive motor () are controlled to achieve the selected operating point.

Drive control device for hybrid vehicle

A hybrid vehicle comprises a drive wheel (), an internal combustion engine (), a power generating motor () that generates an electric power by using an output power of the engine (), and a planetary gear set () that comprises a combination of a gear element that is driven by the engine (), a gear element that is connected to the power generating motor (), and a gear element that is connected to the drive wheel (). A target engine power is computed based on an accelerator operation amount. The engine () is controlled based on the target engine power. And control a rate of variation in the rotation speed of the engine () to be smaller, when the rotation speed of the power generating motor () increases than when the rotation speed of the power generating motor () decreases toward zero as a result of controlling the engine () based on the target engine power. Fuel consumption rate is thus improved.

Engine speed control for a hybrid electric vehicle

A hybrid electric vehicle comprises a first motor () connected to an internal combustion engine (), a second motor () generating vehicle drive force, and a power storage device (). A controller () supplies power from the power storage device () to the second motor () in response to an accelerator pedal depression amount (B, B). The controller () calculates an available power supply to the first motor () by subtracting the power supply to the second motor () from the available power of the power storage device () (B). When the target rotation speed of the engine () exceeds the actual rotation speed of the engine (), power from the power storage device () is supplied to the first motor () in a range which does not exceed the available power supply (B, B), thereby accelerating engine rotation without decreasing power supply to the second motor ().

Drive force control for hybrid electric vehicle

The present invention pertains a controlling scheme for brake torque, which is applied, as a stand-by braking torque, to wheels of an automotive vehicle upon determination that operator braking action is imminent. A braking system applies brake torque in response to a brake signal The brake torque applied to the vehicle is monitored and the brake signal is modified based on the monitored brake torque to alter the brake torque.

Controlling scheme for stand-by braking torque applied to automotive vehicle

An adaptive cruise control system for a host vehicle includes a radar device for detecting a distance between the host vehicle and a preceding vehicle, a vehicle speed sensor for detecting a vehicle speed of the host vehicle and a controller for executing a host vehicle speed control based on the distance and the host vehicle speed. The controller cancels the host vehicle speed control when the radar device loses sight of the preceding vehicle.

Adaptive cruise control system for vehicle

In vehicle velocity control apparatus and method for an automotive vehicle, a first following control is allowed to be executed when a vehicle velocity of the vehicle (host vehicle) Vcar is equal to or higher than a first set vehicle velocity V and a second following control is allowed to be executed when the vehicle velocity of the host vehicle Vcar is equal to or lower than a second set vehicle velocity V which is lower than first set vehicle velocity V . Hence, a vehicle driver can accurately determine which of the first and second following controls is being executed by confirming the vehicle velocity of the host vehicle Vcar at which the corresponding one of the controls is started to be executed through a speedometer of the vehicle.

Vehicle velocity control apparatus and method with preceding vehicle following control function

A braking control system includes an object detector, a host vehicle speed sensor, and a control unit configured to be electronically connected to at least the object detector and the host vehicle speed sensor for automatically controlling, depending on a host vehicle speed and a relative distance, a braking force needed for an automatic braking operation, containing preliminary braking control and supplementary braking control, without driver's braking action when a host vehicle is approaching a frontally positioned object. The control unit detects the presence or absence of a driver's intention for lane-changing. In the presence of the driver's intention for lane-changing, the preliminary braking control initiated prior to the driver's braking action is inhibited or the degree of limitation on the supplementary braking control, through which a value of a controlled quantity is brought closer to a target deceleration rate needed for collision-avoidance, is reduced.

Braking control system with object detection system interaction

The present invention pertains a method and a system for controlling a stand-by braking torque applied to an automotive vehicle under a condition of approaching or following an obstacle preceding the vehicle, the automotive vehicle having a powering system for applying a driving torque to the vehicle in response to an operator power demand. A brake controller executes a series of instructions for determining a variable indicative of dynamic situation of the vehicle, for sampling the determined values of the dynamic situation indicative variable immediately before an operator braking action to reduce the speed of the vehicle is imminent, for using the sampled values of the dynamic situation indicative variable as a basis to establish a parameter, and for using the established parameter as a basis to determine a target value of stand-by braking torque.

Method and system for controlling stand-by braking torque applied to automotive vehicle

A system and method for reducing speed of a vehicle include determining whether or not there is a need for operator braking action, determining a stand-by braking torque when there is a need for operator braking action, determining a transition braking torque based on the stand-by braking torque and an automatic distance regulation (ADR) braking torque, and applying the transition braking torque to at least one wheel of the vehicle. The transition braking torque may be applied using friction brakes associated with wheels, respectively. The ADR braking torque is represented by an ADR braking request that is generated when an actual distance from the preceding vehicle in front becomes less than a set desired distance. The ADR braking request may be provided at an ADR controller.

Vehicle speed control

In preview brake controlling apparatus and method for an automotive vehicle, a relative distance of the vehicle to an object for the vehicle to be braked is detected, a determination of whether the vehicle is approaching to the object on the basis of the relative distance of the vehicle to the object is made, a vehicular velocity variation rate (acceleration/deceleration) manipulation variable is made, the determination of whether the vehicle falls in a preliminary brake pressure application enabled state requiring a preliminary brake pressure application on the basis of results of detection at the steps of the approaching state detecting and of the vehicular velocity variation rate manipulation situation detection is made, and a predetermined constant brake pressure in accordance with a vehicular running condition prior to a vehicular driver's brake manipulation is developed when determining that the vehicle falls in the brake preliminary application enabled state.

Preview brake controlling apparatus and method for automotive vehicle

The present invention pertains a controlling scheme for build-up or variation rate at which brake pressure increases till completion of pressure build-up for stand-by brake torque. Stand-by brake torque control begins with recognition of emergency or occurrence of operator reaction or quick release of accelerator. During initial stage of the stand-by brake control, brake pressure increases till completion of pressure build-up for stand-by brake torque before vehicle operator depresses a brake pedal. Build-up or variation rate at which brake pressure increases till completion of pressure build-up for stand-by brake torque is determined in response to time left before the operator depresses the brake pedal. Period of time left before the operator depresses the brake pedal varies with differing events that have initiated the stand-by brake torque control.

Operator reaction dependent stand-by brake torque build-up rate controlling scheme

A preceding vehicle following control apparatus includes a sensor sensing an actual vehicle speed, a sensor sensing an actual vehicle spacing from a controlled vehicle to a preceding vehicle ahead, and an actuator for regulating a driving/braking force of the controlled vehicle. A controller controls the vehicle speed or the vehicle spacing in a following control mode with the actuator, and starts a deceleration control if an anti-lock brake control is started in the following control mode. The controller cancels the deceleration control when the vehicle spacing becomes greater than a predetermined spacing value.

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Yokohama, Japan

Hideaki Inoue