Patent ID: 7295918

Claim:
An automobile that is driven with power supplied from a power output device, said power output device having an internal combustion engine and a driveshaft motor that is capable of inputting and outputting power from and to a driveshaft linked to an axle of said automobile, said automobile comprising: a driving direction setting module that presets a driving direction of said automobile; a reverse direction travel detection module that detects a travel of said automobile in a reverse direction opposite to the preset driving direction; a road surface gradient measurement estimation module that either measures or estimates a road surface gradient; an adjustment torque setting module that sets an adjustment torque at a reverse direction travel direction time when the travel of said automobile in the reverse direction is detected by the reverse direction travel detection module, in an accelerator-off state regardless of a brake on-off position under the condition that the driving direction is preset by the driving direction setting module, where the adjustment torque set by the adjustment torque setting module causes said automobile with only a driver riding thereon to have a predetermined vehicle speed in the reverse direction and is to be applied to the preset driving direction, when the measured or estimated road surface gradient is not greater than a preset reference gradient, and the adjustment torque set by the adjustment torque setting module causes said automobile with only the driver riding thereon to have a predetermined vehicle speed in the reverse direction on the preset reference gradient and is to be applied to the preset driving direction, when the measured or estimated road surface gradient is greater than a preset reference gradient; a vehicle stop-time torque setting module that sets a vehicle stop-time torque equal to 0 as a creep torque at a brake-on vehicle stop time in a brake-on state under the condition that the driving direction is preset by the driving direction setting module; a driving control module that controls the operation of said power output device to ensure output of the set adjustment torque from the driveshaft motor at the reverse direction travel detection time in the accelerator-off state, controls the operation of said power output device to ensure output of the vehicle stop-time torque from the driveshaft motor at the brake-on vehicle stop time in the accelerator-off state, and controls the operation of said power output device to ensure output of a torque specified by a driver's operation quantity of an accelerator pedal in an accelerator-on state; and a creep torque setting module that sets a creep torque applied in the preset driving direction when a predetermined condition is fulfilled, wherein the adjustment and creep torque settings are compared so that said driving control module actuates and controls said power output device to apply a greater torque between the adjustment torque and the creep torque as a motor torque.