Deflection control apparatus

Abstract

A deflection control apparatus is configured to perform a deflection control in which a subject vehicle is deflected by a braking force difference between left and right wheels. The deflection control apparatus is provided with a releaser configured to release the deflection control if a steering operation, which is an operation of deflecting the subject vehicle in a direction opposite to a direction in which the subject vehicle is deflected by the deflection control, is detected during the deflection control. When releasing the deflection control, the releaser is configured to reduce a controlled variable over a predetermined time, which is shorter than a fall time of the controlled variable when the deflection control is ended without being released, and which becomes longer, as the controlled variable increases when the steering operation is detected.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A deflection control apparatus comprising:
 a hardware processor configured to:
 perform deflection control in which a subject vehicle is deflected by using a braking force difference between left and right wheels; 
 determine whether an opposite direction user steering operation has been performed during the performance of the deflection control, the opposite direction user steering operation being a steering operation of deflecting the subject vehicle in a direction opposite to a direction in which the subject vehicle is deflected by the deflection control that is being performed; and 
 based on determining that the opposite direction user steering operation has been performed during the performance of the deflection control, reducing a controlled variable associated with the deflection control over a predetermined amount of time. 
   
     
     
         2 . The deflection control apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the controlled variable is one of: a braking force, a target yaw rate, or a target yaw moment, which is controlled by the deflection control or which defines content of the deflection control. 
     
     
         3 . The deflection control apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the controlled variable is a target yaw rate. 
     
     
         4 . The deflection control apparatus according to  claim 3 , wherein the hardware processor is further configured to:
 calculate a braking force based on the target yaw rate; and   transmit a signal indicating the calculated braking force to a brake processor.   
     
     
         5 . The deflection control apparatus according to  claim 3 , wherein the hardware processor is further configured to:
 calculate a series of braking force parameters that realize a temporal change in braking force based on a gradually decreasing time or a gradually decreasing slope of the target yaw rate; and   transmit a signal indicating the series of braking force parameters to a brake processor.   
     
     
         6 . The deflection control apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the hardware processor is further configured to: set a smaller gradually decreasing slope of the controlled variable, as the controlled variable, based on the opposite direction user steering operation being detected as increasing. 
     
     
         7 . The deflection control apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the hardware processor is further configured to: set a gradually decreasing slope, as the controlled variable, with reference to a map that defines a relation between a yaw rate and the gradually decreasing slope or a gradually decreasing time. 
     
     
         8 . The deflection control apparatus according to  claim 1 , further comprising a memory that stores a relation between a yaw rate and a gradually decreasing time. 
     
     
         9 . The deflection control apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the predetermined amount of time becomes longer as the controlled variable increases when the steering operation is detected. 
     
     
         10 . The deflection control apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the hardware processor is further configured to: release the deflection control at or after the predetermined amount of time ends. 
     
     
         11 . A deflection control method comprising:
 performing, by a hardware processor, deflection control in which a subject vehicle is deflected by using a braking force difference between left and right wheels;   determining, by the hardware processor, whether an opposite direction user steering operation has been performed during the performance of the deflection control, the opposite direction user steering operation being a steering operation of deflecting the subject vehicle in a direction opposite to a direction in which the subject vehicle is deflected by the deflection control that is being performed; and   based on determining that the opposite direction user steering operation has been performed during the performance of the deflection control, reducing, by the hardware processor, a controlled variable associated with the deflection control over a predetermined amount of time.   
     
     
         12 . The deflection control method according to  claim 11 , wherein the controlled variable is one of: a braking force, a target yaw rate, or a target yaw moment, which is controlled by the deflection control or which defines content of the deflection control. 
     
     
         13 . The deflection control method according to  claim 11 , wherein the controlled variable is a target yaw rate. 
     
     
         14 . The deflection control method according to  claim 13 , further comprising:
 calculating, by the hardware processor, a braking force based on the target yaw rate; and   transmitting, by the hardware processor, a signal indicating the calculated braking force to a brake processor.   
     
     
         15 . The deflection control method according to  claim 13 , further comprising:
 calculating, by the hardware processor, a series of braking force parameters that realize a temporal change in braking force based on a gradually decreasing time or a gradually decreasing slope of the target yaw rate; and   transmitting, by the hardware processor, a signal indicating the series of braking force parameters to a brake processor.   
     
     
         16 . The deflection control method according to  claim 11 , further comprising: storing, in a memory, a relation between a yaw rate and a gradually decreasing time. 
     
     
         17 . The deflection control method according to  claim 11 , wherein the predetermined amount of time becomes longer as the controlled variable increases when the opposite direction user steering operation is detected. 
     
     
         18 . The deflection control apparatus according to  claim 1 , wherein the processor is further configured to: release the deflection control at or after the predetermined amount of time ends. 
     
     
         19 . A non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising computer-executable code, which, when executed by the hardware processor, causes the hardware processor to perform the method of  claim 11 . 
     
     
         20 . A deflection control apparatus configured to perform a deflection control in which a subject vehicle is deflected by a braking force difference between left and right wheels, the vehicle control apparatus comprising:
 a processor configured to:
 release the deflection control based on a steering operation of deflecting the subject vehicle in a direction opposite to a direction in which the subject vehicle is deflected by the deflection control, being detected during the deflection control, wherein the releasing the deflection control includes reducing a controlled variable associated with the deflection control over a predetermined amount of time.