Toyota Jidosha Kabushiki Kaisha

Yoshiyuki Hashimoto

Hirotada Otake

Shoichi Shono

Satoshi Shimizu

Hideki Takamatsu

Atushi Sato

Masanori Hirose

Masaaki Tabata

Hiroaki Yoshida

Masaaki Uechi

Kenji Harada

Hiroshi Mizuno

Masaki Kanatani

Tetsuya Ishitani

In order to carry out data recording efficiently, a data recording apparatus for a vehicle in the present invention determines whether a predetermined event occurs in a vehicle. When it is determined that a predetermined event occurs, generally at least data indicating a vehicle state is recorded in a recording part from an occurrence of the predetermined event until a predetermined period of time elapses. Also, it is determined whether, at a time when it is determined that the predetermined event occurs, the recording in the recording part is actually being carried out. When it is determined that the recording is actually being carried out, the data indicating the vehicle state at that time is recorded in the recording part instead of recording the data based on the occurrence of the predetermined event at least from the occurrence of the predetermined event until the predetermined period of time elapses.

Data recording apparatus for a vehicle

An integrated control system includes a main control system controlling a driving system, a main control system controlling a brake system, and a main control system controlling a steering system, an adviser unit generating and providing information to be used at each control system based on environmental information around the vehicle or information related to a driver, an agent unit generating and providing information to be used at each of the main control systems to cause the vehicle to realize a predetermined behavior, and a supporter unit generating and providing information to be used at each of the main control systems based on the current dynamic state of the vehicle.

Vehicle integrated control system

An integrated control system includes subsystem with a driving system control subsystem controlling a driving system, a brake system control subsystem controlling a brake system, and a steering system control subsystem controlling a steering system, a subsystem stabilizing a current dynamic state of the vehicle, a subsystem realizing a driving support function such as automatic cruising, and a storage unit for storing shared signals. Each subsystem includes a request unit, an arbitration unit, and an output unit.

When a normal braking is performed, a master cylinder ( ) and wheel cylinders ( FR, FL, RR, RL) are set to a conducting state. When an emergency braking is performed, the master cylinder and the wheel cylinders are joined together so that a large brake force can be generated. If the wheel cylinders are connected to an accumulator soon after the emergency braking, an increase in the wheel cylinder pressure can be prevented. Even after the emergency braking, the wheel cylinders and the master cylinder are maintained in the conducting state while the master cylinder pressure is rapidly increasing.

Braking force controller

A brake force control apparatus is provided which generates a brake force larger than that of a normal time when an emergency braking is required, and realizes an operational feel giving no incongruous feel. It is determined whether or not an emergency braking operation was performed in accordance with a master cylinder pressure P,and a rate of change &Dgr;P,thereof. A plurality of start conditions (,) are set by assuming various conditions. A brake assist control is started (,) when a start condition selected in accordance with a state of motion of a vehicle is satisfied.

Brake force control apparatus

A vehicle height adjust control apparatus and method adjusts an actual vehicle height to a target vehicle height using a microcomputer that controls an electric motor, leveling valves and an accumulator valve on the basis of the actual vehicle height detected by vehicle height sensors, so as to eliminate any deviation of the actual vehicle height from the target vehicle height. If a hydraulic fluid temperature detected by a fluid temperature sensor is very low or very high, the microcomputer suspends the vehicle height adjusting control and the supply of hydraulic fluid to an accumulator by stopping the operation of the electric motor and a hydraulic pump and/or switching the valves to a closed state. The suspending control thereby prevents very high and low viscosities of the hydraulic fluid, or very low and high fluidities thereof, which prevent an undesirable increase of the load on the hydraulic pump and an undesirable decrease of the ejecting performance thereof.

Vehicle height adjust control apparatus and method

A vehicle height adjust control apparatus and method precisely performs vehicle height adjustment while preventing unnecessary vehicle height adjustment. In the apparatus, a microcomputer compares the amount of shift of a vehicle height detected by a vehicle height sensor with a first predetermined value. If the amount of shift is greater than the first predetermined value, the microcomputer integrates the amount of shift. The integral of the amount of shift is compared with a second predetermined value. If the integral is greater than the second predetermined value, the microcomputer determines that vehicle height adjustment should be started. The first and/or second predetermined values used in an initial period immediately after an engine is started are smaller than the first and/or second predetermined values used after the initial period. The sensitivity to vehicle height shift in determining whether to start vehicle height adjustment is thus enhanced during the initial period immediately after the engine is started, so that vehicle height adjustment is promptly performed during the initial period, during which there is a high likelihood that a vehicle height change occurred during the stop of the vehicle.

A braking force control apparatus adapted to generate a braking force, which is larger than that generated in a regular case, when a predetermined braking operation is carried out, this apparatus aiming at preventing the occurrence of an unnecessarily large sensible deceleration during a low-speed travel of a vehicle. ECU (,) is adapted to judge whether or not an emergency braking operation has been executed on the basis of a master cylinder pressure (Pmc) and its rate of change (dPmc). When a judgement that an emergency braking operation has been carried out is given, a wheel cylinder pressure (Pwc) is quickly increased by supplying an accumulator pressure to the wheel cylinder. When a vehicle speed exceeds a predetermined level during the execution of the emergency braking operation, the wheel cylinder pressure (Pwc) is speedily increased (,) by a braking assist regular control operation. When the vehicle speed is not higher than a predetermined level during the execution of the emergency braking operation, the wheel cylinder pressure (Pwc) is slowly increased (,) by a braking assist starting special control operation.

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Nishikamo-gum, Japan

Yoshiyuki Hashimoto