IP Library Granted Patent US 12,351,038
Granted Patent B2
US 12,351,038 · App. 17/350,786 · Granted Jul 8, 2025

Electric vehicle

Inventors: Yoichiro Isami (Mishima, JP); Yoshio Itou (Susono, JP); Hiroyuki Amano (Susono, JP); Tatsuya Imamura (Okazaki, JP); Akiko Nishimine (Susono, JP); Hiroaki Ebuchi (Hadano, JP); Hiroaki Kodera (Susono, JP)
Assignee: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
B60L15/20B60K1/00B60K20/02B60K23/02B60K26/021G05B17/02B60K2026/023B60L2240/423B60L2240/463B60L2240/48B60L2240/80B60L2250/26
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Quick Facts
Patent No.
US 12,351,038
App. No.
17/350,786
Granted
Jul 8, 2025
Kind
B2
Abstract

The controller of the electric vehicle is configured to control the torque of the electric motor using the MT vehicle model based on the operation amount of the accelerator pedal, the operation amount of the pseudo-clutch pedal, and the shift position of the pseudo-shifter. The electric vehicle also includes a pedal reaction force generator that generates a pedal reaction force in response to the operation of the pseudo-clutch pedal using by the operating of the reaction force actuator. The controller is configured to store the pedal reaction force characteristic simulating the characteristic of the pedal reaction force according to the operation of the clutch pedal. Then, the controller is configured to control the pedal reaction force output by the pedal reaction force generator in response to the operation of the pseudo-clutch pedal using the stored pedal reaction force characteristic.

Claims (24)

1. An electric vehicle using an electric motor as a power source for traveling, the electric vehicle comprising:

an accelerator pedal;

a pseudo-clutch pedal;

a pseudo-shifter; and

a controller configured to control motor torque output by the electric motor,

wherein, the controller comprises:

a memory; and

a processor,

wherein, the memory configured to store a manual transmission (“MT”) vehicle model simulating a torque characteristic of a driving wheel torque in an MT vehicle having an internal combustion engine which is controlled torque by operation of a gas pedal, and a manual transmission in which a gear stage is switched by operation of a clutch pedal and a shifter,

wherein, the processor is configured to execute:

a process of receiving an operation amount of the accelerator pedal as an input of an operation amount of the gas pedal with respect to the MT vehicle model,

a process of receiving an operation amount of the pseudo-clutch pedal as an input of an operation amount of the clutch pedal with respect to the MT vehicle model,

a process of receiving a shift position of the pseudo-shifter as an input of a shift position of the shifter with respect to the MT vehicle model,

a process of calculating the driving wheel torque determined by the operation amount of the accelerator pedal, the operation amount of the pseudo-clutch pedal, and the shift position of the pseudo-shifter, using the MT vehicle model, and

a process of calculating a motor torque for providing the driving wheel torque to driving wheels of the electric vehicle,

wherein, the electric vehicle comprises a pedal reaction force generator that generates a pedal reaction force against operation of the pseudo-clutch pedal, by operation of a reaction force actuator that is an electric motor, and

wherein, the controller is configured to control the pedal reaction force output by the pedal reaction force generator in response to the operation amount of the pseudo-clutch pedal,

wherein, the memory is configured to store a pedal reaction force characteristic simulating a characteristic of the pedal reaction force corresponding to the operation of the clutch pedal,

wherein, the processor is configured to execute a process of controlling the pedal reaction force output by the pedal reaction force generator using the pedal reaction force characteristic, and

wherein, the pedal reaction characteristic includes a first pedal reaction force characteristic simulating the pedal reaction characteristic at a time of depressing operation of the clutch pedal, and a second pedal reaction force characteristic simulating the pedal reaction characteristic at a time of return operation of the clutch pedal, and the second pedal reaction force characteristic is different from the first pedal reaction force characteristic,

wherein, the processor is further configured to execute:

a process of determining whether an operation of the pseudo-clutch pedal is a depressing operation or a return operation based on a change in the operation amount of the pseudo-clutch pedal,

a process of calculating the pedal reaction force corresponding to the operation amount of the pseudo-clutch pedal using the first pedal reaction force characteristic, when the operation of the pseudo-clutch pedal is the depressing operation, and of calculating the pedal reaction force corresponding to the operation amount of the pseudo-clutch pedal using the second pedal reaction force characteristic, when the operation of the pseudo-clutch pedal is the return operation, and

a process of vibrating the pedal reaction force during a period in which the operation amount of the pseudo-clutch pedal belongs to a predetermined half-engagement region corresponding to a half-engagement state of the clutch pedal when the operation of the pseudo-clutch pedal is the return operation.

Assignments (1)
ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNOR'S INTEREST Recorded Jun 17, 2021
From: ISAMI, YOICHIRO; ITOU, YOSHIO; AMANO, HIROYUKI; IMAMURA, TATSUYA; NISHIMINE, AKIKO; EBUCHI, HIROAKI; KODERA, HIROAKI
To: TOYOTA JIDOSHA KABUSHIKI KAISHA
Reel/Frame 056578/0418 →
Priority Claims (1)
JP 2020-135075 · Aug 7, 2020 · national
Continuity (1)
Related Publication 20220041063A1 · Feb 10, 2022
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