JP2008201231A - Device and method for changing vehicle pedal reaction force - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a vehicle pedal reaction force changing device capable of recognizing a trend in fuel consumption in traveling of a vehicle without depending on a driver's eyesight. <P>SOLUTION: This vehicle pedal reaction force changing device 1 changes the operating reaction force of an accelerator pedal 15, and is provided with a reaction force control means 13 which increases the operating reaction force of the accelerator pedal 15 when the average fuel consumption is larger than zonal fuel consumption and instantaneous fuel consumption. The pedal reaction force changing device 1 recognizes fuel consumption according to the magnitude of the operating reaction force of the accelerator pedal 15. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a pedal reaction force changing device and a pedal reaction force changing method for a vehicle that control an operation reaction force of an accelerator pedal in accordance with the fuel consumption of the vehicle.

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there has been known an apparatus that displays a fuel consumption according to a driving state on a predetermined display provided in a driver's seat while a vehicle is traveling (see, for example, Patent Document 1). Incidentally, the displayed fuel efficiency includes instantaneous fuel efficiency, average fuel efficiency, and section fuel efficiency.
According to this device, the driver can realize low fuel consumption by confirming the fuel consumption displayed during traveling and adjusting the accelerator work.
JP 2004-257985 A

  However, in this device, the driver may not be able to check the fuel consumption displayed during the driving operation due to road conditions during traveling. Therefore, this device cannot always perform an accurate accelerator work according to the displayed fuel consumption. In addition, this device will always force the driver to check the displayed fuel consumption if he / she always wants to achieve an accurate accelerator work according to the fuel consumption, and visually recognizes the driving situation necessary for driving operation. There is also a problem of increasing the burden of the determination.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a pedal reaction force changing device and a pedal reaction force changing method for a vehicle that can recognize the trend of fuel consumption while the vehicle is running without depending on the driver's vision.

  The present invention that has solved the above problem is a pedal reaction force changing device for a vehicle that changes the operation reaction force of an accelerator pedal, and when the average fuel consumption is larger than each of the section fuel consumption and the instantaneous fuel consumption, A reaction force control means for increasing an operation reaction force is provided.

  Further, the present invention is a pedal reaction force changing device for a vehicle that changes an operation reaction force of an accelerator pedal, and when the average fuel consumption is smaller than each of the section fuel consumption and the instantaneous fuel consumption, the operation reaction force of the accelerator pedal is reduced. It is characterized by comprising reaction force control means for reducing the above.

  According to such a pedal reaction force changing device, it is possible to recognize the fuel consumption during traveling by feeling the magnitude of the operation reaction force of the accelerator pedal with a foot. As a result, according to this pedal reaction force changing device, the driver can recognize and judge the trend of fuel consumption while the vehicle is traveling, without using visual perception.

  Further, the pedal reaction force changing device according to the present embodiment sets the accelerator pedal operation reaction force by determining the magnitude relationship between the average fuel consumption as a reference and each of the instantaneous fuel consumption and the section fuel consumption. For example, it is possible to more reliably realize low fuel consumption travel according to the driving state of the driver, compared to a case where the magnitude relationship between a certain threshold value and instantaneous fuel efficiency and section fuel efficiency is determined and set. .

  Further, in such a pedal reaction force changing device, when calculating the average fuel consumption, the section fuel consumption, and the instantaneous fuel consumption, and when the average fuel consumption is larger than each of the section fuel consumption and the instantaneous fuel consumption, Then, a pedal reaction force changing method for a vehicle including a procedure for increasing the operation reaction force of the accelerator pedal is executed.

  Further, in such a pedal reaction force changing device, the procedure for calculating each of the average fuel consumption, the section fuel consumption, and the instantaneous fuel consumption, and when the average fuel consumption is smaller than each of the section fuel consumption and the instantaneous fuel consumption, Then, a pedal reaction force changing method for a vehicle including a procedure for reducing the operation reaction force of the accelerator pedal is executed.

  According to the pedal reaction force changing device and the pedal reaction force changing method of the vehicle of the present invention, the user can feel the magnitude of the operation reaction force of the accelerator pedal with his / her foot without depending on the driver's vision, thereby improving the fuel efficiency while the vehicle is running. Can recognize trends.

Next, a pedal reaction force changing device for a vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings as appropriate.
As described above, this pedal reaction force changing device senses the fuel consumption of a running vehicle based on the magnitude of the operation reaction force of the accelerator pedal, and the operation reaction force based on the average fuel consumption. The main feature is that the magnitude relationship between the fuel efficiency and the instantaneous fuel efficiency is determined and set.
Incidentally, the “fuel consumption” here means the travel distance of the vehicle per unit fuel amount. “Average fuel consumption” refers to the fuel consumption accumulated from the start of measurement by resetting the trip meter to the current measurement. “Instant fuel consumption” refers to the instantaneous fuel consumption at the time of fuel consumption measurement. The term “fuel consumption” refers to fuel consumption at a predetermined distance or a predetermined time after the start of measurement of average fuel consumption.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram for explaining a configuration of a pedal reaction force changing device.
As shown in FIG. 1, the pedal reaction force changing device 1 according to this embodiment mainly includes a stepping motor 11, a return spring 12, a reaction force control means 13, and a display 14.

  The stepping motor 11 rotates in both the left and right directions at predetermined angle increments based on a command output from a reaction force control means 13 described later. A drive disk 11b for driving a return spring 12 described below is attached to the rotating shaft 11a of the stepping motor 11.

  The return spring 12 in the present embodiment is a string-wound spring, one end of which is attached to the outer peripheral portion of the drive disk 11b, and the other end is attached to the accelerator pedal 15. More specifically, the other end is attached to an accelerator arm 15b between the rotation center 15a of the accelerator pedal 15 and the accelerator pad 15d via a predetermined joint 15c. And this return spring 12 is urging | biasing the direction which draws the junction part 15c toward the stepping motor 11 side.

The reaction force control means 13 mainly includes a fuel consumption amount detection means 13a, a travel distance detection means 13b, a storage means 13c, and a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 13d.
The fuel consumption amount detection means 13a may be a known one, for example, a device that detects the fuel consumption amount per unit time based on a signal output from an injection solenoid of a fuel injection nozzle provided in the engine. . The fuel consumption detection means 13a outputs a detection signal corresponding to the detected fuel consumption to the CPU 13d described later.

  The mileage detection means 13b may be a known one, for example, one that detects the mileage by integrating speed information obtained from a speed sensor that detects the vehicle speed, the number of rotations of the tire, the rotation speed, and the like. For detecting the travel distance based on the above. The travel distance detection means 13b outputs a detection signal corresponding to the detected travel distance to the CPU 13d described later.

  The storage means 13c stores information relating to instantaneous fuel efficiency, average fuel efficiency, and section fuel efficiency, which will be described later, output from the CPU 13d described below, and a map that the CPU 13d refers to for determining the rotation angle of the stepping motor 11. It is. As the storage means 13c, for example, a known memory circuit can be used. Incidentally, as will be described later, the map defines the magnitude relationship between the instantaneous fuel economy and the section fuel economy with respect to the average fuel economy determined by the CPU 13d, and the rotation angle of the stepping motor 11 corresponding to this magnitude relationship.

The CPU 13d is configured to execute a procedure (see FIG. 3) to be described later, and instantaneous fuel consumption calculated based on the detection signals output from the fuel consumption detection means 13a and the travel distance detection means 13b, The average fuel consumption and the section fuel consumption are configured to be stored in the storage unit 13c. Incidentally, in this pedal reaction force changing device 1, since the section fuel consumption immediately after the start cannot be calculated, the storage means 13c stores the final section fuel consumption at the time of the previous travel until the section fuel consumption is accurately calculated. As a substitute.
The CPU 13d refers to the storage unit 13c to determine the rotation angle of the stepping motor 11 according to the magnitude relationship between the instantaneous fuel consumption and the section fuel consumption with respect to the average fuel consumption, and the stepping motor 11 rotates at the rotation angle. In this way, a command is output to the stepping motor 11.

  The display 14 displays information on the instantaneous fuel consumption, the average fuel consumption, and the section fuel consumption output from the CPU 13d, the fuel consumption increase status, and the fuel consumption decrease status. The display 14 may be a known one, and examples thereof include an LCD, an LED, and the like.

Next, the operation of the pedal reaction force changing device 1 according to the present embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the drawings as appropriate.
FIG. 2 is a chart showing how the average fuel consumption, the instantaneous fuel consumption, and the section fuel consumption calculated by the reaction force control means change. The vertical axis represents the fuel consumption (km / L), and the horizontal axis represents the vehicle. It represents the distance traveled (m). FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing a procedure executed by the reaction force control means (CPU 13d). FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing how the accelerator pedal reaction force increases and decreases, (a) shows how the accelerator pedal reaction force increases greatly, and (b) shows the accelerator pedal operation. It is a figure which shows a mode that reaction force reduces large. FIGS. 5A to 5D are partial schematic views of the display showing the degree of decrease and increase in fuel consumption.

  In the pedal reaction force changing device 1, when the pedal reaction force changing device 1 is started by starting the engine of the vehicle, for example, the pedal reaction force changing device 1 is started as soon as the ignition switch is turned on. Further, when the pedal reaction force changing device 1 is activated during traveling, for example, the pedal reaction force changing device 1 is activated by turning on an activation switch (not shown) provided on the operation panel of the driver's seat.

In the pedal reaction force changing device 1, as described above, the CPU 13d shown in FIG. 1 outputs the average fuel consumption, the section fuel consumption, and the instantaneous fuel consumption from the fuel consumption detection means 13a and the travel distance detection means 13b, respectively. The calculation is performed based on the detection signal. More specifically, when calculating the average fuel efficiency, the CPU 13d first integrates, for example, the fuel consumption per unit time acquired based on the detection signal from the fuel consumption detection means 13a into the storage means 13c. Go. This integration is performed simultaneously with the activation of the pedal reaction force changing device 1. This integration is performed after the travel distance detected by the travel distance detection means 13b is reset. Therefore, when the travel distance detecting means 13b and the trip meter (not shown) are interlocked, this integration may be performed after the driver resets the trip meter.
On the other hand, the CPU 13d stores the travel distance of the vehicle acquired based on the detection signal from the travel distance detection means 13b in the storage means 13c. Next, whenever the fuel consumption amount is accumulated in the storage means 13c, the CPU 13d refers to the accumulated fuel consumption amount in the storage means 13c at that time, and refers to the travel distance at that time, The average fuel consumption is calculated by dividing the distance by the accumulated fuel consumption. The calculated average fuel consumption is displayed on the display 14 shown in FIG.

  In addition, when calculating the fuel efficiency of the section, the CPU 13d refers to the fuel consumption accumulated in the storage means 13c, calculates the fuel consumption at predetermined time intervals, and calculates the calculation. The fuel consumption is calculated by dividing the fuel consumption by the travel distance at the time interval. At this time, the above-mentioned “certain time interval” is desirably set to 3 seconds or more and 10 minutes or less. In addition, the calculation of the fuel efficiency of the section by the CPU 13d calculates the fuel consumption amount at the predetermined travel distance interval for each predetermined travel distance interval, and divides the travel distance interval by the calculated fuel consumption amount. You may do. At this time, it is desirable to set the above-mentioned “certain traveling distance interval” to 100 m to 10 km. The calculated section fuel efficiency is displayed on the display 14 shown in FIG.

  In addition, when calculating the instantaneous fuel consumption, the CPU 13d refers to the fuel consumption amount accumulated in the storage means 13c for every predetermined short time around 1 second, and the short time The instantaneous fuel consumption is calculated by dividing the amount of fuel consumed in step 1 by the distance traveled by the vehicle that has traveled in that short time. The “instantaneous fuel consumption” is preferably a value that represents a travel distance per fuel consumption in a time period of 0.001 second or more and less than 3 seconds. The calculated instantaneous fuel consumption is displayed on the display 14 shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 2, the average fuel consumption, section fuel consumption, and instantaneous fuel consumption calculated in this way are calculated based on an arbitrary point A as a base point (position at a distance of 0 m in FIG. 2). When the vehicle continues to travel from point A to point B (position at a distance of 1300 m in FIG. 2), it changes according to the driving state such as the engine speed of the vehicle. Since the instantaneous fuel consumption is a short-time fuel consumption as described above, it becomes an extremely bad value during acceleration as compared with the average fuel consumption and the section fuel consumption. And the instantaneous fuel consumption becomes an extremely good value exceeding the measurement limit, for example, during coasting or traveling on a downhill road. In the present embodiment, the upper limit value of the instantaneous fuel consumption is set to 30 km / L when comparing the size of the section fuel consumption and the instantaneous fuel consumption with respect to the average fuel consumption described later.
Further, since the average fuel consumption is averaged over the driving conditions that have changed in the past, the fluctuations are flatter than the instantaneous fuel consumption and the section fuel consumption.
In addition, the section fuel consumption has a large fluctuation compared to the average fuel consumption, and the fluctuation is small compared to the instantaneous fuel consumption.

Next, the CPU 13d compares whether the average fuel consumption is larger or smaller than each of the section fuel consumption and the instantaneous fuel consumption.
Then, as shown by the P section in FIG. 2, when the average fuel consumption is very large as compared with the section fuel consumption and the instantaneous fuel consumption, the CPU 13 d causes the operation reaction force of the accelerator pedal 15 to greatly increase. A reaction force large increase command is output to the stepping motor 11.
Incidentally, the determination by the CPU 13d that “the average fuel consumption is very large” here is the following equation (1):
2. AM-IM-SM ≧ X (1)
(In the formula (1), AM represents average fuel consumption, IM represents instantaneous fuel consumption, SM represents section fuel consumption, and X represents a preset threshold value (for example, 4 km / L)).
It is performed when the relationship indicated by is satisfied.

In addition, as shown by the Q section in FIG. 2, when the average fuel consumption is very small compared to each of the section fuel consumption and the instantaneous fuel consumption, the CPU 13 d greatly reduces the operation reaction force of the accelerator pedal 15. A large reaction force reduction command is output to the stepping motor 11.
Incidentally, the determination by the CPU 13d that “the average fuel consumption is very small” here is the following equation (2):
2. AM-IM-SM ≦ −X (2)
(In the formula (2), AM, IM, SM, and X have the same meanings as those in the formula (1)).
It is performed when the relationship indicated by is satisfied.

Further, as shown by the R section in FIG. 2, when the average fuel efficiency is larger than the section P and the instantaneous fuel efficiency, the CPU 13 d has a small operation reaction force of the accelerator pedal 15. A reaction force small increase command is output to the stepping motor 11 so as to increase.
Incidentally, the determination by the CPU 13d that “the average fuel consumption is not as large as that in the P section” here is the following expression (3):
0 ≦ 2, AM-IM-SM ≦ X (3)
(However, in Formula (3), AM, IM, SM, and X are synonymous with those of Formula (1)).
It is performed when the relationship indicated by is satisfied.

In addition, as shown by the S section in FIG. 2, when the average fuel consumption is smaller than the section fuel consumption and the instantaneous fuel consumption, not as much as the Q section, the CPU 13 d has a small operation reaction force of the accelerator pedal 15. A small reaction force reduction command is output to the stepping motor 11 so as to reduce it.
Incidentally, the determination by the CPU 13d that “the average fuel consumption is not as small as the Q section” here is the following expression (4):
-X <2, AM-IM-SM <0 (4)
(However, in Formula (4), AM, IM, SM, and X are synonymous with those of Formula (1)).
It is performed when the relationship indicated by is satisfied.

  Then, the CPU 13d does not transmit a command to the stepping motor 11 so that the current operation reaction force of the accelerator pedal 15 is maintained when not satisfying all the relations of the expressions (1) to (4).

Next, a procedure executed by the CPU 13d will be described with reference to a flowchart.
First, when the pedal reaction force changing device 1 is activated, the CPU 13d executes a subroutine shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 3, the CPU 13d calculates the average fuel consumption (AM) as described above (step S1), calculates the instantaneous fuel consumption (IM) (step S2), and calculates the section fuel consumption (SM) ( Step S3). Note that the order of steps S1 to S3 may be interchanged.

  Next, the CPU 13d determines whether or not the average fuel consumption (AM) is very large compared to the section fuel consumption (SM) and very large compared to the instantaneous fuel consumption (IM) (step S4). If this step S4 is Yes, the CPU 13d outputs the above-mentioned reaction force large increase command to the stepping motor 11 (step S5). Then, after step S5 ends, this subroutine returns to step S1.

  When Step S4 is No, the CPU 13d determines whether the average fuel consumption (AM) is very small compared to the section fuel consumption (SM) and very small compared to the instantaneous fuel consumption (IM). Is determined (step S6). If this step S6 is Yes, the CPU 13d outputs the above reaction force large reduction command to the stepping motor 11 (step S7). Then, after step S7 is completed, this subroutine returns to step S1.

  When Step S6 is No, the CPU 13d determines that the average fuel consumption (AM) is not so large as compared with the section fuel consumption (SM) and compared with the instantaneous fuel consumption (IM). Then, it is determined whether or not it is not so large (step S8). If this step S8 is Yes, the CPU 13d outputs the above-described small reaction force increase command to the stepping motor 11 (step S9). Then, after step S9 ends, this subroutine returns to step S1.

  When Step S8 is No, the CPU 13d has an average fuel consumption (AM) that is not so small as compared with the section fuel consumption (SM), and compared with the instantaneous fuel consumption (IM). Then, it is determined whether or not it is so small that it is not so small (step S10). And when this step S10 is Yes, CPU13d outputs the reaction force small reduction command mentioned above to the stepping motor 11 (step S11). Then, after step S11 ends, this subroutine returns to step S1.

  If Step S10 is No, the CPU 13d does not send a command to the stepping motor 11 (Step S12), and this subroutine returns to Step S1.

It should be noted that the procedures of step S4 and step 5 may be interchanged with any of the procedures of step S6 and step 7, the procedures of step S8 and step 9, and the procedures of step S10 and step 11.
Moreover, the procedure of step S6 and step 7 may be interchanged with any of the procedure of step S8 and step 9, and the procedure of step S10 and step 11.
Further, the procedures of Step S8 and Step 9 may be interchanged with the procedures of Step S10 and Step 11.

  On the other hand, the stepping motor 11 to which any one of the reaction force large increase command, the reaction force large decrease command, the reaction force small increase command, and the reaction force small decrease command is input from the CPU 13d is rotated according to the input command. change. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 4A, the stepping motor 11 that has input a reaction force increase command from the CPU 13d rotates counterclockwise from the reference position 16 at a predetermined angle such as +20 degrees. To do. Then, when the drive disk 11b rotates at this predetermined angle, one end side of the return spring 12 attached to the outer peripheral portion of the drive disk 11b is pulled according to this predetermined angle. As a result, the return spring 12 increases the operation reaction force F of the accelerator pedal 15 by increasing the urging force in the direction of pulling the joint portion 15c toward the stepping motor 11 side.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 4B, the stepping motor 11 that has received the reaction force large reduction command from the CPU 13d rotates clockwise from the reference position 16 at a predetermined angle such as −20 degrees. Then, when the drive disk 11b rotates at this predetermined angle, one end side of the return spring 12 attached to the outer peripheral portion of the drive disk 11b is returned toward the accelerator pedal 15 according to this predetermined angle. As a result, the return spring 12 reduces the operating reaction force F of the accelerator pedal 15 by reducing the urging force in the direction of pulling the joint 15c toward the stepping motor 11 side.

  Further, the stepping motor 11 to which the reaction force small increase command is input from the CPU 13d rotates from the reference position 16 in the counterclockwise direction at a predetermined angle such as +10 degrees, for example. Then, when the drive disk 11b rotates at this predetermined angle, one end side of the return spring 12 attached to the outer peripheral portion of the drive disk 11b is pulled according to this predetermined angle. As a result, the return spring 12 generates an operation reaction force F of the accelerator pedal 15 as compared with the case where the urging force in the direction of pulling the joint portion 15c toward the stepping motor 11 is compared with the case where the reaction force increase instruction is input. Increase small.

  Further, although not shown, the stepping motor 11 to which the reaction force small reduction command is input from the CPU 13d rotates in the clockwise direction from the reference position 16 at a predetermined angle such as −10 degrees. Then, when the drive disk 11b rotates at this predetermined angle, one end side of the return spring 12 attached to the outer peripheral portion of the drive disk 11b is returned toward the accelerator pedal 15 according to this predetermined angle. As a result, the return spring 12 reduces the operating reaction force F of the accelerator pedal 15 as compared with the case where the reaction force large reduction command is input as the biasing force in the direction of pulling the joint portion 15c toward the stepping motor 11 side. To reduce.

  While the operation reaction force F of the accelerator pedal 15 is controlled by the CPU 13d, the display 14 shown in FIG. The situation, the fuel economy decrease status, etc. are displayed. Incidentally, in this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 5A to 5D, any one of the average fuel consumption, the instantaneous fuel consumption, and the section fuel consumption is selectively displayed by the driver's operation on the fuel consumption display portion 14a. It has become so. The fuel consumption display unit 14a may display all of the average fuel consumption, instantaneous fuel consumption, and section fuel consumption at the same time.

  Further, in this embodiment, as shown in FIGS. 5A to 5D, the fuel consumption trend display unit 14b displays the fuel consumption increase status, the fuel consumption decrease status, and the like. The fuel consumption tendency display unit 14b is composed of two lamps arranged on the left and right sides of the fuel consumption display unit 14a. When the fuel consumption is greatly decreasing, that is, when the average fuel consumption is very large compared to the section fuel consumption and the instantaneous fuel consumption, as shown in FIG. Will blink.

  Further, when the fuel consumption is greatly increasing, that is, when the average fuel consumption is very small compared to each of the section fuel consumption and the instantaneous fuel consumption, as shown in FIG. Will blink.

  Further, when the fuel consumption is small and tends to decrease, that is, when the average fuel consumption is not so large as compared with the section fuel consumption and the instantaneous fuel consumption, as shown in FIG. One lamp will blink.

  Further, when the fuel efficiency is small and tends to increase, that is, when the average fuel efficiency is not so small as compared with each of the section fuel efficiency and the instantaneous fuel efficiency, as shown in FIG. One lamp will blink.

  According to the pedal reaction force changing device 1 and the pedal reaction force changing method according to the present embodiment as described above, the driver feels the magnitude of the operation reaction force of the accelerator pedal 15 with his / her foot regardless of his / her eyes. It is possible to recognize trends in fuel consumption while the vehicle is running. That is, the driver can accurately perform the accelerator work according to the fuel consumption of the traveling vehicle without using the visual sense.

  Further, according to the pedal reaction force changing device 1 and the pedal reaction force changing method according to the present embodiment, the driver recognizes the fuel consumption during traveling by feeling the magnitude of the operation reaction force of the accelerator pedal 15 with his / her foot. Therefore, it is possible to intuitively determine and learn whether the current operation of the accelerator pedal 15 is good or bad for the fuel consumption of the vehicle.

  Further, according to the pedal reaction force changing device 1 and the pedal reaction force changing method according to the present embodiment, the driver recognizes the fuel consumption during traveling by feeling the magnitude of the operation reaction force of the accelerator pedal 15 with his / her foot. Therefore, compared with the conventional device (for example, refer to Patent Document 1), the burden of recognition of the visual driving situation necessary for the driving operation and the judgment thereof are reduced.

  Further, according to the pedal reaction force changing device 1 and the pedal reaction force changing method according to the present embodiment, as described above, the operation reaction force of the accelerator pedal 15 is selected from the three types of average fuel consumption, instantaneous fuel consumption, and section fuel consumption. Since it is determined and set comprehensively, fluctuations in fuel consumption that change according to the running state of the vehicle can be captured more accurately and directly linked to low fuel consumption.

  In addition, the pedal reaction force change device 1 and the pedal reaction force change method according to the present embodiment have a magnitude relationship between the average fuel consumption, the instantaneous fuel consumption, and the section fuel consumption, based on the operation reaction force of the accelerator pedal 15. Since it is determined and set, for example, it is more reliable according to the driving state of the driver, compared with the one set by determining the magnitude relationship between the constant threshold value and each of the instantaneous fuel efficiency and the section fuel efficiency. Low fuel consumption driving can be realized. More specifically, in the case of determining and setting a relationship between a certain threshold value and each of the instantaneous fuel economy and the section fuel economy, for example, if the threshold value is set in accordance with a driver with low fuel consumption driving intention, the sporty driving intention is set. For the driver, the device is always a device that only has a large reaction force of the accelerator pedal 15 (it is only heavy). On the other hand, the pedal reaction force change device 1 and the pedal reaction force change method according to the present embodiment calculate the average fuel consumption according to the driving state for a sporty travel-oriented driver and reduce the fuel consumption. For the driving-oriented driver, the average fuel consumption is calculated according to the driving state. And this average fuel consumption changes gradually according to the driving state at that time of each driver. Therefore, the pedal reaction force changing device 1 and the pedal reaction force changing method are based on the average fuel consumption according to the driving states of the sporty driving-oriented driver and the low fuel consumption driving-oriented driver. Regardless of whether the driver is driven by low fuel consumption or sporty, the driver can more reliably lead to low fuel consumption. According to the pedal reaction force changing device 1 and the pedal reaction force changing method, a sporty driving-oriented driver can now drive more fuel-efficient compared to driving that is currently performed. It can also be determined whether or not.

By the way, in the device in which the operation reaction force of the accelerator pedal 15 is set only by the instantaneous fuel consumption, the operation reaction force of the accelerator pedal 15 is frequently changed many times, so that the driver feels troublesome in the accelerator work. . Further, in this device, while the driver senses the changed operation reaction force of the accelerator pedal 15, the operation reaction force is already changed while adjusting the operation amount of the accelerator pedal 15. Therefore, there is a problem that fuel consumption cannot be improved sufficiently.
On the other hand, in the pedal reaction force changing device 1 according to the present embodiment, the operation reaction force of the accelerator pedal 15 is not frequently changed many times, so the driver may feel bothered by the accelerator work. In addition, the fuel consumption can be sufficiently improved.

Further, in the device in which the reaction force of the accelerator pedal 15 is set only with the average fuel consumption, the fluctuation of the average fuel consumption is extremely small, so whether the driver is currently operating the accelerator pedal 15 for the fuel economy of the vehicle. There is a problem that it cannot be judged whether it is bad.
On the other hand, the pedal reaction force changing device 1 according to the present embodiment can capture the fluctuation of the fuel consumption satisfactorily, so that the driver is now operating the accelerator pedal 15 to improve the fuel consumption of the vehicle. You can judge whether it is good or bad.

Further, in the apparatus in which the operation reaction force of the accelerator pedal 15 is set only by the section fuel consumption, for example, when the vehicle is instantaneously accelerated, the section fuel consumption becomes high although the instantaneous fuel consumption is low. The operation reaction force of 15 is reduced. In other words, there is a problem that the driver is confused in confirming the fuel consumption by sensing the small amount of the reaction force while knowing that the fuel consumption is clearly lowered due to the actual depression of the accelerator pedal 15 at the moment. .
On the other hand, the pedal reaction force changing device 1 according to the present embodiment has a reduction in fuel consumption due to the weight of the operation reaction force of the accelerator pedal 15 even when instantaneous acceleration of the vehicle is performed. Since the reflection is better, the driver is not confused in checking the fuel consumption.

  In addition, according to the pedal reaction force changing device 1 according to the present embodiment, since the fuel consumption trend can be recognized also by the fuel consumption increase and decrease conditions displayed on the display 14, the vehicle fuel consumption can be more reliably confirmed. Accelerator work according to can be performed accurately.

In addition, this invention is implemented in various forms, without being limited to the said embodiment.
In the above embodiment, the rotation angle of the stepping motor 11 is two steps of +20 degrees (−20 degrees) and +10 degrees (−10 degrees) in each of the cases where the operation reaction force of the accelerator pedal 15 is increased and decreased. Although the operation reaction force is changed in steps, the present invention may change the operation reaction force in three steps or more, or may change it continuously.

  In the above embodiment, the operation reaction force of the accelerator pedal 15 is adjusted by arranging the return spring 12 between the accelerator arm 15b of the accelerator pedal 15 and the drive disk 11b of the stepping motor 11. Is not limited to this, and the operating reaction force of the accelerator pedal 15 is adjusted by changing the winding radius of the spring spring (not shown) wound around the rotation center 15a of the accelerator pedal 15 by the stepping motor 11 or the like. It may be a thing.

It is a schematic diagram for demonstrating the structure of a pedal reaction force change apparatus. It is a chart showing how the average fuel consumption, instantaneous fuel consumption, and section fuel consumption calculated by the reaction force control means fluctuate. The vertical axis represents fuel consumption (km / L), and the horizontal axis represents the distance traveled by the vehicle ( m). It is a flowchart which shows the procedure which a reaction force control means performs. It is a schematic diagram which shows a mode that the operating reaction force of an accelerator pedal increases / decreases, (a) is a figure which shows a mode that the operating reaction force of an accelerator pedal increases greatly, (b) is a large operating reaction force of an accelerator pedal. It is a figure which shows a mode that it reduces. (A)-(d) is the partial schematic diagram of the display in which the fall degree of the fuel consumption and the rise degree were shown.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Pedal reaction force change apparatus 13 Reaction force control means 15 Accelerator pedal 13a Fuel consumption detection means 13b Travel distance detection means 13c Storage means 13d CPU

Claims (4)

A pedal reaction force changing device for a vehicle that changes an operation reaction force of an accelerator pedal,
A pedal reaction force changing device for a vehicle, comprising: a reaction force control means for increasing an operation reaction force of an accelerator pedal when the average fuel consumption is larger than each of the section fuel consumption and the instantaneous fuel consumption. A pedal reaction force changing device for a vehicle that changes an operation reaction force of an accelerator pedal,
A pedal reaction force change device for a vehicle, comprising: a reaction force control means for reducing an operation reaction force of an accelerator pedal when the average fuel consumption is smaller than each of the section fuel consumption and the instantaneous fuel consumption. A method of changing a pedal reaction force of a vehicle for changing an operation reaction force of an accelerator pedal,
A procedure for calculating each of average fuel economy, section fuel economy, and instantaneous fuel economy;
When the average fuel consumption is greater than each of the section fuel consumption and the instantaneous fuel consumption, a procedure for increasing the operation reaction force of the accelerator pedal;
A pedal reaction force changing method for a vehicle, comprising: A method of changing a pedal reaction force of a vehicle for changing an operation reaction force of an accelerator pedal,
A procedure for calculating each of average fuel economy, section fuel economy, and instantaneous fuel economy;
When the average fuel consumption is smaller than each of the section fuel consumption and the instantaneous fuel consumption, a procedure for reducing the operation reaction force of the accelerator pedal;
A pedal reaction force changing method for a vehicle, comprising:

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