Nissan Motor Company Limited

Leland Stanford Junior University

Yoshitaka Deguchi

Nobutaka Takahashi

Yasuhiko Kitajima

Hiroyuki Itoyama

Ichiro Yamaguchi

Hikaru Nishira

Susumu Komiyama

Shinichiro Joe

Takeaki Obata

Kazuma Okura

Kouichi Kuroda

Itsuro Muramoto

Kouichi Akabori

Hiroshi Takahashi

Hideaki Inoue

Taketoshi Kawabe

Makoto Yamashita

Joseph Christian Gerdes

Toshio Matsumura

Yoshitaka Takagi

Shad Mitchell Laws

Musashi Yamaguchi

Masahiro Miura

Taketora Negome

Yung-Hsiang Judy Hsu

A controller () controlling a drive force distributed to each wheel (-) of a vehicle sets dynamic drive force target values (Fxf**, Fx**, Fx**) to the wheels, and determines a variation amount target ratio related to variation amounts (&#x394;M, &#x394;Fx, &#x394;Fy) of a vehicle yaw moment (M), a vehicle front/aft force (Fx), and a vehicle lateral force (Fy) such that a vehicle behavior generated by the dynamic drive force target values does not vary. The controller () determines sets of the drive forces (Fxf(j, k), Fx(j, k), Fx(j, k)) realizing the variation amount target ratio, selects drive force command values from these sets such that each drive force command value is within a drive force limiting range, and controls a drive force regulating mechanism () according to the selected drive force command values.

Vehicle drive force distribution control system

Provided is an avoidance maneuver calculation device that calculates a driving maneuver amount that enables an automotive vehicle to avoid an obstacle within a travelable range of a road. The device includes: a road boundary detector for detecting a roadwhere a vehicleis traveling and a boundary section thereof; an obstacle detector for detecting an obstacleexisting on the road; an automotive vehicle information detector for detecting information on the vehicle; and an avoidance maneuver calculatorfor calculating a maneuver amount for avoiding the obstacleon the road

Avoidance maneuver calculation device, avoidance control device, vehicle having each device, avoidance maneuver calculating method, and avoidance controlling method

A method and apparatus for rapidly causing a slip of a driving wheel to converge regardless of the change in vehicle conditions when the driving wheel is in a slip state. When a slip occurs on a driving wheel, a second driving force command value is calculated from a driving force control value controlled by driving force control means and an angular acceleration. The second driving force command value is calculated so that torque capable of being transmitted to a road surface by the driving wheel takes the maximum value. Therefore, even if the friction coefficient of road surface or the wheel load changes, the driving torque of driving wheel can be commanded properly, so that the slip can be converged rapidly. The occurrence of slip at the time of re-acceleration after slip convergence can be avoided.

Slip control device and method for a vehicle

A vehicle driving assistance apparatus includes a brake operation sensing device to sense a driver's brake operation, a steering operation sensing device to sense a driver's steering operation, a forward, and a controller. The controller is configured to determine whether there is a need for avoiding the obstacle, by examining a possibility of contact of the vehicle with the obstacle, and to produce a yaw moment to an obstacle avoiding direction advantageous for avoiding the obstacle, from the time of detection of the driver's brake operation, to the time of detection of the driver's steering operation, by adjusting a wheel brake/drive force distribution among wheels resulting from the driver's brake operation when there is the need for avoiding the obstacle.

Apparatus and process for vehicle driving assistance

An obstacle avoidance path computing apparatus is provided with a preceding object detecting section, a host vehicle information detecting section, a preceding object arrival region estimating section and a preceding object avoidance path setting section. The preceding object detecting section detects a preceding object. The host vehicle information detecting section detects host vehicle information. The preceding object arrival region estimating section calculates an estimated arrival region within which the preceding object could arrive after a prescribed amount of time has elapsed since the preceding object was detected, based on an estimated attribute of the preceding object from the preceding object information. The preceding object avoidance path setting section calculates an avoidance path that will not encroach on the estimated arrival region based the preceding object information and the host vehicle information.

Obstacle avoidance path computing apparatus, obstacle avoidance path computing method, and obstacle avoidance control system equipped with obstacle avoidance path computing system

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 vehicle brake control system is provided with a preceding object detecting section, a running condition detection section, a steering actuation state detecting section, a braking force detecting section, a preceding object avoidability determining section and a braking force control section. The preceding object avoidability determining section determines a possibility of avoiding the preceding object by steering and reducing the current braking force acting on the host vehicle based on the position of the preceding object, the running condition of the host vehicle, the braking force applied to the host vehicle and the steering wheel actuation state that are detected. The braking force control section reduces the current braking force applied by the host vehicle braking system when the preceding object avoidability determining section determines that the preceding object can be avoided by steering and reducing the current braking force acting on the host vehicle.

Vehicle brake control system and method

An electric vehicle includes a vehicle body, a front wheel supported on the vehicle body for steering motion in accordance with motion of the vehicle body, a pair of rear wheels supported on the vehicle body for steering motion, a steering unit configured to regulate a steer angle of each of the rear wheels, a motor unit configured to independently apply a wheel torque to each of the rear wheels, and a control unit. The control unit is configured to control the total of the wheel torques in accordance with an associated setpoint, and to control the steer angles and the difference between the wheel torques so that the attitude and the yaw rate vary in accordance with associated setpoints.

Electric vehicle

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

Along with detecting speed of a hybrid vehicle, a drive/brake power command value for the vehicle is set, and an efficiency indication which indicates the efficiency of fuel utilization is also set. An operational point for an internal combustion engine and an electric motor of the vehicle is determined which makes the amount of charge into a battery smaller, the greater is this efficiency indication, based upon the detected vehicle speed, and the drive/brake power command value and the efficiency indication. In this manner, it is possible to control the engine and the motor so as to bring the remaining amount of charge in the battery to a target value while keeping the fuel consumption over the route to be travelled as low as possible.

Control device and control method for hybrid vehicle

A minimum needed power is computed by adding a reserve drive power to a target drive power, a best fuel cost-performance rotation speed is computed based on the target drive power and the best fuel cost-performance power characteristics of an engine ( ), and a minimum needed rotation speed is computed based on the minimum needed power and the maximum power characteristics of the engine ( ). The best fuel cost-performance rotation speed is compared with the minimum needed rotation speed, the larger is selected as a target input rotation speed of a continuously variable transmission ( ), the speed ratio of the transmission ( ) is controlled based on the driving axle rotation speed and target input rotation speed, and the torque of the engine ( ) is controlled based on the engine rotation speed and target drive power.

Vehicle drive system and vehicle controlling method

A control apparatus comprises a target steering angle operation unit for operating target steering angles of front wheels and rear wheels, a steering increase/steering return determination unit for determining as to whether steering wheel manipulation is in an increasing state or in a return state, a target rotation center azimuth operation unit for operating a target rotation center azimuth so that a rotation center azimuth &thgr; is decreased in a case of steering increase and a rotation center azimuth &thgr; is increased in a case of steering return, a vehicle behavior estimation unit for estimating a vehicle behavior based on the target rotation center azimuth, a corrected target rotation center azimuth operation unit for operating a corrected target rotation center azimuth so that the vehicle behavior does not exceed a specified value, and a corrected target steering angle operation unit for operating a corrected target steering angle realizing the corrected target rotation center azimuth.

Apparatus for controlling steering angles of front rear wheels of vehicle

Unless the steering operation quantity detected by a steering quantity detection unit indicates that the vehicle is advancing almost rectilinearly, an approach disallowed area present toward the outer side of the turning vehicle relative to the front of the vehicle along the advancing direction, such as a road boundary, a blocking wall or a white line, is detected by an approach disallowed area detection unit. A mode judging unit judges that a steering angle limit mode is set if an approach disallowed area has been detected. An &agr; calculating unit calculates an angle &agr; formed by the orientation of the approach disallowed area boundary and the orientation of the vehicle. In the steering angle limit mode, a target front steering angle calculating unit performs an arithmetic operation by imposing a limit on the absolute value of the target steering angle for the front of the vehicle along the advancing direction so as to ensure that the absolute value does not exceed the maximum value of approximately &agr;.

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Yokohama, Japan

Yoshitaka Deguchi