US 7,561,954 B2
Creep drive control device for driving vehicle at creep speed
Hiroaki Aizawa, Anjo (Japan); Shinsuke Sakane, Handa (Japan); Masashi Kishimoto, Chiryu (Japan); and Yuzo Imoto, Chita-gun (Japan)
Assigned to Advics Co., Ltd., Aichi-pref. (Japan)
Filed on Aug. 27, 2003, as Appl. No. 10/648,805.
Claims priority of application No. 2002-250997 (JP), filed on Aug. 29, 2002.
Prior Publication US 2004/0215385 A1, Oct. 28, 2004
Int. Cl. G06F 17/00 (2006.01); B60T 7/16 (2006.01)
U.S. Cl. 701—79  [701/93; 180/170] 34 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A creep drive control device comprising:
an engine output control unit configured to control an engine output in accordance with an engine control amount;
a braking force control unit that is configured to control a braking force applied to each wheel in accordance with a brake control amount;
an acceleration intention determination unit configured to determine whether a driver has an acceleration intention;
a stop maintenance intention determination unit configured to determine whether the driver has a stop maintenance intention;
a target speed calculation unit for calculating a target speed value in predetermined control cycles;
a target creep speed setting unit configured to set a target creep speed;
a vehicle speed acceleration unit configured to set a vehicle speed by at least one of increasing the engine output and decreasing the braking force;
a vehicle speed deceleration unit configured to decrease a vehicle speed by at least one of decreasing the engine output and increasing the braking force;
a brake pedal operation amount sensor for detecting an operation amount of a brake pedal in every predetermined control cycle;
a starting assistance control unit which, when a result of a determination by the acceleration intention determination unit and a result of a determination by the stop maintenance intention determination unit are negative, is configured to operate using a creep driving mode in which the following occurs:
the target speed calculation unit calculates the target speed value in every predetermined control cycle based on a preset relationship between the brake pedal operation amount, which is detected by the brake operation amount sensor, and the target speed value, so that the target speed value is repeatedly calculated in accordance with the detected brake pedal operation amount;
the preset relationship is that the target speed value decreases as the brake pedal operation amount increases;
the target speed setting unit sets the target speed value as the target creep speed;
the vehicle speed acceleration unit is operated when the vehicle speed is less than a first target vehicle speed, and the first target vehicle speed is smaller than the target creep speed; and
the vehicle speed deceleration unit is operated when the vehicle speed is larger than a second target vehicle speed, and the second target vehicle speed is larger than the target creep speed.