JP2023165186A - accelerator pedal system - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an accelerator pedal system that can properly release a lock state of a pedal.SOLUTION: A control part 60 of an accelerator pedal system 1 has an operation detecting part 61, a characteristics learning part 62 and an actuator control part 65. The operation detecting part 61 detects operation of pedal by a driver. The characteristic learning part 62 learns tread-force characteristics from the operation of the pedal by the driver. The actuator control part 65 controls driving of the actuator 40. The actuator control part 65 controls the driving of the actuator 40 so that a lock state of a pedal lever 20 is released, when it is determined that the driver actively steps on a pedal lever 20 on the basis of tread force F applied in a locked state of the pedal lever 20 and jerk dF that is a temporal differential value of the tread force. Determination thresholds Fth and dFth concerning the tread force F and jerk dF that are used in determining whether the locked state is released are set in accordance with the learnt tread force characteristics.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to an accelerator pedal system.

Conventionally, it has been known to use the accelerator pedal as a footrest when driving at a constant speed. For example, in Patent Document 1, a holding pin is slid by turning on and off a solenoid to hold or release the accelerator pedal at the footrest position.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2006-182139

In Patent Document 1, when the accelerator pedal is used as a footrest, if the driver wishes to operate the accelerator pedal, the accelerator pedal may be depressed strongly and quickly, or the accelerator pedal may be depressed multiple times to perform the acceleration operation. is possible. However, Patent Document 1 does not take into account variations in pedal force due to individual differences and the influence of disturbances.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned problems, and an object thereof is to provide an accelerator pedal system that can appropriately release the locked state of the pedal.

The accelerator pedal system of the present invention includes a pedal lever (20), a lock mechanism (50), an actuator (40), and a control section (60). The pedal lever operates in response to a depression operation. The locking mechanism can regulate the operation of the pedal lever. The actuator switches between a locked state in which the operation of the pedal lever is regulated by the lock mechanism and a locked state in which the pedal lever is not regulated.

The control section includes an operation detection section (61), a characteristic learning section (62), and an actuator control section (65). The operation detection section detects a pedal operation by the driver. The characteristic learning section learns pedal force characteristics from the driver's pedal operations. The actuator control section controls driving of the actuator.

The actuator control unit changes the locked state of the pedal lever when it is determined that the driver has actively depressed the pedal lever based on the pedal force applied when the pedal lever is locked and the time differential value of the pedal force. The drive of the actuator is controlled so as to release the signal. The determination thresholds related to the pedal force and the time differential value of the pedal force used in the lock release determination are set according to the learned pedal force characteristics. Thereby, the locked state of the pedal lever can be appropriately released.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an accelerator pedal system according to a first embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a locked state in the accelerator pedal system according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating disturbance determination according to the first embodiment. It is a flow chart explaining lock release processing by a 1st embodiment. 5 is a time chart illustrating pedal force characteristics according to the first embodiment. It is a flow chart explaining learning processing by a 1st embodiment. It is a time chart explaining the additional depression determination according to the first embodiment. FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram illustrating a pedal force characteristic distribution according to the first embodiment. It is a flow chart explaining learning processing by a 2nd embodiment. It is a flow chart explaining learning processing by a 3rd embodiment. It is a flow chart explaining learning processing by a 4th embodiment. It is a flow chart explaining learning processing by a 5th embodiment.

(First embodiment)
Hereinafter, an accelerator pedal system according to the present invention will be explained based on the drawings. Hereinafter, in a plurality of embodiments, substantially the same configurations are denoted by the same reference numerals, and description thereof will be omitted. A first embodiment is shown in FIGS. 1 to 8. As shown in FIG. 1, the accelerator pedal system 1 includes a pedal lever 20, an actuator 40, a lock mechanism 50, a control section 60, and the like.

The pedal lever 20 has a pad 21, an arm 31, and a pedal 35, and is driven integrally by a driver's depression operation or the like. The pad 21 is provided so that it can be depressed by a driver. The pad 21 is rotatably supported by a fulcrum member 23 provided in the housing H. Although FIG. 1 shows a so-called floor-standing type (organ type) in which the pad 21 is provided extending in a direction along one surface of the housing H, it may be a hanging type (pendant type). Furthermore, in this embodiment, the casing portions such as the pedal housing and the motor housing that are not driven by the drive of the actuator 40 and the depression operation of the pedal lever 20 are collectively referred to as "housing H".

Arm 31 connects pad 21 and pedal 35. One end of the pedal 35 is rotatably supported by the housing H, and the other end is connected to the arm 31. As a result, the pad 21, arm 31, and pedal 35 are driven together by the driver's operation of the pad 21. A pedal sensor 39 is provided at one end of the pedal 35 to detect the pedal opening degree θ.

The pedal biasing member 37 is a compression coil spring, and has one end fixed to the pedal 35 and the other end fixed to the housing H, and biases the pedal 35 in the accelerator closing direction. In FIGS. 1 and 2, the position of the pedal 35 when the accelerator is fully open is shown by a broken line.

The actuator 40 includes a motor, a speed reduction mechanism, a power transmission member 45, and the like, and its driving is controlled by a control unit 60. One end of the power transmission member 45 is connected to a gear constituting a speed reduction mechanism, and the other end contacts the pedal lever 20. Thereby, the driving force of the motor serving as the driving source is transmitted to the pedal lever 20 via the deceleration mechanism and the power transmission member 45. In FIG. 1, the other end of the power transmission member 45 is in contact with the pad 21, but may be configured to be in contact with the arm 31 or the pedal 35.

The actuator 40 is provided with a position sensor 49 that detects the rotational position. Hereinafter, the direction of rotation when the actuator 40 is rotated counterclockwise in the paper is assumed to be positive, and the direction of rotation when the actuator 40 is rotated clockwise is assumed to be negative. By rotating the actuator 40 in the forward direction while the power transmission member 45 and the pedal lever 20 are in contact with each other, a reaction force in the return direction can be applied to the pedal lever 20.

By actively applying a reaction force in the return direction to the pedal lever 20 by the actuator 40, for example, based on the driving situation, the reaction force is applied at a point where fuel efficiency deteriorates, creating a wall feeling and suppressing the driver's depression of the pad 21. do. Thereby, fuel efficiency can be improved. For example, by applying a pulse-like reaction force to the pedal lever 20, it can also be used to transmit information such as notification of switching from automatic operation to manual operation.

The locking mechanism 50 includes a locking member 51, a locked portion 52, an elastic member 55, and the like. The locking member 51 is provided so as to be able to come into contact with the locked portion 52 at a tapered surface formed on one end side. The other end of the locking member 51 is accommodated in a housing chamber 56 formed in the housing H, and is provided to be movable back and forth in the axial direction. The locked portion 52 is provided on a member (for example, a gear) that constitutes the actuator 40 . The locked portion 52 is formed so as to be able to come into contact with the locking member 51 on a tapered surface.

The elastic member 55 is housed in a housing chamber 56 provided in the housing H. One end of the elastic member 55 contacts the locking member 51, and the other end is locked to the housing H, urging the locking member 51 toward the locked portion 52.

FIG. 1 shows a state in which a lock is in progress. When the actuator 40 is rotated in the forward direction while the locked portion 52 and the locking member 51 are in contact with each other, the locked portion 52 pushes the locking member 51, thereby compressing the elastic member 55.

As shown in FIG. 2, when the actuator 40 is further rotated in the forward direction and the locked portion 52 climbs over the locking member 51 and turns upward in the drawing, the locking member 51 returns to its initial position due to the biasing force of the elastic member 55. . In the locked state, the locking member 51 locks the locked portion 52 due to the biasing force of the elastic member 55, thereby regulating the rotation of the actuator 40. Furthermore, the power transmission member 45 functions as a lock transmission section, thereby regulating the operation of the pedal lever 20. Thereby, the operation of the pedal lever 20 can be restricted in a non-energized state where the actuator 40 is turned off.

Hereinafter, restricting the operation of the pedal lever 20 will be simply referred to as "locking." For example, during automatic driving, comfort can be ensured by locking the pedal lever 20 and using the pad 21 as a footrest. In this embodiment, the pedal lever 20 will be described as being locked at the fully closed position.

When the actuator 40 is rotated in the negative direction from the locked state shown in FIG. 2, the locked portion 52 pushes the locking member 51, thereby compressing the elastic member 55. When the locked portion 52 climbs over the locking member 51 and turns downward in the drawing, the locked state is released and the locking member 51 returns to its initial position due to the biasing force of the elastic member 55. Furthermore, the locked state can be released in the same manner when a pedal force greater than a predetermined level is applied to the pedal lever 20. Note that in FIG. 2, the description of the control unit 60 and the like is omitted.

When the pedal lever 20 is not locked, it is desirable to rotate the actuator 40 counterclockwise from the state shown in FIG. 1 to retract the locking member 51 and the locked portion 52 so that they do not come into contact with each other.

The control unit 60 is mainly composed of a microcomputer, and internally includes a CPU, ROM, RAM, I/O, and a bus line connecting these components, all of which are not shown. Each process in the control unit 60 may be a software process in which a CPU executes a program stored in a physical memory device such as a ROM (i.e., a readable non-temporary tangible recording medium), or It may also be a hardware process using a dedicated electronic circuit.

The control unit 60 includes, as functional blocks, an operation detection unit 61, a characteristic learning unit 62, a disturbance determination unit 63, an actuator control unit 65, and the like. The operation detection unit 61 detects the pedal opening degree θ and the pedal force applied to the pedal lever 20 based on the detected value of the pedal sensor 39. Further, information related to the pedal force applied to the brake pedal 75 is acquired from the brake ECU 70 . The characteristic learning unit 62 learns the driver's pedal force characteristics based on the pedal force applied to the pedal lever 20 or the brake pedal 75. Details of learning the pedal force characteristics will be described later.

As shown in FIG. 3, the disturbance determination unit 63 determines a disturbance that causes a variation in pedal effort based on various sensor information, pedal effort information, and the like. In detail, the vibration determination unit 631 determines vibration caused by climbing over a road surface difference, etc., based on information from a vertical G sensor, a suspension behavior detection device, and the like. Further, if it is estimated that there is a road surface difference at the current position of the vehicle based on map data storing road surface conditions and current position information of the vehicle such as GPS, it may be assumed that there is vehicle vibration.

The deceleration determination unit 632 determines deceleration based on information from a vehicle speed sensor, a vehicle G sensor, and the like. The turning determination unit 633 determines the turning of the vehicle based on information from the left and right G sensors, the steering sensor, the gyro sensor, and the like. The repositioning determination unit 634 determines whether the driver has repositioned his or her feet on the pad 21 based on information from a foot camera, a seat surface pressure sensor, and the like. If vehicle vibration, deceleration or turning of the vehicle, or repositioning of the foot is detected, the disturbance determination unit 63 determines that there is a disturbance and maintains the pedal lock state. Note that the determination may be made using information on sensors, communications, etc. other than those illustrated in FIG. 3. Disturbance determination based on pedal force information will be described later.

The actuator control unit 65 controls the application of a reaction force to the pedal lever 20 and the switching of the locked state of the pedal lever 20 by controlling the drive of the actuator 40 .

The lock release process of this embodiment will be explained based on the flowchart of FIG. 4. This process is executed by the control unit 60 at a predetermined cycle. Hereinafter, "steps" such as step S101 will be omitted and simply referred to as "S".

In S101, the characteristic learning unit 62 performs individual difference learning processing regarding pedal force characteristics, and sets a pedal force determination threshold Fth and a jerk determination threshold dFth, which is a time differential value of the pedal force value. If the pedal effort determination threshold Fth and the jerk determination threshold dFth have already been set, this step may be skipped. Note that when the shift range is switched to the P range, relearning is performed because there is a possibility that the driver has changed in the next drive.

In S102, the control unit 60 determines whether the vehicle is traveling with the pedal lever 20 locked (hereinafter referred to as a pedal lock traveling state). If it is determined that the vehicle is not in the pedal lock driving state (S102: NO), the process from S103 onward is skipped. If it is determined that the vehicle is in the pedal lock driving state (S102: YES), the process moves to S103.

In S103, the control unit 60 determines whether the pedal force F applied to the pedal lever 20 is greater than the learned pedal force determination threshold Fth. If it is determined that the pedal force F is equal to or less than the pedal force determination threshold Fth (S103: NO), the pedal lock state is continued. If it is determined that the pedal force F is greater than the pedal force determination threshold Fth (S103: YES), the process moves to S104.

In S104, the control unit 60 determines whether the state in which the jerk dF, which is the time differential value of the pedal force F applied to the pedal lever 20, is greater than the learned jerk determination threshold dFth continues over the determination time Xs. to judge. If it is determined that the jerk dF is less than or equal to the jerk determination threshold dFth, or that the duration of the state in which the jerk dF is greater than the jerk determination threshold dFth has not reached the determination time Xs (S104: NO), the pedal lock state is continue. If it is determined that the state in which the jerk dF is greater than the jerk determination threshold dFth continues for the determination time Xs (S104: YES), the process moves to S105. Note that the determination processing in S103 and S104 can be interpreted as determining whether or not the driver intends to press the pedal.

In S105, the disturbance determination unit 63 determines whether there is a disturbance related to a change in pedal force. If it is determined that there is a disturbance (S105: YES), the pedal lock state is continued. If it is determined that there is no disturbance (S105: NO), the process moves to S106. In S106, the actuator control unit 65 releases the locked state of the pedal lever 20 by driving the actuator 40.

In this embodiment, when the pedal lever 20 is locked and is used as a footrest, if a pedal force equal to or greater than the determination threshold is detected on the pedal lever 20, the actuator 40 is driven to lock the pedal lever 20. unlock. Here, if the threshold value related to the lock release determination is a preset value, if the determination threshold value is relatively large and the driver's pedaling force is small, even if the pedal lever 20 is actively depressed, the determination threshold value will not be exceeded. A separate action such as pressing the button twice is required to release the lock, and the locked state cannot be released quickly. On the other hand, if the determination threshold is relatively small and the driver's pedal force is large, there is a risk that the lock will be unlocked unintentionally. Therefore, it is desirable that the determination threshold value be set according to the driver's pedal effort.

Here, the inventors have discovered that there is a correlation between the jerk dF when operating the brake pedal 75 when changing the shift range from the P range, for example, and the jerk dF when operating the accelerator pedal when releasing the footrest. I found out. Therefore, in this embodiment, the driver's pedal force characteristics are learned based on the brake pedal force at the time of switching from the P range to a range other than the P range, and the pedal force determination threshold Fth and jerk determination threshold dFth for unlocking the pedal lever 20 are learned. Set. This makes it possible to learn individual differences before driving. Hereinafter, an example will be described in which the P range is switched to the D range after the vehicle is started.

The pedal force characteristics will be explained based on FIG. 5. In FIG. 5, the horizontal axis is the time axis, the upper row shows the pedal force F[N], and the lower row shows the jerk dF[N/s]. When the shift operation is started at time x1 and completed at time x3, the pedal force F increases from time x1, and continues at the maximum pedal force Fmax from time x2 onwards. Further, the learning period is from time x1 to time x2, and the pedal force F is differentiated with respect to time to calculate the jerk dF. The jerk dF has a bell shape as shown in the figure. Individual differences appear in the maximum pedal force value Fmax and the maximum jerk value dFmax.

In this embodiment, in S101 in FIG. 4, the characteristic learning unit 62 learns the maximum pedal force value Fmax and the maximum jerk value dFmax. Further, the characteristic learning unit 62 sets a pedal force determination threshold Fth based on the pedal force maximum value Fmax, and sets a jerk determination threshold dFth based on the jerk maximum value dFmax.

FIG. 6 shows the learning process for pedal force characteristics. In S201, the control unit 60 determines whether depression of the brake during a shift operation from the P range to another range (in this example, the D range) is detected. If it is determined that the brake depression during the shift operation from P to D is not detected (S201: NO), the process of S202 is skipped. If it is determined that brake depression during a shift operation from P to D has been detected (S202: YES), the process moves to S202. In S202, the characteristic learning unit 62 learns the pedal force characteristic.

The inventors conducted a sensory evaluation to verify the effectiveness of learning, and found that when the pedal was configured to be unlocked when the pedal force F exceeded a fixed threshold, most respondents said that unlocking the pedal was too difficult. There were many. On the other hand, when the determination thresholds Fth and dFth are learned and the lock release determination is performed based on the pedaling force F and jerk dF, the most responses were that it was neither too heavy nor too light, but just right. improvement was confirmed.

By the way, in a state where the pedal lever 20 is locked and used as a footrest, unintended application of pedal force may be detected due to disturbances such as climbing over a step or decelerating the vehicle. Therefore, in this embodiment, it is determined whether the driver intends to increase the pedal pressure or not based on the pedal force F and the jerk dF.

The determination of whether the driver intends to apply more pedal pressure will be explained based on the time chart of FIG. 7. In FIG. 7, the horizontal axis is the time axis, the upper row shows the pedal force F applied to the pedal lever 20 in the footrest state, and the lower row shows the jerk dF. The waveform at the time of application is shown by a dashed line. Further, the pedal force value of the driver in the footrest state is assumed to be FR.

In the case of depressing the pedal lever 20 with the intention of depressing, the depressing force F rises relatively gently from the time x10 when the depressing starts to the time x13 when the further depressing is completed, and the jerk dF has an approximately bell shape. On the other hand, in the case of a disturbance, the pedal force F and the jerk dF oscillate, and the jerk dF changes in positive or negative in a relatively short period of time. Therefore, the state in which the jerk dF is greater than the jerk determination threshold dFth does not continue.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, if the pedal force F is greater than the pedal force determination threshold Fth and the jerk dF is greater than the jerk determination threshold dFth for a determination time Xs, the driver intends to increase the pedal pressure. It is determined that

FIG. 8 shows the distribution of pedal force characteristics depending on the situation. In FIG. 8, the horizontal axis is jerk dF, the vertical axis is pedal force F, and the disturbance area is shown by hatching. Data on the pedal force applied to the pedal lever 20 when the disturbance is vehicle deceleration G, vehicle lateral G due to turning, and road surface difference is distributed in a region where the jerk dF is less than the jerk determination threshold dFth. Further, the data of the pedal force applied when the driver repositions his/her foot on the pedal lever 20 is distributed in a region where the pedal force F is less than the pedal force determination threshold Fth.

On the other hand, the data of the pedal force applied by the driver's intention to increase the pedal pressure is distributed in a region where the pedal force F is larger than the pedal force determination threshold Fth and the jerk dF is larger than the jerk determination threshold dFth. Thereby, based on the pedal force F and the jerk dF, it is possible to appropriately determine whether the driver has intentionally increased the pedal force or applied the pedal force due to a disturbance.

As explained above, the accelerator pedal system 1 includes the pedal lever 20, the lock mechanism 50, the actuator 40, and the control section 60. The pedal lever 20 operates in response to a depression operation. The lock mechanism 50 can regulate the operation of the pedal lever 20. Here, "the movement of the pedal lever can be regulated" does not mean that the amount of movement is reduced to zero by completely fixing the pedal lever 20, but also that the amount of movement is made smaller than when it is unlocked. It is a concept that includes. The actuator 40 switches between a locked state in which the operation of the pedal lever 20 is restricted by the locking mechanism 50 and an unlocked state in which the operation is not restricted.

The control unit 60 includes an operation detection unit 61, a characteristic learning unit 62, and an actuator control unit 65. The operation detection unit 61 detects a pedal operation by the driver. The characteristic learning section 62 learns the pedal force characteristics from the driver's pedal operations. The actuator control unit 65 controls driving of the actuator 40.

The actuator control unit 65 determines that the driver has actively depressed the pedal lever 20 based on the pedal force F applied when the pedal lever 20 is locked and the jerk dF, which is the time differential value of the pedal force. In this case, the drive of the actuator 40 is controlled so as to release the locked state of the pedal lever 20. The determination threshold values Fth and dFth related to the pedal force F and the jerk dF used for the lock release determination are set according to the learned pedal force characteristics.

By learning individual differences in driver pedal force characteristics and setting a pedal force determination threshold Fth and a jerk determination threshold dFth, the locked state of the pedal lever 20 is appropriately released according to the driver's intention, and the vehicle is accelerated. I can do it.

The characteristic learning unit 62 learns the driver's pedal force characteristics from the pedal operation of the brake pedal 75 before the vehicle starts running. In this embodiment, the pedal force characteristics are learned from the brake operation when shifting from the P range to a range other than the P range. This makes it possible to perform lock release control in accordance with the driver's pedal force characteristics from the start of travel.

The control unit 60 includes a disturbance determination unit 63 that determines a disturbance related to variation in pedal force applied to the pedal lever 20 in the locked state. When it is determined that there is a disturbance, the control unit 60 maintains the locked state of the pedal lever 20. This can prevent unintentional unlocking due to disturbances.

The disturbance determining section 63 determines a disturbance based on the pedal force applied to the pedal lever 20 and the time differential value of the pedal force. When vehicle vibration is detected, the disturbance determination unit 63 determines that there is a disturbance. The disturbance determination unit 63 determines that there is a disturbance when vehicle deceleration is detected. The disturbance determination unit 63 determines that there is a disturbance when a vehicle turning is detected. Moreover, the disturbance determination unit 63 determines that there is a disturbance when the driver's foot is detected to have been repositioned. This makes it possible to appropriately determine disturbances and prevent unlocking that is not intended by the driver.

The locking mechanism 50 is capable of maintaining a locked state when power to the actuator 40 is turned off. As a result, even if the pedal lever 20 is locked without electricity, it can be unlocked according to the driver's intention.

(Second and third embodiments)
The second embodiment is shown in FIG. 9, and the third embodiment is shown in FIG. The second to fifth embodiments are different from the above-described embodiments in learning processing of pedal force characteristics, so this point will be mainly explained. The learning process of the second embodiment will be explained based on the flowchart of FIG.

In S211, the control unit 60 determines whether depression of the brake is detected when a vehicle starting switch (hereinafter referred to as "IG") such as an ignition switch is turned on. If it is determined that the brake depression during the IG on operation is not detected (S211: NO), the process of S211 is skipped. If it is determined that the brake pedal depression during the IG on operation is detected (S211: YES), the process moves to S212.

In S212, the characteristic learning unit 62 learns the pedal force characteristic. That is, in the second embodiment, the driver's pedal force characteristics are learned from the brake operation when operating the starting switch of the vehicle to switch from off to on.

The learning process of the third embodiment will be explained based on the flowchart of FIG. 10. The learning process of the third embodiment is a combination of the first embodiment and the second embodiment, and the processes of S221 and S222 are similar to the processes of S211 and S212 in FIG. The driver's pedal force characteristics are learned from the brake operation.

Further, if a negative determination is made in S221, the process moves to S223. The processes in S223 and S224 are similar to S201 and S202 in FIG. 6, and the driver's pedal force characteristics are learned from the brake operation during the shift operation from P to D. Even with this configuration, the driver's pedal force characteristics can be learned before the vehicle starts traveling. Further, the same effects as those of the above embodiment are achieved.

(Fourth embodiment)
The learning process of the fourth embodiment will be explained based on the flowchart of FIG. 11. In this embodiment, the driver's pedal force characteristics are learned based on the pedal force at the time of the actual unlock operation by performing an unlock operation on the pedal lever 20 before the vehicle travels in response to a pedal force characteristic learning instruction.

In S231, the control unit 60 switches to the pedal force characteristic learning mode. In S232, the actuator control unit 65 drives the actuator 40 and locks the pedal lever 20, thereby turning the pedal lever 20 into a footrest.

In S233, the control unit 60 determines whether depression of the pedal lever 20 is detected. If it is determined that the pedal lever 20 is not depressed (S233: NO), this determination process is repeated. If it is determined that the pedal lever 20 has been depressed (S233: YES), the process moves to S234, and the characteristic learning unit 62 learns the pedal force characteristic.

In the present embodiment, the characteristic learning unit 62 learns the driver's pedal force characteristics from the pedal operation when unlocking the pedal lever 20, which is performed in response to a pedal force characteristic learning instruction before the vehicle starts running. Thereby, the determination threshold values Fth and dFth can be set based on the pedal force characteristics learned through the actual unlocking operation. Further, the same effects as those of the above embodiment are achieved.

(Fifth embodiment)
The learning process of the fifth embodiment will be explained based on the flowchart of FIG. 12. In this embodiment, the pedal force characteristics are sequentially learned based on the pedal force applied to the pedal lever 20 during start and acceleration while the vehicle is running, and the pedal force applied to the brake pedal 75 during stop and deceleration.

In S241, the control unit 60 determines whether depression of the pedal lever 20 or the brake pedal 75 is detected. If it is determined that depression has not been detected (S241: NO), this determination process is repeated. If it is determined that the pedal depression has been detected (S241: YES), the process moves to S242, and the characteristic learning unit 62 learns the pedal force characteristic.

In S243, the control unit 60 determines whether the vehicle has finished traveling. Note that a state in which the vehicle is temporarily stopped, such as at a traffic light, is considered to be "running". If it is determined that the vehicle is running (S243: NO), the process returns to S241. If it is determined that the vehicle has finished traveling (S243: YES), this process ends.

In this embodiment, the characteristic learning unit 62 learns the driver's pedal force characteristics from the operation of at least one of the pedal lever 20 and the brake pedal while the vehicle is running. Thereby, the pedal force characteristics can be sequentially learned while the vehicle is running. Further, the same effects as those of the above embodiment are achieved.

In the embodiment, the jerk dF corresponds to a "time differential value of pedal force", and the pedal force determination threshold Fth and the jerk determination threshold dFth correspond to a "determination threshold".

(Other embodiments)
In the above embodiment, the lock member 51 is provided on the fixed side, and the locked portion 52 is provided on the movable side. In other embodiments, the locking member may be provided on the movable side and the locked portion may be provided on the fixed side. In the above embodiment, the locked portion is constituted by a convex portion. In other embodiments, the locked portion may be a recess.

In the above embodiment, the locking member is provided so as to be movable in a linear direction along the axial direction of the elastic member, which is a compression coil spring. In other embodiments, the locking state may be switched between the locked state and the unlocked state by rotating the locking member. By switching the lock state by rotating the lock member, uneven wear of the contact portion can be suppressed. In other embodiments, the elastic member is not limited to a compression coil spring, but may be a torsion spring, for example. Furthermore, the locking member itself may be formed of an elastic member such as rubber, and the locking state may be switched by elastically deforming the locking member itself. In addition, the actuator, power transmission mechanism, and lock mechanism may be different from those in the above embodiment. Further, the shapes of the locking member and the non-locking member may be different from those of the above embodiment depending on the arrangement of parts and the like.

In the embodiment described above, the lock mechanism can maintain the locked state in a non-energized state where the motor is turned off. In other embodiments, the locking mechanism may be configured to maintain the locked state by continuing to energize the motor.

In the above embodiment, the pedal lever is locked in the fully closed position by the locking mechanism. In other embodiments, the locking position of the pedal lever may be a fully open position or an intermediate position between a fully closed position and a fully open position. Further, it may be configured to be lockable in multiple stages.

The features of the present invention may be as follows, for example. 11. The accelerator pedal system according to claim 1, wherein the locking mechanism is capable of maintaining a locked state when power to the actuator is turned off.

The control unit and the method described in the present disclosure are implemented by a dedicated computer provided by configuring a processor and memory programmed to perform one or more functions embodied by a computer program. may be done. Alternatively, the controller and techniques described in this disclosure may be implemented by a dedicated computer provided by a processor configured with one or more dedicated hardware logic circuits. Alternatively, the control unit and the method described in the present disclosure may be implemented using a combination of a processor and memory programmed to perform one or more functions and a processor configured by one or more hardware logic circuits. It may be implemented by one or more dedicated computers configured. The computer program may also be stored as instructions executed by a computer on a computer-readable non-transitory tangible storage medium. As described above, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and can be implemented in various forms without departing from the spirit of the invention.

1... Accelerator pedal system 20... Pedal lever 40... Actuator 50... Lock mechanism 60... Control section 61... Operation detection section 62... Characteristic learning section 65... Actuator control Department

Claims (11)

a pedal lever (20) that operates in response to a pedal operation;
a locking mechanism (50) capable of regulating the operation of the pedal lever;
an actuator (40) that switches between a locked state in which the operation of the pedal lever is regulated by the lock mechanism and an unlocked state in which the pedal lever is not regulated;
A control unit that includes an operation detection unit (61) that detects a pedal operation by the driver, a characteristic learning unit (62) that learns pedal force characteristics from the driver's pedal operation, and an actuator control unit (65) that controls driving of the actuator. (60) and
Equipped with
The actuator control unit is configured to control the pedal lever when it is determined that the driver has actively depressed the pedal lever based on the pedal force applied when the pedal lever is locked and the time differential value of the pedal force. controlling the drive of the actuator to release the locked state;
In the accelerator pedal system, the determination thresholds related to the pedal force and the time differential value of the pedal force used in the lock release determination are set according to the learned pedal force characteristics. The accelerator pedal system according to claim 1, wherein the characteristic learning section learns the driver's pedal force characteristics from the pedal operation of the brake pedal (75) before the vehicle starts running. The accelerator pedal system according to claim 1, wherein the characteristic learning section learns the driver's pedal force characteristics from a pedal operation when the pedal lever is unlocked, which is performed in response to a pedal force characteristic learning instruction before the vehicle starts running. The accelerator pedal system according to claim 1, wherein the characteristic learning section learns the driver's pedal force characteristics from pedal operations of at least one of the pedal lever and the brake pedal (75) while the vehicle is running. The control unit includes:
a disturbance determination unit (63) that determines a disturbance related to a variation in pedal force applied to the pedal lever in a locked state;
The accelerator pedal system according to claim 1, wherein when it is determined that there is a disturbance, the pedal lever is kept in a locked state. The accelerator pedal system according to claim 5, wherein the disturbance determination section determines the disturbance based on a pedal force applied to the pedal lever and a time differential value of the pedal force. The accelerator pedal system according to claim 5, wherein the disturbance determining section determines that there is a disturbance when vehicle vibration is detected. The accelerator pedal system according to claim 5, wherein the disturbance determining section determines that there is a disturbance when vehicle deceleration is detected. The accelerator pedal system according to claim 5, wherein the disturbance determining section determines that there is a disturbance when a turning of the vehicle is detected. The accelerator pedal system according to claim 5, wherein the disturbance determining section determines that there is a disturbance when a repositioning of the driver's foot is detected. The accelerator pedal system according to claim 1, wherein the locking mechanism is capable of maintaining a locked state when power to the actuator is turned off.

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