Vehicle control device

A vehicle control device having a drive manipulated variable detecting means which detects a drive manipulated variable that indicates a drive manipulation state of a vehicle driven by a driver of the vehicle having a plurality of wheels, an actuator device provided in the vehicle so as to permit the manipulation of a predetermined motion of the vehicle, and an actuator device control means which sequentially controls an operation of the actuator device, the vehicle control device comprising:

• an actual state amount grasping means for detecting or estimating a first actual state amount, which is a value of a predetermined first state amount related to a predetermined motion of an actual vehicle;
• a model state amount determining means for determining a first model state amount, which is a value of the first state amount related to a predetermined motion of a vehicle on a vehicle model established beforehand as a model expressing dynamic characteristics of the vehicle, on the basis of at least the detected drive manipulated variable;
• a state amount error calculating means for calculating a first state amount error, which is a difference between the detected or estimated first actual state amount and the determined first model state amount;
• and
• an actual vehicle state amount error response control means and a model state amount error response control means, which respectively determine an actual vehicle actuator operation control input for operating the actuator device of the actual vehicle and a vehicle model operation control input for manipulating the predetermined motion of the vehicle on the vehicle model on the basis of at least the calculated first state amount error such that the first state amount error is approximated to zero,
• wherein the actuator device control means is a means which controls the operation of the actuator device on the basis of at least the determined actual vehicle actuator operation control input,
• the model state amount determining means is a means which determines the first model state amount on the basis of at least the detected drive manipulated variable and the determined vehicle model operation control input,
• the actual vehicle state amount error response control means comprises a means which determines an actual vehicle feedback required amount by a feedback control law on the basis of at least the first state amount error and a means which determines the actual vehicle actuator operation control input on the basis of at least the actual vehicle feedback required amount, and the means which determines the actual vehicle actuator operation control input is a means which determines the actual vehicle actuator operation control input by using a predetermined value set beforehand in a predetermined dead zone in place of the actual vehicle feedback required amount in a case where the actual vehicle feedback required amount lies in the dead zone, and
• the model state amount error response control means is a means which determines the vehicle model operation control input such that at least the first state amount error is approximated to zero regardless of whether the actual vehicle feedback required amount lies in the dead zone or not.