Mitsubishi Jidosha Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha

Masayoshi Ito

Kiichi Yamada

Masayuki Hashiguchi

Yasunobu Miyata

Susumu Nishikawa

Katsunori Otake

Atsuhiro Kawano

Tomohiro Narita

Takeshi Funakoshi

Shuji Ikeda

Hiroaki Yoshida

Masanori Tani

Yoshiaki Sano

Nobuo Momose

Keiji Isoda

Toshio Shigehara

Masahito Taira

Keiji Suzuki

Tadao Tanaka

Kaoru Sawase

Hiroshi Yoshida

Yoshihito Ito

Hiroo Yuasa

Shunzo Tanaka

Kenichiro Shinada

Katsunori Ootake

Masayoshi Osaki

Takashi Tejima

An apparatus for estimating a road traffic condition and for controlling a vehicle running characteristic includes a controller having a fuzzy inference function and a neural network function. The controller carries out frequency analysis on vehicle driving parameters such as vehicle speed, steering angle, accelerator opening degree, and longitudinal acceleration and lateral acceleration of a vehicle, to thereby determine a mean value and variance of each parameter. It implements fuzzy inference based on a traveling time ratio, an average speed, and an average lateral acceleration, which are obtained from vehicle speed and/or steering angle, to thereby calculate road traffic condition parameters, including a city area degree, a jammed road degree, and a mountainous road degree. According to the neural network function, the controller further determines an output parameter, indicative of the vehicle maneuvering state, by subjecting the mean value and variance of the vehicle driving parameters and the weighted total sum of the road traffic condition parameters to nonlinear conversion. Then, it variably controls the operating characteristic of a vehicle-mounted apparatus such as a rear-wheel steering controlling unit in accordance with the output parameter, thereby variably controlling the vehicle running characteristic.

Method and apparatus for estimating a road traffic condition and method

An apparatus for estimating a vehicle maneuvering state and controlling a vehicle running characteristic includes a controller having a fuzzy estimating function and a neural network function. The controller carries out frequency analysis on vehicle driving parameters such as vehicle speed, steering angle, opening degree of an accelerator, and longitudinal acceleration and lateral acceleration of a vehicle, to thereby determine a mean value and variance of each parameter. It implements fuzzy inference based on a traveling time ratio, an average speed, and an average lateral acceleration, which are obtained from vehicle speed and/or steering angle, to thereby calculate road traffic condition parameters, including a city area degree, a jammed road degree, and a mountainous road degree. According to the neural network function, the controller further determines an output parameter, indicative of the vehicle maneuvering state, by subjecting the mean value and variance of the vehicle driving parameters and the weighted total sum of the road traffic condition parameters to nonlinear conversion. Then, it variably controls the operating characteristic of a vehicle-mounted apparatus such as a rear-wheel steering controlling unit in accordance with the output parameter, thereby variably controlling the vehicle running characteristic.

Method and apparatus for estimating a vehicle maneuvering state and

A driving torque controlling system by which a vehicle can drive with safety and certainty while maintaining an appropriate posture without dissatisfying the will of a driver very much. The driving torque controlling system comprises a control signal selecting section which selects, in response to a predetermined change-over condition, one of control signals from a turning control unit for setting an aimed driving torque in response to a magnitude of lateral acceleration applied to the vehicle during turning of the vehicle and a slip control unit for setting an aimed driving torque in response to an amount of slip of a driving wheel of the vehicle. A torque controlling unit receives a selected control signal from the control signal selecting means and reduces the driving torque of the vehicle in response to the received control signal independently of operation by a driver of the vehicle.

Engine torque controlling device responsive to the acceleration of the

In a turning control apparatus for a vehicle, a torque calculation unit calculates a target lateral acceleration of the vehicle according to detection signals from a steering angle sensor for detecting the direction of a steering wheel and a vehicle speed sensor for detecting the speed of the vehicle. It then sets target driving torque of the engine according to the target lateral acceleration. An electronic control unit controls the operation of a torque control device for reducing driving of the engine so that the driving torque of the engine is a target driving torque independent of manipulation by the driver. This thereby rapidly estimates lateral acceleration applied to the vehicle during turning and prevents control delay to enable stable and positive traveling through a curved road.

Turning control apparatus for vehicle

A control apparatus for controlling the output of a vehicle equipped with an internal combustion engine. The control apparatus includes a torque control unit and an electronic control unit, is electrically connected to various sensors for detecting the running conditions of the vehicle, and is capable of controlling, e.g., the operations of a throttle valve and an ignition plug, to thereby control the driving torque of the engine. The control apparatus calculates a reference driving torque of the engine on the basis of the vehicle speed, and also calculates a slippage of the driving wheels on the basis of a deviation of peripheral speed between the driving and driven wheels. A correction torque for the reference driving torque, which is calculated by the control apparatus on the basis of the detected slippage, is subjected to restriction in accordance with the vehicle running conditions, and the reference driving torque is corrected in accordance with the restricted correction torque, to obtain a target driving torque. Thus, the control apparatus controls the operations of the throttle valve and ignition plug such that the actual driving torque of the engine coincides with the target driving torque.

Apparatus for controlling the output of a vehicle equipped with an

A four wheel driving vehicle includes a center differential gear wherein a differential operation limit is achieved by a wet hydraulic multiple disk clutch and is improved in running performance, turning performance, acceleration performance and so forth. An engaging force of the clutch and hence a hydraulic pressure to be supplied to the clutch are controlled in accordance with a steering angle, a vehicle speed, an advancing direction acceleration, an engine output torque, a differential operation speed difference between front and rear wheels and so forth to obtain a desired torque distribution suitable for a current running condition of the vehicle.

Four wheel driving vehicle of a front/rear wheel differential operation

An output control apparatus for a vehicle includes a torque reduction device for reducing driving torque of an engine independent of manipulation by the driver and a vehicle speed detection device for detecting a vehicle speed. It further includes a reference driving torque setting device for setting a reference driving torque according to the vehicle speed detected by the vehicle speed detection device. A reference torque setting device is further included for setting a reference driving torque according to a slip amount of the driving wheels. A target driving torque setting device is further included for setting a target driving torque from the reference driving torque set by the reference torque setting device according to a peripheral speed of the driving wheels. A torque control unit is also included for controlling operation of the torque reduction device so that the driving torque is that of the target driving torque set by the target driving torque setting device. Finally, a turning correction device is included for correcting the target driving torque according to the steering angle, to adequately control the driving force of the vehicle during turning, separately from that of straightforward traveling, thereby enabling safe and smooth traveling of the vehicle.

Output control apparatus for vehicle

A method and apparatus for learning the neutral position of vehicle steering angle, in which first neutral position decision means decides that the steering shaft is at a neutral position when a running speed detector detects that the vehicle speed is not less than a predetermined threshold level, that the difference in peripheral speed between the right and left drive wheels is smaller than a predetermined first straight-running threshold value and also when a steering shaft reference position sensor continues to detect a reference position of the steering shaft for at least a first count time. The vehicle steering angle is computed on the basis of the angular displacement from the neutral position thus learned.

Method and apparatus for learning neutral position of vehicle steering

An output control apparatus for a vehicle which includes a torque reduction device for reducing driving torque of an engine independent of manipulation by the driver and a filter device for outputting a corrected longitudinal direction acceleration, varying according to changes in longitudinal direction acceleration of the vehicle body with a predetermined delay time and maintaining the output during a speed shift above the value immediately before the speed shift. A reference torque setting device is further included for setting a reference driving torque according to a slip amount of the driving wheels. A target driving torque setting device is also included for correcting the reference driving torque according to the slip amount of the driving wheels to set a target driving torque. Finally, a torque control unit is included for controlling operation of the torque reduction device so that the driving torque is that of the target driving torque set by the target driving torque setting device, thereby preventing a stalling feeling of the vehicle immediately after the speed shift, and improving the acceleration feeling.

An engine output controlling system for a vehicle by which a driving torque produced by the engine is utilized effectively and such a possible slip of a driving wheel the vehicle that makes driving of the vehicle difficult. The system detects a slipping condition of the driving wheel, sets an aimed driving torque of the engine in accordance with the slipping condition thus detected, and controls the engine to generate the aimed driving torque thus set and controls the engine to retard the ignition timing thereof when the detected slipping condition is excessively great. The system obtains a slip changing rate of the driving wheel, and sets a retard amount, with which the ignition timing is to be retarded, in accordance with the slip changing rate detected.

System for controlling engine output based upon slipping condition of a

An apparatus for effecting a method for estimating the friction coefficient of a road surface according to the present invention comprises front- and rear-wheel rotation sensors for detecting the running speed of a vehicle, a linear G sensor for detecting an actual transverse acceleration of the vehicle, a steering angle sensor for detecting the steering angle of front wheels, and a torque calculating unit supplied with the vehicle speed, actual transverse acceleration, and steering angle detected by means of these sensors. In the torque calculating unit, which takes account of an assumed value of the stability factor of the vehicle in addition to the vehicle speed, actual transverse acceleration, and steering angle, a target transverse acceleration required by a driver is calculated, for example, and whether or not the friction coefficient of the road surface is low is then estimated according to the relationship between the calculated target transverse acceleration and the actual transverse acceleration.

Apparatus and a method for estimating the friction coefficient of a road

Driving and driven wheel velocities of a vehicle are detected by wheel velocity sensors, and a change in driven wheel velocities as a function of time is detected to obtain a driven wheel acceleration by the vehicle acceleration calculating section. A reference target torque is calculated on the basis of the driven wheel acceleration. A slip value of the driving wheels is calculated on the basis of the driving and driven wheel velocities, and a correction torque corresponding to the slip value is calculated every predetermined sampling time at TSn calculating section and TPn calculating section. The correction torque is substracted from the reference target torque to obtain a target engine torque. An engine output is controlled to obtain the target engine torque.

Traction control apparatus

A driving and driven wheel velocity are detected by wheel velocity sensors. A reference velocity is set on the basis of the driven wheel velocity. A slip value of the driving wheel on the basis of a difference between the driving wheel velocity and reference velocity. A target output torque of an engine is set in accordance with the slip value of the driving wheel. The target output torque is corrected in accordance with a lateral acceleration generated in a widthwise direction of the vehicle. An output of the engine is controlled to reach the corrected target output torque.

A first slip value detecting section detects slip values of the driving wheels on the basis of differences between the outputs from a selected driving wheel velocity and a reference velocity. And a second slip value detecting section detects slip values of the driving wheels on the basis of differences between the outputs from a driving wheel velocity detecting section and the reference velocity. And an engine output is controlled in accordance with the slip values detected by the first slip value detecting section. And braking force is controlled in accordance with the slip values detected by the second slip value detecting section.

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Okazaki, Japan

Masayoshi Ito