Control apparatus for vehicle drive-force transmitting apparatus

A control apparatus for a drive-force transmitting apparatus that is to be provided in a vehicle having a drive force source and drive wheels,

• wherein the drive-force transmitting apparatus includes:
• a continuously-variable transmission mechanism which is configured to transmit a drive force of the drive force source toward the drive wheels, and which includes a primary pulley, a secondary pulley and a transfer element that is looped over the primary and secondary pulleys, such that the primary pulley includes a primary hydraulic actuator configured to generate a primary thrust, based on which the transfer element is to be clamped by the primary pulley, and such that the secondary pulley includes a secondary hydraulic actuator configured to generate a secondary thrust, based on which the transfer element is to be clamped by the secondary pulley, and
• wherein said control apparatus includes:
• an automatic running-speed control portion configured to execute an automatic running-speed control to change a drive-force related value that is used to control a running speed of the vehicle such that an actual value of the running speed coincides with a target value of the running speed;
• a state determining portion configured to make a determination as to whether the vehicle is in a driving state or a driven state, based on the drive-force related value;
• a target-thrust calculating portion configured to calculate a target value of the secondary thrust based on the primary thrust, such that the calculated target value of the secondary thrust is larger when the vehicle is in the driven state than when the vehicle is in the driving state;
• and
• a threshold setting portion configured to set a first determination threshold of the drive-force related value which is used to determine whether the vehicle is in the driving state or in the driven state and a second determination threshold of the drive-force related value which is used to switch from a determination that the vehicle is in the driven state to a determination that the vehicle is in the driving state, such that a difference of the set first determination threshold and the set second determination threshold is larger when the automatic running-speed control is being executed than when the automatic running-speed control is not being executed, and a range of the drive-force related value in which it is determined that the vehicle is in the driven state is wider when the automatic running-speed control is being executed than when the automatic running-speed control is not being executed.