Nissan Motor Company Limited

Masao Shiomi

Shigeyuki Sakaguchi

Masahiro Omori

Hiromutsu Touhachi

Kenichi Tamura

Hisashi Kawade

A control apparatus of a vehicle includes a detector to detect an opening degree of an accelerator, a controller to adjust a reaction force of the accelerator, wherein the controller is configured to increase the reaction force of the accelerator when the accelerator opening degree exceeds a threshold value, a first threshold value corresponding to a first vehicle driving force, and a second threshold value corresponding to a second vehicle driving force that is larger than the first vehicle deriving force, wherein the first threshold value is higher than the second threshold value.

Accelerator reaction for control apparatus

A control apparatus includes a means for detecting a position and a means for adjusting a reaction force of the accelerator, wherein the means for adjusting increases the reaction force of the accelerator by an increase amount in addition to a basic reaction force when the position of the accelerator is increased to satisfy a predetermined condition associated with a specific fuel consumption of the vehicle, the means for adjusting sets the increase amount to a first amount when the position of the accelerator is increased from a first accelerator position in a preload area to a second accelerator position that satisfies the predetermined condition, the means for adjusting sets the increase amount to a second amount when the position of the accelerator position is increased from an intermediate accelerator position that exceeds the preload area to the second position, and the first amount is greater than the second amount.

Accelerator-pedal reaction force control apparatus

A depression force of an accelerator pedalis increased than a base depression force by a predetermined amount when an accelerator opening degree becomes a predetermined accelerator opening degree threshold value at which an engine speed necessary at a start of a vehicle can be obtained by a depression of the accelerator pedalin a state where a clutchis disengaged at the start of the vehicle. With this, at the start of the vehicle, a driver becomes easy to hold the accelerator pedalin a constant accelerator opening degree at which the engine speed necessary at the start can be obtained. It is possible to smoothly engage the clutch, and then to attain the smooth start of the vehicle.

Vehicle start control device

When a depression force of an accelerator pedal is increased than a base depression force by a predetermined increase amount when an accelerator opening degree becomes greater than an accelerator opening degree threshold value, an overshoot control is performed so that a depression force increase command is once increased than a depression force increase target command value which increases the depression force of the accelerator pedal than the base depression force by the predetermined amount, and returned to the depression force increase target command value. In this overshoot control, an overshoot controlled variable of the overshoot control is set based on a magnitude of a hysteresis of the base depression force of the accelerator pedal.

Accelerator pedal depression force setting method for accelerator pedal depression force control device

When the accelerator opening degree becomes equal to or smaller than an increase amount cancel threshold value (timing t) while the depression force of an accelerator pedalis increased than a base depression force by a predetermined increase amount of the depression force, the predetermined increase amount of the depression force is decreased at a predetermined rate, and moreover, when the accelerator opening degree becomes greater than a predetermined accelerator opening degree threshold value (timing t) while the predetermined increase amount of the depression force is decreased, the depression force of the accelerator pedalis increased with respect to the base depression force so that the increase amount of the depression force with respect to the base depression force becomes greater than the predetermined increase amount of the depression force.

Accelerator pedal depression force control device

When an accelerator opening angle has reached an accelerator opening angle threshold value APScorresponding to a boundary of a range in which a fuel consumption is relatively deteriorated, a pedal effort of accelerator pedalis increased by a pedal effort increment with respect to a base pedal effort. Even in a case where the accelerator pedal is pushed back to reduce the accelerator opening angle due to an increase in pedal effort when the accelerator opening angle exceeds the accelerator opening angle threshold value APS, cancellation of pedal effort increment is inhibited to thereby ensure suppression of rattling of accelerator pedalcontrary to the driver's intention.

Device to control force required to depress accelerator pedal

An accelerator reaction force control apparatus is provided with an accelerator position detecting device, a reaction force varying device and a threshold value setting device. The reaction force varying device varies a reaction force of the accelerator so as to increase a reaction force of the accelerator by a prescribed increase amount with respect to a base reaction force when the accelerator position is equal to or larger than an accelerator position threshold value. The reaction force varying device also varies a reaction force increase rate at a first increase rate during a first reaction force increase period of the increase of the reaction force, and at a second increase rate during a second reaction force increase period of the increase of the reaction force. The second increase rate is larger during the second reaction force increase period than during the first reaction force increase period.

Accelerator reaction force control apparatus

In an accelerator pedal effort control apparatus which increases a pedal effort of an accelerator pedalwhen an accelerator opening angle is larger than a predetermined accelerator opening angle threshold value, in a case where a steering angle of a steering wheel when a vehicle driver starts to increase an opening angle of accelerator pedalis small, a pedal effort increment is a reference pedal effort increment (&#x394;F) and, in a case where the steering angle is large, is a relatively small pedal effort increment (&#x394;F&#x2212;&#x3b2;). Thus, when the vehicle turns right or left from a stopped state, pedal effort increment (&#x394;F&#x2212;&#x3b2;) is set to relatively be small so that a smooth acceleration becomes possible.

When an accelerator opening exceeds an opening threshold value, a base pedaling force of an accelerator pedal is increased. An increment to a pedaling force is changed in accordance with the accelerator opening in a manner to make the pedaling force approach a characteristic that the pedaling force increases at a constant rate with respect to increase of the accelerator opening. For example, when a mechanism is employed which has a convex-up characteristic wherein the rate of increase of base pedaling force decreases as the accelerator opening increases, the increment is set to increase as the accelerator opening increases. Conversely, when a mechanism is employed which has a convex-down characteristic wherein the rate of base pedaling force increases as the accelerator opening increases, the increment is set to decrease as the accelerator opening increases.

Accelerator pedal force control device

An accelerator reaction force control apparatus has an accelerator position detecting device that detects an accelerator position and a reaction force varying device that varies a reaction force of an accelerator. The reaction force varying device increases the accelerator's reaction force beyond a base reaction force in response to the accelerator position being equal to or larger than a reaction force increase threshold, and decreases the accelerator's reaction force toward the base reaction force in response to the accelerator position becoming equal to or smaller than a reaction force increase cancellation threshold after the reaction force has been increased beyond the base reaction force. The reaction force varying device varies a reaction force decrease rate at which the accelerator's reaction force is decreased based on an accelerator position change condition existing at a time when the accelerator position becomes equal to or smaller than the reaction force increase cancellation threshold.

A utility vehicle comprising a cab which houses a steering wheel assembly is provided wherein a steering wheel () is rotatably mounted to a support body (). The support body, or steering console, is mounted on an armrest assembly () or control console positioned to one side of a driver's seat (). By providing an asymmetric mounting arrangement for the steering console, the space underneath is left clear of any supporting structure thus providing improved legroom for the driver.

An apparatus to control a reaction force of an accelerator includes a detector to detect an opening degree of the accelerator, and a controller to increase the reaction force by a first force magnitude during a period in which the vehicle transitions from a first operational state to a second operational state in response to an increase in the opening degree of the accelerator, wherein the controller increases the reaction force if the accelerator opening degree is increased within a predetermined time period after the reaction force is increased by the first force magnitude, wherein the first operational state corresponds to a low specific fuel consumption and the second operational state corresponds to a high specific fuel consumption, and wherein the controller decreases the reaction force by the first force magnitude in response to a reduction in the opening degree of the accelerator.

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Sagamihara, Japan

Masao Shiomi