US 12,188,554 B2
Control apparatus for vehicle
Masaki Morikawa, Tokyo (JP); Kazuya Sakurai, Tokyo (JP); Noriaki Suzuki, Tokyo (JP); and Natsuki Ito, Tochigi (JP)
Assigned to HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD., Tokyo (JP)
Filed by HONDA MOTOR CO., LTD., Tokyo (JP)
Filed on Feb. 29, 2024, as Appl. No. 18/590,962.
Claims priority of application No. 202310336518.1 (CN), filed on Mar. 31, 2023.
Prior Publication US 2024/0328506 A1, Oct. 3, 2024
Int. Cl. F16H 59/02 (2006.01); B60K 20/06 (2006.01); F16H 59/04 (2006.01); F16H 59/08 (2006.01)
CPC F16H 59/0204 (2013.01) [B60K 20/06 (2013.01); F16H 59/044 (2013.01); F16H 59/08 (2013.01); F16H 2059/0221 (2013.01); F16H 2059/082 (2013.01)] 5 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. A control apparatus for vehicle for switching a vehicle to a freewheeling mode in which power generated by a power source of the vehicle is not transmitted to a drive shaft of the vehicle, the control apparatus comprising:
a decelerator having a plurality of deceleration gear stages for changing deceleration of the vehicle; and
a manipulator provided on steering of the vehicle and configured to allow selection of the freewheeling mode in accordance with an operation performed by a driver, wherein
the vehicle transitions to the freewheeling mode upon the freewheeling mode being selected through an operation of the manipulator, wherein
the manipulator is a shifter configured to allow shifts between the deceleration gear stages, and
the shifter includes
a first manipulator enabled to cause a shift to a deceleration gear stage corresponding to a lower deceleration than a deceleration corresponding to a currently selected deceleration gear stage and
a second manipulator enabled to cause a shift to a deceleration gear stage corresponding to a higher deceleration than the deceleration corresponding to the currently selected deceleration gear stage, and
the vehicle transitions to the freewheeling mode through an operation of either the first manipulator or the second manipulator, and
a fixed shift mode that allows shift between the plurality of deceleration gear stages based on an operation performed by the driver, and
an automatic shift mode that allows shift between the plurality of deceleration gear stages based on a running condition of the vehicle, wherein
the shifter is a paddle shifter,
keeping the first manipulator in an operated state for a first predetermined period of time causes a transition to the automatic shift mode and the freewheeling mode, and
keeping the first manipulator in the operated state for a second predetermined period of time causes a transition to the fixed shift mode and the freewheeling mode the second predetermined period of time being longer than the first predetermined period of time.