Nissan Motor Company Limited

Leland Stanford Junior University

Shinichiro Joe

Taketoshi Kawabe

Tomoya Imazu

Toshikazu Oshidari

Michel Mensler

Yoshitaka Deguchi

Yuki Nakajima

Takashi Tsuneyoshi

Tadashi Okuda

Tatsuya Nagato

Ken Ito

Kazutaka Adachi

Hiromasa Sakai

Munetoshi Ueno

Motoharu Nishio

Itsuro Muramoto

Joseph Christian Gerdes

Haruhisa Tsuchikawa

Taiichi Onoyama

Tsuyoshi Yamanaka

Shad Mitchell Laws

Hiroaki Kuramoto

Terumasa Hidaka

Kazuyuki Kouno

Yung-Hsiang Judy Hsu

A vehicular behavior controller is disclosed. The controller comprises a turning force application mechanism and a stabilization controller. The turning force application mechanism applies a turning force to a vehicle. The stabilization controller is operable to regulate the turning force application mechanism in such a manner that a turning characteristic and a straight travel property of the vehicle are stabilized while in an unstable velocity area when the velocity of the vehicle exceeds a stable limit velocity.

Vehicular behavior controller

An obstacle avoidance control apparatus is provided with an obstacle detecting section, a first obstacle proximity distance prediction section, a second obstacle avoidance direction determining section, a target vehicle body slip angle setting section and a vehicle behavior controlling section. The obstacle detecting section detects preceding obstacles. The first obstacle proximity distance prediction section predicts a closest proximity distance between the host vehicle and a first (closest) obstacle. The second obstacle avoidance direction determining section determines a second obstacle avoidance direction to avoid the second obstacle. The target vehicle body slip angle setting section sets a target vehicle body slip angle, such that the host vehicle faces further inward of the turning direction as the proximity distance increases. The vehicle behavior controlling section controls the host vehicle so that an actual vehicle body slip angle coincides with the target vehicle body slip angle at the time of closest proximity.

Obstacle avoidance control apparatus

A tire state estimator includes a lateral force upper limit estimating section, a lateral force estimating section, and a tire slip angle estimating section. The lateral force upper limit estimating section calculates an estimated tire lateral force upper limit, on a basis of an estimated tire slip angle and a measured tire self aligning torque. The lateral force estimating section calculates an estimated tire lateral force, on a basis of the estimated tire lateral force upper limit calculated by the lateral force upper limit estimating section and the estimated tire slip angle. The tire slip angle estimating section calculates the estimated tire slip angle, on a basis of the estimated tire lateral force calculated by the lateral force estimating section and a measured vehicle state.

Tire state estimator and tire state estimation method

A hybrid vehicle drive control system is configured to perform engine startup when switching from an electric drive mode to a hybrid drive mode, without creating a sense of output torque loss. In particular, a controller selectively controls a first clutch disposed between the engine and the motor/generator and a second clutch disposed between the motor/generator and a drive wheel to switch between an electric drive mode in which the first clutch is released and the second clutch is engaged, and a hybrid drive mode in which both the first and second clutches are engaged. The controller sets the second torque transfer capacity to a value that is more than zero and less than the target motor/generator torque of the motor/generator when switching from the electric drive mode to the hybrid drive mode and when starting the engine.

Hybrid vehicle drive control system

An engine of a hybrid vehicle is lift started by reducing a rotational speed of a motor/generator of the hybrid vehicle by adjusting a gearshift ratio of a transmission coupled to the motor/generator, and engaging a clutch to couple the engine, while in a stopped state, to the rotating motor/generator for imparting the rotation to the engine.

Engine starting control device for a hybrid vehicle

A shift control system of a hybrid transmission for a vehicle is arranged to correct ideal motor/generator torques so as to achieve a target engine speed prior to a target driving torque when an actual engine speed becomes greater than an allowable upper-limit engine speed and to correct the ideal motor/generator torque so as to achieve the target driving torque prior to the target engine speed when the actual engine speed does not become greater than the allowable upper-limit engine speed.

Shift control system of a hybrid transmission with a motor torque correction

A vehicle control system is comprised of a controller which is arranged to select an optimal mode adapted to a driving point of a vehicle from an optimal mode map of defining a plurality of running modes of the vehicle, to detect a generation of a mode transition in the optimal mode map, and to hold a current running mode selected before the transition for a holding time period when the generation of the mode transition is detected.

Hybrid vehicle control system

In speed ratio control apparatus and method for a hybrid transmission, an integrated controller calculates a speed ratio manipulated variable in accordance with a deviation between a speed ratio representative command value and a speed ratio representative actually measured value. Then the controller calculates a speed ratio purpose component command value for each drivingly input element torque which is drivingly inputted to a differential mechanism of the hybrid transmission according to the calculated speed ratio manipulated variable, an acceleration ratio of each drivingly input element in a shift motion, and an inertia of each drivingly input element in the shift motion. Then, the controller outputs each calculated speed ratio purpose component command value to a torque actuator of the corresponding drivingly input element.

Speed ratio control apparatus and method for a hybrid transmission

A hybrid transmission for a hybrid vehicle mounting thereon an engine and a pair of electric motor/generators operates in a plurality of driving modes including EV mode in which the vehicle is powered by only the pair of motor/generators and EIVT mode in which the vehicle is powered by both the pair of motor/generators and the engine. The driving mode is shifted continuously and smoothly through a mode-shift transition process, in which the operating state is regulated to decrease the relative torque and/or the relative rotational speed between the contact elements of an engine clutch before engaging or disengaging the engine clutch.

Hybrid transmission and mode-shift control for hybrid vehicle

A method for starting an engine of a vehicle having a hybrid transmission is provided. The hybrid transmission is capable of providing motor running under a power of an electric motor only and hybrid running under a power of both of the engine and the electric motor. The power of an engine is supplied to the hybrid transmission by way of a clutch. The method includes, when the clutch is engaged for starting the engine during the motor running, issuing an engine start instruction when an engine speed increases to a startable speed with the progress of engagement of the clutch, and after the moment of issue of the engine start instruction, restricting increase of an engagement force of the clutch and thereby suppressing the progress of engagement of the clutch. An apparatus for carrying out the method is also provided.

Method for starting engine of vehicle with hybrid transmission and apparatus for carrying out the method

In method and apparatus for engaging an engine clutch for a hybrid transmission, a complete engagement of the engine clutch while at least one of an engine side clutch revolution speed of the engine clutch and a transmission side clutch revolution speed thereof is a revolution speed within a resonance revolution speed region of a revolution transmission system from the engine to a transmission revolution output portion is inhibited and the complete engagement of the engine clutch is carried out when both of the engine side clutch revolution speed of the engine clutch and the transmission side clutch revolution speed thereof become higher than the revolution speed within the resonance revolution speed region.

Method and apparatus for engaging engine clutch for hybrid transmission

A hybrid vehicle mode shift control device comprises a drive force combining transmission that includes a differential gear device coupled to an engine, at least one motor, and an output member, an engine clutch configured to connect and disconnect the engine with the differential gear device, and a low brake configured to hold the drive force combining transmission at a lower side gear ratio. The hybrid vehicle is operated at least in an EV mode, an EV-LB mode, an E-iVT mode, and an LB mode. A mode shift control section is configured to select one of a mode shift route passing through the EV mode and a mode shift route passing through the LB mode when a mode shift request is issued to shift from the EV-LB mode to the E-iVT mode.

Hybrid vehicle mode shift control device

A hybrid vehicle mode shift control device comprises a drive force combining transmission that includes a differential gear device coupled to an engine, at least one motor, and an output member, an engine clutch configured to connect and disconnect the engine with the differential gear device, and a low brake configured to hold the drive force combining transmission at a lower side gear ratio. The hybrid vehicle is operated at least in an EV mode, an EV-LB mode, an E-iVT mode, and an LB mode. The hybrid vehicle mode shift control device comprises a mode shift control section configured to select one of a mode shift route passing through the E-iVT mode and a mode shift route passing through the EV-LB mode based on the transitional drive force request of the driver when a mode shift request is issued to shift from the EV mode to the LB mode.

A driving force control apparatus for a hybrid vehicle includes a section for determining a target driving torque based on an accelerator opening degree and a vehicle speed a section for calculating a compensating toque for compensating for decrease in a vehicle driving force otherwise caused at the time of engagement of an engine clutch, a section for calculating a vehicle-driving motor torque by subtracting the compensating torque from a maximum motor torque, a section for instructing the engine clutch to start engagement, and a section that corrects the target driving torque to a corrected target driving torque that can be realized by the vehicle-driving motor torque after engagement of the engine clutch is started and before the engagement of the engine clutch is completed. A driving force control method is also provided.

Driving force control apparatus and method for hybrid vehicle

A motor torque control apparatus for an automotive vehicle includes a transmission which has either one of a fixed speed ratio and a variable speed ratio; at least one motor/generator coupled with the transmission as a propelling power source of the vehicle, a power of the power source being transmitted to a road wheel for propulsion of the vehicle through the transmission; and a controller configured to be electrically connected to the motor/generator for motor torque control. Moreover, this controller includes a disturbance observer that estimates a driving force, and a motor torque control section that controls the driving force estimated by the disturbance observer, to bring the estimated driving force closer to a target driving force by way of servo control.

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Yokohama, Japan

Shinichiro Joe