Patent ID: 8292784

Claim:
A vehicle control device to be mounted to a vehicle comprised of a power train mechanism and a brake mechanism, the power train mechanism being capable of generating a drive torque or a brake torque according to a power train control value transferred from the vehicle control device and the brake mechanism being capable of generating a brake torque according to a brake control value transferred from the vehicle control device, the vehicle control device comprising: a target value calculation means that repeatedly calculates a target acceleration according to a running condition of the driver's vehicle; an acceleration obtaining means that obtains an acceleration applied to the driver's vehicle; a power train control means that calculates the power train control value so that the acceleration obtained by the acceleration obtaining means reaches the target acceleration calculated by the target value calculation means, and outputs the power train control value to the power train mechanism; a brake control means that calculates the brake control value so that the acceleration obtained by the acceleration obtaining means reaches the target acceleration calculated by the target value calculation means; a state detection and switching means that executes a brake limitation control to halt a transmission of the brake control value from the brake control means to the brake mechanism when an output request torque as a drive torque or a brake torque to be generated by the power train mechanism according to the power train control value calculated by the power train control means, is the brake torque being less than a maximum brake torque, or the drive torque; and executes a brake use control to allow the output of the brake control value from the brake control means to the brake control mechanism when the output request torque is the brake torque of not less than the maximum brake torque; and a first switching time control means that controls the brake control means to output a predetermined control value, with which a predetermined brake torque of more than zero is generated, to the brake mechanism as an initial value of the brake control value when the state detection and switching means switches from the brake limitation control to the brake use control.