A driving assistance device enables a driver who manually performs an accelerator operation and a steering operation to easily retain an accelerator operation state in a constant state. A driving assistance device includes a manually operable accelerator operation unit in the vicinity of a steering wheel provided in front of a driver seat in a vehicle cabin. The accelerator operation unit is operable in a state where the steering wheel is gripped and an operation reaction force of the accelerator operation unit exhibits an inflection point POI at which the operation reaction force rapidly becomes large in response to an increase in an operation amount of the accelerator operation unit 21.

A pedal-application-error accident preventing device to be applied to a vehicle includes a steering-wheel-position changing mechanism, a steering-wheel-position adjuster, and an accelerator-pedal-position adjuster. The steering-wheel-position changing mechanism is configured to displace a steering wheel of the vehicle in a vehicle forward-rearward direction. The steering-wheel-position adjuster is configured to displace the steering wheel in accordance with an operation amount of an accelerator pedal of the vehicle such that the steering wheel is positioned further toward a vehicle rearward side as the operation amount of the accelerator pedal operated by a driver who drives the vehicle increases. The accelerator-pedal-position adjuster is configured to displace the accelerator pedal in a direction such that the operation amount of the accelerator pedal returns to zero in a case where the steering wheel is pushed back forward in a state in which the steering wheel is displaced toward the vehicle rearward side.

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.

A method for determining jumps and/or inflection points in an activation characteristic of an activation unit includes activating the activation unit using an activator, wherein different activation areas, separated from one another by the jumps and/or inflection points, are defined by the activation characteristic. Different activation forces for activating the activator are respectively set in the activation areas. The jumps and/or inflection points are determined by activating the activator by continuously determining activation travel values of the activator, respectively assigning an activation speed characteristic variable to the determined activation travel values, continuously forming value pairs from the determined activation travel value and the assigned activation speed characteristic variable, and checking, based on the value pairs which are formed whether significant changes occur in the activation speed. The jumps and/or inflection points in the activation characteristic are assigned to activation travel values at which significant changes occur in activation speed.

An accelerator pedal for a vehicle is provided, which includes a member that is fixed to a bottom of the vehicle, a pedal part that is pivotally fastened to an upper surface of the member, and an arm assembly that is positioned on the member and configured to be rotated based on an input onto the pedal part. A spring is configured to come in contact with the arm assembly and a wheel assembly is disposed adjacent to a first end of the arm assembly to provide a foot effort to the arm assembly. A controller is configured to apply the foot effort to the arm assembly in a state where the wheel assembly is configured to selectively come in contact with the first end of the arm assembly.

An accelerator pedal for a vehicle is provided, which includes a member that is fixed to a bottom of the vehicle, a pedal part that is pivotally fastened to an upper surface of the member, and an arm assembly that is positioned on the member and configured to be rotated based on an input onto the pedal part. A spring is configured to come in contact with the arm assembly and a wheel assembly is disposed adjacent to a first end of the arm assembly to provide a foot effort to the arm assembly. A controller is configured to apply the foot effort to the arm assembly in a state where the wheel assembly is configured to selectively come in contact with the first end of the arm assembly.

A foldable accelerator pedal apparatus is equipped with a hysteresis module for a vehicle. In a manual driving mode where a driver drives a vehicle with human input, a pedal pad protrudes from a pedal housing to be exposed toward the driver. In an autonomous traveling mode where the vehicle travels without any human input, the pedal pad retracts into the pedal housing so as not to be exposed toward the driver. When operating the pedal pad, hysteresis may be realized through the hysteresis module.

A reaction force control system configured to control a reaction force applied to a pedal without reducing an operational feeling. A controller reduces a reaction force applied to the pedal mildly from a second reaction force to a first reaction force at a rate D upon satisfaction of a predetermined condition. The rate D is determined based on a depression of the pedal, a pedal force applied to the pedal, an elapsed time, or a predetermined function.

This accelerator pedal device includes a pedal arm having an accelerator pedal, a housing that supports the pedal arm so as to be capable of swinging about a prescribed axis line between a rest position and a maximum push position, a slider that slides over an inner wall of the housing, a contact part formed on the pedal arm in order to exert pressing force while separably coining into contact with the slider, and an urging spring disposed between the housing and the slider so that the urging force pressing the slider against the inner wall and the contact part increases in accordance with the pushing of the accelerator pedal.

Vehicle systems are disclosed. A vehicle system includes one or more sensors, a steering wheel, an accelerator pedal, a steering wheel actuator, an accelerator pedal actuator, and a controller. The controller is communicatively coupled to the one or more sensors and the steering sensitivity adjusting unit. The controller includes at least one processor and at least one memory module storing computer readable and executable instructions that, when executed by the processor, cause the controller to detect an object based on output from the one or more sensors, and send to the steering sensitivity adjusting unit an instruction for adjusting a sensitivity of the steering wheel in response to detecting the object.