Patent ID: 7774118

Claim:
A control apparatus of a vehicle provided with a stepped automatic transmission having a plurality of speeds, comprising: a detecting portion that detects an amount of an increase in vehicle driving force required by a driver; a determining portion that determines a target speed based on the amount of increase required; a change rate determining portion that, when the target speed is determined by the determining portion, determines whether a change rate of the amount of increase required is greater than a predetermined value that is determined in accordance with the target speed that is determined by the determining means most recently; a timer portion that, when the change rate determining portion determines that the change rate of the amount of increase required is greater than the predetermined value, counts down for a predetermined period of time that is set in accordance with the determined target speed; a target speed establishing portion that, when the timer portion has finished the counting down of the predetermined period of time, establishes the target speed determined by the determining portion; and when the determining portion determines a target speed that differs from the target speed that has been determined by the determining portion most recently and the change rate determining portion determines that the change rate of the amount of increase required is not greater than the predetermined value while the timer portion is counting down for the predetermined period of time, cancels the counting down by the timer portion and establishes the target speed determined by the determining portion most recently; and a control portion that controls the automatic transmission to shift into the established target speed.