JP2006071084A - Driving force controller for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a driving force controller for a vehicle capable of easily obtaining larger driving force when passing a vehicle ahead by an own vehicle is estimated or detected when compared with a case where passing not a vehicle ahead by an own vehicle is estimated or detected to control gear shift of a transmission in technology for controlling gear shift of the transmission in accordance with distance between vehicles. <P>SOLUTION: An estimating means for estimating whether a driver desires running for keeping positional relation with a preceding vehicle or running for passing the preceding vehicle is provided. When it is estimated that the driver desires running for passing the preceding vehicle, gear shift into a gear stage for low speed is easily and relatively performed when compared with a case where the driver desires running for keeping positional relation with the preceding vehicle or, when it is estimated that the driver desires running for passing the preceding vehicle, gear shift into a gear stage for lower speed is performed when compared with a case where the driver desires running for keeping positional relation with the preceding vehicle. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle driving force control device that performs driving force control of a vehicle by an operation of shifting a transmission to a relatively low speed gear ratio or gear ratio.

  In Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-2335017 (Patent Document 1), an acceleration direction of a driver is determined by a fuzzy rule using an average vehicle speed within a predetermined time, an accelerator opening time, and an accelerator depression time, such as sports / medium / economy, etc. And a technique for changing the AT shift timing in accordance with the driver's acceleration direction is disclosed. In the above-mentioned patent document 1, two types of time having different lengths are used as the predetermined time, and for example, it is determined whether it is regularly sport-oriented or temporarily sport-oriented. It is described that the shift timing more suitable for the driver's acceleration direction can be realized.

  Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-118369 (Patent Document 2) calculates a relative speed and an own vehicle acceleration from an inter-vehicle distance and an own vehicle speed, obtains a target deceleration based on these values, stores it in a memory, and stores a throttle. A technique is disclosed in which when a driver's deceleration operation is detected from a change in the valve opening, the transmission gear ratio of the transmission is controlled according to a target deceleration to perform deceleration control.

  The technique of the above-mentioned Patent Document 1 changes the AT shift timing from the traveling state of the own vehicle, and the AT control is based on the positional relationship between the own vehicle and the preceding vehicle ahead of the own vehicle. Done independently. That is, the technique of Patent Document 1 does not perform vehicle driving force control (deceleration control) when the host vehicle approaches the front vehicle, for example.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-2335017 JP 2000-118369 A

  Conventionally, in the technology in which the shift control of the transmission is performed according to the inter-vehicle distance, when the own vehicle approaches the front vehicle with the relative vehicle speed being low, an appropriate inter-vehicle distance can be secured only by the engine brake force. Normally, no downshift is performed.

  Here, as described above, consider a case where the host vehicle approaches the front vehicle while the relative vehicle speed is low, and the host vehicle overtakes the front vehicle. In this case, a downshift is not required when the host vehicle approaches the front vehicle (because an appropriate inter-vehicle distance can be ensured only by the engine braking force as described above), but the driving force required by the driver when passing is obtained. A downshift is required to satisfy.

  Therefore, assuming that overtaking is performed as described above, instead of the above setting (a setting in which downshifting is not performed when the relative vehicle speed is low), downshifting is performed even when the relative vehicle speed is low. It is conceivable to set so that the However, in that setting, when overtaking is not performed (including the case where the host vehicle follows the preceding vehicle), the deceleration acting on the vehicle becomes excessive, and drivability (driving feeling) is increased. The result is not good.

  In the technology in which the shift control of the transmission is performed according to the inter-vehicle distance, when the host vehicle overtakes the preceding vehicle, a downshift is performed (to a lower gear) so that a larger driving force can be obtained. On the other hand, if the vehicle does not overtake the vehicle in front (including the case where the vehicle follows the vehicle in front), avoid excessive deceleration (shifting for lower speeds) It is desired that downshifting to the stage is difficult to perform.

  An object of the present invention is to estimate that the own vehicle does not overtake the preceding vehicle when it is estimated or detected that the own vehicle overtakes the preceding vehicle in the technology in which the shift control of the transmission is performed according to the inter-vehicle distance. It is an object of the present invention to provide a vehicular driving force control device that performs shift control of a transmission in which a larger driving force is easily obtained as compared with a case where it is detected.

  The vehicle driving force control device according to the present invention uses the vehicle transmission for a relatively low speed when the driver's intention to decelerate is detected in order to make the positional relationship with the preceding vehicle ahead of the vehicle appropriate. A vehicle driving force control device that performs shift control to a shift speed or a gear ratio of the vehicle, wherein whether the driver desires to travel so as to maintain the positional relationship with the preceding vehicle or to travel beyond the preceding vehicle. An estimation means for estimating, and when it is estimated that traveling overtaking the preceding vehicle is desired, compared to a case where it is estimated that traveling that maintains a positional relationship with the preceding vehicle is desired, When it is estimated that a shift to a low speed gear ratio or a gear ratio is easily performed, or when it is estimated that the vehicle wants to overtake the preceding vehicle, it is desired that the vehicle maintain a positional relationship with the preceding vehicle. Compared to the estimated case, a lower gear stage or Is characterized by shifting to the speed ratio is executed.

  In the vehicular driving force control apparatus of the present invention, when it is estimated that the shift to the relatively low speed gear stage or the gear ratio is easily performed, when it is estimated that traveling overtaking the preceding vehicle is desired, Compared to the case where it is estimated that travel is desired to maintain the positional relationship with the preceding vehicle, the relative vehicle speed between the preceding vehicle and the vehicle is small, and the relatively low speed gear stage or gear ratio is set. A shift to the relatively low speed gear stage or gear ratio is performed in a state where the inter-vehicle distance between the preceding vehicle and the vehicle is large, and the preceding vehicle and the vehicle This corresponds to at least one of shifting to a relatively low speed gear stage or gear ratio in a state where the inter-vehicle time is large.

  In the vehicle driving force control apparatus according to the present invention, the estimation means performs the estimation based on a statistical value of a relative vehicle speed between the preceding vehicle and the vehicle before the driver's intention to decelerate is detected. It is characterized by.

  In the vehicle driving force control apparatus according to the present invention, the estimation means includes the first statistical value relating to the data of the relative vehicle speed in the first period and a second period having a length different from the first period. The estimation is performed based on the second statistical value relating to the relative vehicle speed data.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of a vehicle driving force control device of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

(First embodiment)
The first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5. The present embodiment relates to a vehicular driving force control apparatus that controls a driving force by controlling a gear stage or a gear ratio of an automatic transmission.

  In this embodiment, based on the distance between the vehicle ahead of the host vehicle (the preceding vehicle) and the host vehicle and the relative vehicle speed, the downshift control of the automatic transmission is performed in response to the driver's intention to decelerate the driving force. In the control, whether the driver's direction is following direction (preferably following the front car) or passing direction (preferring overtaking the former) Judgment based on the relative vehicle speed of the vehicle and the host vehicle, if the result of the determination is overtaking orientation, downshift even at a lower relative vehicle speed and / or a larger inter-vehicle distance than at the time of tracking orientation, A large driving force is generated in preparation for overtaking so that overtaking can be performed quickly.

  When overtaking the previous vehicle, the driver will be overtaking while paying attention to the distance between the vehicle and the vehicle, so that the deceleration due to the downshift is greater than normal (including tracking-oriented). And feel happy to see the vehicle accelerate quickly. In particular, this tendency increases as the distance between the vehicle and the front vehicle decreases. For this reason, in the present embodiment, when overtaking (when determined to be overtaking), the downshift is more actively performed so that the driver's drivability (driving feeling) is improved. I have to.

  As a configuration of the present embodiment, as will be described in detail below, a means for measuring or calculating the inter-vehicle distance, the relative vehicle speed, and the acceleration of the front vehicle, such as an inter-vehicle distance sensor using a millimeter wave radar, Based on means for detecting the driver's intention to decelerate (accelerator operation), the information on the inter-vehicle distance and the driver's intention to decelerate, automatic transmission (AT, CVT, HV (AT mounted on hybrid vehicle), MMT, It is premised on the deceleration control means for performing the shift control (Manual T / M with automatic shift mode).

  In FIG. 2, reference numeral 10 denotes an automatic transmission, and 40 denotes an engine. The automatic transmission 10 is capable of six-speed shifting by controlling the hydraulic pressure by energization / non-energization of the solenoid valves 121a, 121b, and 121c. In FIG. 2, three electromagnetic valves 121a, 121b, and 121c are illustrated, but the number of electromagnetic valves is not limited to three. The solenoid valves 121a, 121b, and 121c are driven by a signal from the control circuit 130.

  The throttle opening sensor 114 detects the opening of the throttle valve 43 disposed in the intake passage 41 of the engine 40. The engine speed sensor 116 detects the speed of the engine 40. The vehicle speed sensor 122 detects the rotation speed of the output shaft 120c of the automatic transmission 10 that is proportional to the vehicle speed. The shift position sensor 123 detects the shift position. The pattern select switch 117 is used when instructing a shift pattern. The acceleration sensor 90 detects vehicle deceleration (deceleration acceleration). The inter-vehicle distance measuring unit 100 includes a sensor such as a laser radar sensor or a millimeter wave radar sensor mounted on the front part of the vehicle, and measures the inter-vehicle distance from the preceding vehicle.

  The driving orientation calculation unit 118 can be provided as a part of the CPU 131. The driving direction calculation unit 118 estimates whether the driving direction of the driver is an overtaking direction or a tracking direction based on a statistical value (standard deviation and / or average value) of the relative vehicle speed.

  The control circuit 130 inputs signals indicating detection results of the throttle opening sensor 114, the engine speed sensor 116, the vehicle speed sensor 122, the shift position sensor 123, and the acceleration sensor 90, and changes the switching state of the pattern select switch 117. A signal indicating the measurement result by the inter-vehicle distance measuring unit 100 is input.

  The control circuit 130 is configured by a known microcomputer and includes a CPU 131, a RAM 132, a ROM 133, an input port 134, an output port 135, and a common bus 136. The input port 134 receives signals from the sensors 114, 116, 122, 123, and 90, signals from the switch 117, and signals from the inter-vehicle distance measuring unit 100. Solenoid valve driving units 138a, 138b, and 138c are connected to the output port 135.

  The ROM 133 stores a program in which the operations (control steps) shown in the flowchart of FIG. 1 are described in advance, and a shift map for shifting the gear stage of the automatic transmission 10 and a shift control operation (not shown). Is stored. The control circuit 130 shifts the automatic transmission 10 based on various input control conditions.

  Next, with reference to FIG. 3, the determination of overtaking directivity and tracking directivity in the present embodiment will be described.

  FIG. 3 shows the distributions of relative vehicle speeds during overtaking and following travel. As shown in FIG. 3, the standard deviation of the relative vehicle speed (= the preceding vehicle speed−the own vehicle speed) is in the range of 3 to 5 km / h when the follow-up driving is performed, and it is said that there is little difference among drivers. (For example, see the 3rd Traffic Safety Research Institute Research Papers, Driver Behavior during Follow-up Driving).

  On the other hand, overtaking is normally performed when the host vehicle speed> the preceding vehicle speed (the relative vehicle speed is negative), and even during the overtaking, the host vehicle speed> the preceding vehicle speed (the relative vehicle speed remains negative). Therefore, when the vehicle is often overtaken by the preceding vehicle, the standard deviation of the relative vehicle speed is larger than that during follow-up driving (see FIG. 3). From this, it is possible to estimate whether the driver is following-oriented or passing-oriented based on the standard deviation of the relative vehicle speed.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 3, during follow-up traveling, the average value of the relative vehicle speed is approximately zero, but when the vehicle is often overtaken, the average value of the relative vehicle speed is on the negative side. From this, based on the average value of the relative vehicle speed, it is possible to estimate whether the driver is following-oriented or passing. As described above, the standard deviation and average value of the relative vehicle speed can be used to determine whether the driver had just overtaken the vehicle in the past or just followed the vehicle. The driver's orientation is estimated.

  Next, the operation of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

[Step S1]
First, as shown in step S1 of FIG. 1, it is determined whether or not there is a vehicle (front vehicle) ahead of the host vehicle. Specifically, the control circuit 130 determines whether or not the inter-vehicle distance between the host vehicle and the preceding vehicle in the host lane is equal to or less than a predetermined value based on the signal indicating the inter-vehicle distance input from the inter-vehicle distance measuring unit 100. To do. If it is determined in step S1 that the inter-vehicle distance is equal to or less than the predetermined value, the process proceeds to step S2. On the other hand, if it is not determined that the inter-vehicle distance is equal to or less than the predetermined value, the process proceeds to step S11.

[Step S2]
In step S2, the control circuit 130 calculates the inter-vehicle distance D and the relative vehicle speed Vd. For example, when a millimeter wave radar is used as the inter-vehicle distance measuring unit 100, the inter-vehicle distance and the relative vehicle speed can be directly measured. Following step S2, step S3 is performed.

[Step S3]
In step S3, the data of the relative vehicle speed Vd obtained in step S2 is stored in the memory of the control circuit 130. After step S3, step S4 is performed.

[Step S4]
In step S4, the standard deviation Vstd is calculated by using the latest n relative vehicle speed Vd data among the data of the relative vehicle speed Vd stored in the memory in step S3 by the driving orientation calculation unit 118 of the control circuit 130. Is calculated. Step S5 is performed after step S4.

[Step S5]
In step S5, the driving orientation calculation unit 118 determines whether or not the standard deviation Vstd obtained in step S4 is larger than a predetermined value set in advance in the ROM 133. As a result of the determination, when it is determined that the standard deviation Vstd is larger than the predetermined value (step S5-Y), it is determined that the driver is overtaking and the process proceeds to step S6. On the other hand, as a result of the determination, when it is not determined that the standard deviation Vstd is larger than the predetermined value (step S5-N), it is determined that the follow-up direction is selected, and the process proceeds to step S7. Here, the reason why it is possible to determine whether the driver is following-oriented or overtaking based on the standard deviation Vstd is as described above with reference to FIG.

[Step S6]
In step S <b> 6, the control circuit 130 selects the overtaking gear position table (FIG. 4) preset in the ROM 133. Following step S6, step S8 is performed.

[Step S7]
In step S <b> 7, the control circuit 130 selects a follow-up gear position table (FIG. 5) preset in the ROM 133. Following step S7, step S8 is performed.

  As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the overtaking gear stage table (FIG. 4) has a relatively low relative vehicle speed and / or a relatively low inter-vehicle time compared to the following gear stage table (FIG. 5). The setting is such that downshifting is performed. Further, when the relative vehicle speed and the inter-vehicle time are the same conditions, the overtaking gear stage table (FIG. 4) has a relatively low speed stage or gear ratio compared to the following gear stage table (FIG. 5). It is set to shift.

[Step S8]
In step S8, the control circuit 130 determines whether or not the accelerator is in an OFF state based on a signal from the throttle opening sensor 114. In step S8, the intention of deceleration by the driver is confirmed. If it is determined as a result of step S8 that the accelerator is in an OFF state, the process proceeds to step S9. From step S9, driving force control of the vehicle is started. On the other hand, if it is not determined that the accelerator is in the OFF state, the process proceeds to step S11.

[Step S9]
In step S9, the control circuit 130 refers to the gear stage table selected in step S6 or step S7, and obtains the target gear stage (= N stage). Here, the target shift speed (N speed) reflecting the driver's orientation (passing orientation or tracking orientation) obtained as the determination result of step S5 is obtained.

  The control circuit 130 refers to the overtaking-oriented target shift speed table or the tracking-oriented target shift speed table selected in step S6 or S7, and determines the inter-vehicle time (inter-vehicle distance / vehicle speed) and the relative vehicle speed. Based on the above, a shift stage as a downshift destination by the shift control is determined. For example, when the relative vehicle speed is 8 [km / h] and the inter-vehicle time is 1.3 [sec], according to the overtaking-oriented target shift speed table in FIG. 4, the target shift speed (N speed) Is the fourth speed, whereas the target gear position (N speed) is the sixth speed according to the target gear position table at the time of tracking following in FIG.

[Step S10]
In step S10, the control circuit 130 prohibits the use of (N + 1) or more shift stages. The control circuit 130 starts shift control to the target shift stage. When the current shift stage> N stages are established, a downshift is performed to the N stage and subsequent upshifts are prohibited. Further, when the current gear stage = N stage is established, the upshift is prohibited.

  That is, the target shift stage (N stage) selected with reference to the above-mentioned target shift stage table at the time of overtaking or the target shift stage table at the time of follow-up direction is compared with the current shift stage, and the target shift stage (N stage) is compared. If this is a low speed gear, a downshift is performed to the target gear (N) and a subsequent upshift is prohibited. On the other hand, when the target shift speed (N speed) is not a low speed speed speed compared to the current speed speed, the speed change is not performed and the upshift is prohibited.

  As a result of the determination in step S5, when it is determined that it is overtaking-oriented, it is shifted to a lower speed gear stage by the shift control in step S10 compared to the case where it is determined that it is following-oriented. In many cases, a large driving force can be obtained at the time of overtaking (acceleration) and at the time of overtaking (at the time of follow-up) by the shift speed (target shift speed) after the shift. This allows quick overtaking, so an overtaking driver feels that drivability is good.

  Similarly to the above case, when it is determined that the vehicle is overtaking as a result of the determination in step S5, the gear is shifted to a lower speed than in the case where it is determined that the vehicle is following. If this is the case, a larger engine braking force is generated accordingly. In that case, the approach to the front vehicle is suppressed to that extent compared to the normal time (following orientation), and a larger inter-vehicle distance is secured between the front vehicle and the vehicle. In this way, when the accelerator is off (the stage before entering acceleration), the larger distance between the vehicles remains (there is a lot of space between the vehicles) when the acceleration for overtaking (when the accelerator is on) There is little need to worry about the distance between cars. In this sense, the driver who is overtaking feels that drivability is good. Following step S10, step S11 is executed.

[Step S11]
In step S11, the control circuit 130 determines whether or not a return condition from the prohibition of use of N + 1 or more shift stages (step S10) is satisfied. The return condition can be set in advance, for example, it can be that a predetermined time has passed after the driver's accelerator-on operation. As a result of the determination in step S11, if the return condition is satisfied (step S11-Y), the process proceeds to step S12. If not (step S11-N), the control flow is returned.

[Step S12]
In step S12, the control circuit 130 cancels the prohibition of use of N + 1 or more shift stages (step S10 above). That is, the driving force control (shift point control) according to the present embodiment is terminated, and the shift control is returned to the normal shift point map. Following step S12, the control flow ends.

  As described above, the present embodiment performs driving force control (deceleration control) using the driver's intention to decelerate as a control start trigger based on the distance between the front vehicle and the host vehicle. Based on the relationship with the vehicle (including relative vehicle speed), the driver's orientation regarding whether the driver wants to follow or overtake the front vehicle is estimated. Control is performed.

  Thus, conventionally, when overtaking the former, a downshift (kickdown) may occur in response to the driver's accelerator operation, resulting in a delay in acceleration. According to this embodiment, the overtaking is performed. Before the accelerator operation, the vehicle is surely downshifted to an appropriate shift stage, so that acceleration can be smoothly performed and drivability is improved.

  In the present embodiment, regarding the selection of the shift speed, a downshift to the shift speed is performed in consideration of both the deceleration at the time of deceleration and the acceleration at the time of acceleration obtained by the shift speed. That is, a gear stage in which the weighting of the engine braking force at the time of deceleration and the driving force at the time of acceleration is optimized is selected depending on whether the driver is overtaking or following. .

  For example, the weight of the engine braking force at the time of deceleration and the driving force at the time of acceleration is 50:50 at the time of follow-up (following orientation), whereas at the time of overtaking (at the time of overtaking orientation) Accordingly, the weighting at the time of acceleration is set relatively large, and the ratio of the weighting of the engine braking force at the time of deceleration and the driving force at the time of acceleration is set to 20:80.

  Thereby, at the time of overtaking (at the time of overtaking), even when the relative vehicle speed is low, that is, from the viewpoint of deceleration control related to the relative positional relationship with the front vehicle, there is little need for downshifting. From the viewpoint of obtaining a larger driving force during overtaking (the weighting of the driving force during acceleration is large), a downshift is actively performed.

  As described above, conventionally, the downshift amount is determined based on a single target shift speed table, so the downshift amount suitable for overtaking the preceding vehicle and the downshift amount for following the preceding vehicle It was not possible to balance. On the other hand, in this embodiment, based on the relative relationship with the preceding vehicle (in this example, the relative vehicle speed), whether the driver is trying to pass the preceding vehicle (highly likely) Estimate whether the vehicle is going to follow the vehicle (highly likely), and use the target gear table for passing direction and the target gear table for tracking direction according to the estimation result. Downshifts that match the senses / requests of the person.

  In the present embodiment, the relative vehicle speed is used as an example of the relative relationship with the preceding vehicle (step S4, step S5), but is not limited to the relative vehicle speed. For example, the collision time (inter-vehicle distance / relative vehicle speed) is used. ), Inter-vehicle time (inter-vehicle distance / own vehicle speed), and combinations thereof. The collision time can be replaced because it includes a parameter of relative vehicle speed. The inter-vehicle time does not include the parameter of the relative vehicle speed. However, when the vehicle is traveling closer than the normal inter-vehicle time, it can be replaced by determining that the vehicle is overtaking.

(First modification of the first embodiment)
Next, a first modification of the first embodiment will be described.
Note that description of the contents common to the first embodiment is omitted.

  In the first embodiment, based on the standard deviation of the relative vehicle speed, it is determined whether the vehicle is directed to follow or is directed to pass (steps S4 and S5). In the present modification, it is possible to determine whether the driving direction is the follow-up direction or the overtaking direction based on the average value of the relative vehicle speed instead of the standard deviation of the relative vehicle speed. The reason is as described with reference to FIG.

  In addition, it is possible to determine whether the vehicle is in the tracking direction or the overtaking direction based on the AND condition of the standard deviation and the average value of the relative vehicle speed. Instead of this, it is possible to determine whether the vehicle is in the following direction or in the overtaking direction based on the OR condition of the standard deviation and the average value of the relative vehicle speed.

(Second modification of the first embodiment)

  In this modification, when the standard deviation of the relative vehicle speed is calculated (step S4 in FIG. 1) so that the determination of the direction of the latest driver can be made, the standard deviation of the past relative vehicle speed data is calculated. The data used for the calculation is limited to prevent the influence of the driver's habit and the like. This will be specifically described below.

  In the first embodiment, based on the latest standard deviation of the n relative vehicle speeds, it is determined whether the vehicle is tracking-oriented or overtaking (steps S4 and S5). On the other hand, in this modified example, is the tracking-oriented or the overtaking-oriented based on the comparison of the standard deviation of the latest m relative vehicle speeds and the standard deviation of the latest n relative vehicle speeds? Can be determined. Here, m >> n, and the latest standard deviation Vstm of the m relative vehicle speeds is data based on long-time data compared to the latest standard deviation Vstn of the n relative vehicle speeds.

That is, in the present modification, the content of step S4 in FIG. 1 of the first embodiment is that “the latest n relative vehicle speeds Vd are used to calculate the standard deviation Vstn and the latest m relative vehicle speeds Vd. Is used to calculate the standard deviation Vstm.
In the present modification, the content of step S5 in FIG. 1 of the first embodiment is changed to “(Vstn−Vstm)> set value?”.

  The standard deviation Vstm is data reflecting a driver's normal operation. By comparing the standard deviation Vstm with the standard deviation Vstn, the direction of the latest driver can be accurately estimated.

  In the above description, the stepped automatic transmission 10 has been described as an example, but the present invention can also be applied to CVT. In the above description, the deceleration indicating the amount that the vehicle should decelerate has been described using the deceleration acceleration (G). However, the deceleration can be controlled based on the deceleration torque.

It is a flowchart which shows operation | movement of 1st Embodiment of the vehicle travel control apparatus of this invention. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a first embodiment of a vehicle travel control device of the present invention. It is a graph which shows the relationship between driver | operator orientation (overtaking direction or tracking orientation) and relative vehicle speed in 1st Embodiment of the vehicle travel control apparatus of this invention. It is a figure which shows the target gear stage table for passing direction in 1st Embodiment of the traveling control apparatus for vehicles of this invention. It is a figure which shows the target gear stage table for tracking directions in 1st Embodiment of the traveling control apparatus for vehicles of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Automatic transmission 40 Engine 90 Acceleration sensor 100 Inter-vehicle distance measurement part 114 Throttle opening degree sensor 116 Engine speed sensor 118 Driving | operation direction calculating part 122 Vehicle speed sensor 123 Shift position sensor 130 Control circuit 131 CPU
133 ROM

Claims (4)

A vehicle that shift-controls the transmission of the vehicle to a relatively low speed gear ratio or gear ratio when the driver's intention to decelerate is detected in order to make the positional relationship with the preceding vehicle ahead of the vehicle appropriate. A driving force control device for
Estimating means for estimating whether the driver desires to travel so as to maintain the positional relationship with the preceding vehicle or to travel beyond the preceding vehicle;
When it is estimated that traveling overtaking the preceding vehicle is desired, compared to the case where it is estimated that traveling that maintains the positional relationship with the preceding vehicle is desired, the relatively low speed gear stage or speed change is performed. When it is estimated that a shift to a ratio is easily performed, or when it is estimated that a traveling overtaking the preceding vehicle is desired, compared to a case where it is estimated that a traveling that maintains the positional relationship with the preceding vehicle is desired. The vehicle driving force control device is characterized in that a shift to a lower speed gear stage or a gear ratio is executed. The vehicle driving force control device according to claim 1,
The shift to the relatively low speed gear stage or the gear ratio is easily performed.
When it is estimated that the vehicle wants to travel ahead of the preceding vehicle, compared to the case where it is estimated that the vehicle wants to maintain a positional relationship with the preceding vehicle,
A shift to the relatively low speed gear stage or gear ratio is executed in a state where the relative vehicle speed between the preceding vehicle and the vehicle is small;
In a state where a shift to the relatively low speed gear stage or gear ratio is executed in a state where the inter-vehicle distance between the preceding vehicle and the vehicle is large, and in which the inter-vehicle time between the preceding vehicle and the vehicle is large The vehicle driving force control device according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle driving force control device corresponds to at least one of the shift to the relatively low speed gear stage or the gear ratio. In the vehicle driving force control device according to claim 1 or 2,
The vehicle driving force control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the estimation means performs the estimation based on a statistical value of a relative vehicle speed between the preceding vehicle and the vehicle before the driver's intention to decelerate is detected. In the vehicle driving force control device according to claim 3,
The estimation means includes a first statistical value related to the relative vehicle speed data in a first period, and a second related to the relative vehicle speed data in a second period that is different in length from the first period. The vehicle driving force control device characterized in that the estimation is performed based on a statistical value.

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