Driving force control method and driving force control device

1. A driving force control method for controlling torque distribution of a front wheel motor that drives a front wheel and a rear wheel motor that drives a rear wheel to satisfy total requested torque of a vehicle by sum output torque of both motors, the driving force control method comprising:

setting, as a control mode for determining the torque distribution, either an in-phase mode in which respective positive and negative of output torque of the motors coincide with each other or an out-of-phase mode in which the respective positive and negative of the output torque of the motors are different from each other; and

executing distribution adjustment control of adjusting the torque distribution when the control mode is mutually transitioned between the in-phase mode and the out-of-phase mode, wherein in the distribution adjustment control,

an enter time point and an end time point of a free running period of first output torque whose positive and negative are inverted at a time of transitioning the control mode are specified,

at a prescribed adjustment start timing before the enter time point, a command value of second output torque whose positive and negative are not inverted is switched from a value corresponding to the torque distribution before the transition to a value closer to the total requested torque,

the command value of the second output torque after the switching is determined such that an actual value of the second output torque matches the total requested torque from the enter time point to the end time point, and

the prescribed adjustment start timing is determined such that a change in the actual value of the second output torque during a period from the prescribed adjustment start timing to the enter time point is equal to or less than an allowable upper limit of reducing a variation in front-rear acceleration of the vehicle.

2. The driving force control method according to claim 1 , further comprising:

transitioning the control mode from the out-of-phase mode to the in-phase mode when the vehicle accelerates, wherein

in the distribution adjustment control, the command value of the second output torque is adjusted such that the actual value of the second output torque in the free running period matches the total requested torque.

3. The driving force control method according to claim 1 , further comprising:

executing, during deceleration of the vehicle, a first half transition in which the control mode is transitioned from the in-phase mode to the out-of-phase mode and a second half transition in which the control mode is transitioned from the out-of-phase mode to the in-phase mode in this order; and

executing the distribution adjustment control in both the first half transition and the second half transition, wherein

in the distribution adjustment control in both the first half transition and the second half transition, the command value of the second output torque is adjusted such that the actual value of the second output torque matches the total requested torque.

4. The driving force control method according to claim 2 , wherein, in the distribution adjustment control,

when a command value of the first output torque is equal to a prescribed torque threshold value, adjustment of the command value of the second output torque is started, and

the adjustment of the command value of the second output torque is ended in accordance with an end of the free running period.

5. The driving force control method according to claim 2 , wherein, in the distribution adjustment control,

when a command value of the first output torque matches a prescribed processing start threshold value, a zero torque command is started to maintain the command value of the first output torque at zero,

the adjustment of the command value of the second output torque is started in accordance with a start of the zero torque command,

when the command value of the first output torque matches a prescribed processing end threshold value, the zero torque command is ended, and

the adjustment of the command value of the second output torque is ended in accordance with an end of the zero torque command.

6. A driving force control device that controls torque distribution of a front wheel motor that drives a front wheel and a rear wheel motor that drives a rear wheel to satisfy total requested torque of a vehicle by sum output torque of both motors, the driving force control device being configured to:

set, as a control mode for determining the torque distribution, either an in-phase mode in which respective positive and negative of output torque of the motors coincide with each other or an out-of-phase mode in which the respective positive and negative of the output torque of the motors are different from each other; and

execute distribution adjustment control of adjusting the torque distribution when the control mode is mutually transitioned between the in-phase mode and the out-of-phase mode, wherein

in the distribution adjustment control,

an enter time point and an end time point of a free running period of first output torque whose positive and negative are inverted at a time of transitioning the control mode are specified,

at a prescribed adjustment start timing before the enter time point, a command value of second output torque whose positive and negative are not inverted is switched from a value corresponding to the torque distribution before the transition to a value closer to the total requested torque,

the command value of the second output torque after the switching is determined such that an actual value of the second output torque matches the total requested torque from the enter time point to the end time point, and

the prescribed adjustment start timing is determined such that a change in the actual value of the second output torque during a period from the prescribed adjustment start timing to the enter time point is equal to or less than an allowable upper limit of reducing a variation in front-rear acceleration of the vehicle.