Mitsubishi Jidosha Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha

Yasunobu Miyata

Kiichi Yamada

Masayoshi Ito

Katsunori Otake

Masayuki Hashiguchi

Susumu Nishikawa

Tomohiro Narita

Yoshiaki Sano

Atsuhiro Kawano

Keiji Inagaki

Hiroshi Umeda

Takeshi Nishimura

Hiroaki Yoshida

Masanori Tani

Keiji Isoda

Toshio Shigehara

Hiroo Yuasa

Masayoshi Itoh

Tadao Tanaka

Hiroshi Yoshida

Katsunori Ootake

Katsunori Ohtake

Masayoshi Osaki

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

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

A motor vehicle output power control system effects a slip control process for preventing the drive wheels of a motor vehicle from slipping against unstable maneuverability and a trace control process for preventing the motor vehicle from failing to make a turn due to an excessive lateral acceleration. The motor vehicle output power control system has a torque control unit for reducing the drive torque produced by the engine irrespective of controlling action of the driver. A target speed for the drive wheels is established on the basis of the motor vehicle speed, and a reference drive torque for the engine is set depending on the target speed for the drive wheels. Based on a slip of the drive wheels, a target drive torque for the engine is established. The torque control unit is controlled by an electronic controller so that the drive torque produced by the engine is equalized to the target drive torque. The reference drive torque is corrected on the basis of the slip of the drive wheels, thus calculating the target drive torque. The drive torque of the engine can be quickly lowered in order not to unduly exceed maximum frictional forces between the road surface and the drive wheels. The motor vehicle is controlled by the motor vehicle output power control system to run safely with improved control responses because of a reduced number of corrective factors for control.

System for controlling the output power of motor vehicle

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

A motor vehicle output power control system quickly reduces the drive torque produced by an engine on a motor vehicle depending on the magnitude of a lateral acceleration which is produced when the motor vehicle makes a turn, or the amount by which drive wheels slips when the motor vehicle is accelerated. A target drive torque depending on the lateral acceleration and a demanded drive torque demanded by the driver of the motor vehicle are added at a predetermined ratio into a turn target drive torque, which is selected as a final target drive torque. The motor vehicle output power control system includes an electronic control unit for controlling an actuator to lower the output drive torque of the engine, independent from controlling action of the driver, such that the output drive torque of the engine is equalized to the final target drive torque.

System for controlling the output power of a motor vehicle

A cruise control device is provided with a vehicle speed sensor for detecting the actual vehicle speed, and an electronic controller for controlling the opening of the throttle valve based on the detected vehicle speed, to bring the vehicle speed close to a target vehicle speed. The electronic controller serves to obtain a vehicle speed deviation between the target vehicle speed set by a set switch and the actual vehicle speed, select one of a P control mode, a P/D control mode and a fuzzy control mode corresponding to the magnitude of the vehicle speed deviation, and control the opening of the throttle valve. In addition to these functions, the electronic controller may additionally have the function of estimating a change in the vehicle speed provided that the current opening of the throttle valve is maintained, to obtain a correction value for the vehicle speed so that a corrected vehicle speed corrected by the correction value is used to control the opening of the throttle valve. Further, in the case of a vehicle provided with an automatic transmission, a shift diagram applied to a cruise control mode may be prepared in addition to the shift diagram for the automatic transmission itself, so that the electronic controller may have the function of effecting a shifting of the gear ratios of the automatic transmission.

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Komaki, Japan

Yasunobu Miyata