Patent ID: 8145407
Filing Date: 2012-03-27
Classification: B60L,B60W,F02D,Y02T

Abstract:
1. An automobile comprising: a prime mover adapted to generate motive power from an energy source; an energy-source supply system adapted to supply an energy source to the prime mover; an accelerator pedal adapted to be manipulated according to a depressing action by a driver; an accelerator pedal sensor adapted to detect a depression amount of the accelerator pedal; and a controller adapted to calculate a target operating amount of the energy-source supply system corresponding to the accelerator-pedal depression amount detected by the accelerator pedal sensor, and output a continuous control signal corresponding to the target operating amount to the energy-source supply system to actuate the energy-source supply system so as to control an supply amount of the energy source for the prime mover, the controller being operable, in a traveling environment or an operating condition where a motive power required for the prime mover is less than a motive power corresponding to the target operating amount, to convert the continuous control signal into a pulsed control signal which has a pulse height equal to a magnitude of the continuous control signal, a predetermined pulse width and a predetermined interpulse interval, and output the pulsed control signal to the energy-source supply system.