Patent ID: 8515632

Claim:
A driving force controller for a vehicle comprising: throttle-opening control means for controlling a throttle opening of an engine on the basis of at least an amount of drive operation by a driver; engine-output reduction means for reducing an output of the engine through delaying of ignition timing of the engine or reduction of an amount of fuel supplied to the engine; driving-force reduction control means for determining a degree of necessity of reducing a driving force of the vehicle on the basis of travel conditions of the vehicle and for reducing the output of the engine by controlling at least the throttle-opening control means based on the degree of necessity, wherein when the degree of necessity is equal to or higher than a first reference value, the driving-force reduction control means reduces the throttle opening controlled by the throttle-opening control means, and, when the degree of necessity is equal to or higher than a second reference value greater than the first reference value, the driving-force reduction control means reduces the output of the engine by the engine-output reduction means as well as reducing the throttle opening controlled by the throttle-opening control means; means for computing a first target driving force of the vehicle on the basis of the amount of drive operation by the driver and the travel condition of the vehicle, wherein the driving-force reduction control means calculates, on the basis of two values of the first target driving force computed before and after a point in time when the degree of necessity becomes equal to or greater than the first reference value, a second target driving force which decreases more slowly than a decrease of the first target driving force between the two values and which is to be achieved through control of the throttle-opening control means and a third target driving force which decreases more slowly than the decrease of the first target driving force between the two values and faster than the second target driving force and which is to be achieved through control of the throttle-opening control means and the engine-output reduction means; and the driving-force reduction control means reduces the output of the engine by the engine-output reduction means when the degree of necessity is equal to or greater than the second reference value and a deviation between the second target driving force and the third target driving force is equal to or greater than a deviation determination reference value.