JP2008006993A - Vehicle control device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a vehicle control device which controls a vehicle for improvement in fuel economy reflecting a driver's intention. <P>SOLUTION: This vehicle control device, which is mounted on the vehicle and controls the vehicle for improvement in fuel economy, comprises a plan preparation/presentation means for preparing a plurality of control plans for vehicle control performed during running on a predetermined route and presenting them to the driver of an own vehicle, and a vehicle control means for controlling the vehicle according to a plan selected by the driver of the own vehicle among the control plans which are prepared and presented by the plan preparation/presentation means while the own vehicle runs on the route. The plan preparation/presentation means divides the predetermined route into a plurality of sections based on map information and traffic congestion information. In each of the plurality of control plans, it is set whether or not a predetermined vehicle control (cylinder cut-off control of an internal combustion engine, power generation voltage reduction control of a generator, on-off control of an on-vehicle air-conditioner, etc.) is performed for each of the plurality of sections. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention generally relates to a vehicle control device that is mounted on a vehicle and performs vehicle control for improving fuel efficiency, and more particularly, to a vehicle control device that performs vehicle control reflecting a driver's intention.

  2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, devices that are mounted on a vehicle and improve fuel efficiency are known (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 to 3).

  Patent Document 1 discloses a car navigation device that guides a driver on a travel route with the smallest amount of fuel consumption among a plurality of searched travel routes.

  Patent Document 2 discloses a power generation control device that reduces the power generation voltage of an alternator during vehicle travel for the purpose of improving fuel efficiency.

Patent Document 3 discloses an internal combustion engine configured so that a part of cylinders of a multi-cylinder engine can be stopped during vehicle travel for the purpose of improving fuel consumption.
JP 2006-078307 A JP 2006-094624 A JP 2006-144757 A

  However, the car navigation device described in Patent Document 1 always guides a travel route with the least amount of fuel consumption when a route search is performed regardless of the driver's intention and intention. When the driver wants to travel on the shortest distance route or the shortest time route such as when he is in a hurry, there is a problem that a route giving priority to such distance and time is not searched and guided.

  In addition, the devices / engines described in Patent Documents 2 and 3 also perform vehicle control for improving fuel efficiency regardless of the driver's intention and intention, for example, when the driver is in a hurry. Even when the driver wants to prioritize vehicle performance over fuel saving, there is a problem that vehicle control for fuel saving is performed.

  The present invention has been made to solve such problems, and a main object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle control apparatus that performs vehicle control for improving fuel efficiency reflecting the driver's intention.

  One aspect of the present invention for achieving the above object is a vehicle control device that is mounted on a vehicle and performs vehicle control for improving fuel consumption, and the vehicle is performed for a predetermined route while traveling on the route. A plan creation / presentation means for creating a plurality of control plans for control and presenting them to the driver of the vehicle, and the plurality of the plans created / presented by the plan creation / presentation means while the vehicle is traveling on the predetermined route It is a vehicle control apparatus which has a vehicle control means which performs the said vehicle control according to the plan selected by the own vehicle driver among control plans.

  In the above aspect, the plan creation / presentation means may be configured to operate the predetermined route on a plurality of sections (for example, “steady travel section / decelerated travel” based on map information or map information and traffic jam information, for example. Section / acceleration travel section ”or“ steady travel section / deceleration travel section / acceleration travel section / idling travel section ”), and each of the plurality of control plans is, for example, the plurality of sections Whether or not to perform predetermined vehicle control (for example, dead cylinder control of the internal combustion engine, power generation voltage reduction control of the generator, on / off control of the on-vehicle air conditioner, etc.) is set.

  According to the above aspect, regarding vehicle control for improving fuel efficiency performed when traveling on a predetermined route, a vehicle for improving fuel efficiency based on a control plan selected according to the intention / intention of the driver of the vehicle. Since control is performed, vehicle control for improving fuel efficiency reflecting the driver's intention can be performed.

  In the above aspect, the plan creation / presentation means stores in advance a plurality of vehicle control patterns with different degrees of emphasis on fuel efficiency, and illuminates each of the plurality of sections with the plurality of vehicle control patterns. It is preferable that the plurality of control plans corresponding to the plurality of vehicle control patterns be created because a plurality of control plans having different degrees of importance on fuel saving can be easily created. In this case, the plan creation / presentation means is configured so that the user can easily select a favorite control plan from the plurality of control plans based on the difference in the degree of emphasis on fuel saving. It is preferable to have a display means for visually transmitting the difference in the degree of emphasis on fuel economy between the vehicle and the driver.

  In the above aspect, the vehicle control device further includes detection means for detecting the position of the host vehicle and user input means for the user to input a destination. The predetermined route is determined by the detection means. Assuming that the route is from the detected vehicle position to the destination input through the user input means, a series of steps from route search to vehicle control plan for improving fuel efficiency are integrated with a so-called car navigation system. Can be done as an operation.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the vehicle control apparatus which performs vehicle control for the fuel consumption improvement reflecting a driver | operator's intention can be provided.

  Hereinafter, the best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  Hereinafter, with reference to FIGS. 1-5, the vehicle control apparatus which concerns on one Example of this invention is demonstrated.

  FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a vehicle control device 100 according to the present embodiment.

  The vehicle control apparatus 100 includes a communication unit 101 that communicates with a center (not shown). The performance and shape of the antenna included in the communication unit 101 and the method and frequency band used for communication are not particularly limited and may be arbitrary. Specifically, for example, it is conceivable to adopt a wireless communication system compliant with a communication standard such as an existing mobile phone or wireless LAN. In addition, the communication connection between the center (not shown) and the communication unit 101 is not limited to a direct wireless communication connection, and may be via a wireless relay station connected to the center via a wired communication, It may be via other wireless communication connections such as satellite communications.

  In this embodiment, it is assumed that the communication unit 101 receives at least the latest traffic jam information at that time from the center. This can be realized, for example, by using an existing VICS (Vehicle Information and Communication System).

  The vehicle control device 100 further includes a host vehicle position detection unit 102 that detects the position of the host vehicle using, for example, a GPS (Global Positioning System). The detection accuracy (resolution) of the own vehicle position detection unit 102 is preferably as high as possible (fine). For example, high-accuracy GPS such as RTK (Real Time Kinematic) -GPS is preferably used.

  The vehicle control device 100 further includes a user input unit 103 for the own vehicle driver to input a destination. It is desired that the user input unit 103 is provided at a position where the own vehicle driver can easily operate. As will be apparent to those skilled in the art, the user input unit 103 moves the cursor position on the screen rather than having a keypad for inputting a character string so that the user can operate intuitively. It is desirable to provide an arrow key and a selection / decision key for selecting / deciding in this manner.

  The vehicle control device 100 further includes a storage unit 104 that stores and holds at least map information and a control pattern that will be described in detail later. The storage unit 104 may be a storage medium of any type / standard. Moreover, it is preferable that the map information stored and held in the storage unit 104 is appropriately updated to the latest version / content using communication by the communication unit 101, for example. The control pattern may be updated / rewritable using communication.

  The vehicle control device 100 further includes a display unit 105 that displays a part of the map information stored and held in the storage unit 104. Further, the display unit 105 superimposes and displays the own vehicle position detected by the own vehicle position detection unit 102 on the partial map. The display unit 105 may be any type of display device, for example, a liquid crystal display (LCD). It may also be used as a display device of another in-vehicle system (for example, a multimedia system).

  As will be apparent to those skilled in the art, the user input unit 103 and the display unit 105 can be realized as an integrated touch panel display device, and from the viewpoint of user convenience, such a touch panel type. It is rather preferable to be realized as a display device.

  In order to further improve fuel efficiency by reducing fuel consumption, the vehicle control device 100 pauses valve opening / closing operations of some cylinders during operation of the engine (internal combustion engine), and burns the cylinders. An engine control unit 106 that prevents combustion in the room and realizes so-called cylinder deactivation control is provided. Various methods have been proposed for the cylinder deactivation control itself of the internal combustion engine, and are well known to those skilled in the art, so detailed description and illustration are omitted.

  The vehicle control device 100 further includes an alternator control unit 107 that performs alternator power generation amount control such as reducing the power generation voltage of the alternator in order to improve fuel efficiency by reducing the power generation load of the alternator (generator). Have.

  As will be apparent to those skilled in the art, the engine control unit 106 and the alternator control unit 107 can be realized as a single control device (for example, an engine ECU).

  The vehicle control apparatus 100 further includes an air conditioner control unit 108 that performs on / off control of an in-vehicle air conditioner (air conditioner) (not shown) in order to improve fuel efficiency by reducing the power generation load of the alternator.

  The vehicle control device 100 further includes a main control unit 109 that comprehensively controls each component of the vehicle control device 100. The main control unit 109 is, for example, an ECU (Electronic Control Unit).

  In the vehicle control apparatus 100 having such a configuration, when the driver inputs a destination through the user input unit 103, the main control unit 109 inputs the host vehicle position detected by the host vehicle position detection unit 102 and the input destination. In light of the map information stored and held in the storage unit 104, an optimal route on the map from the current position of the vehicle to the destination is searched using an algorithm such as the Dijkstra method.

  The main control unit 109 superimposes the optimum route searched in this way on the map information stored and held in the storage unit 104, causes the display unit 105 to display the screen, and presents it to the driver.

  On the other hand, when the route search is performed and the optimum route is presented to the driver, the main control unit 109 also performs a vehicle control control plan to improve fuel efficiency when traveling on the optimum route. To the driver. In the present embodiment, the vehicle control performed for improving the fuel efficiency is the cylinder deactivation control by the engine control unit 106, the alternator power generation voltage reduction control by the alternator control unit 107, and the air conditioner OFF control by the air conditioner control unit 108. is there.

  Furthermore, at this time, the main control unit 109 creates a plurality of control plans with different degrees of emphasis and priority on fuel efficiency (rather than vehicle performance), presents them to the driver, and the driver selects a favorite control plan. It can be so.

  As a result, when the driver has time, for example, the driver selects a control plan that prioritizes fuel efficiency improvement and travels on the searched optimum route while saving fuel consumption according to the selected control plan. Priority vehicle control can be implemented, or, for example, when you are in a hurry, select a control plan that prioritizes vehicle performance and select while driving on the searched optimum route It is also possible to perform vehicle control in which vehicle performance is emphasized according to the control plan (in other words, vehicle control with priority on fuel saving is not performed).

  The flow of this process is shown in the flowchart of FIG. When a route search from the current position to the destination is performed in the same manner as in a general car navigation system (S201), the main control unit 109 controls a plurality of vehicles with different degrees of fuel saving priority for the searched optimum route. A plan is created and visually presented to the driver through the display unit 105 (S202).

  When the user selects a control plan of any fuel saving priority level through the user input unit 103, vehicle control according to the selected control plan is automatically performed while traveling on the optimum route (S203).

  This is repeated as long as the termination requirements such as arrival at the destination or the user issuing a stop command are not satisfied (“NO” in S204, and the process returns to S203). It is assumed that the selected control plan is appropriately reconstructed according to the actual traveling state so that the initial aim is realized.

  Next, the process in S202 of FIG. 2 will be described in detail with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  First, when the optimum route is searched, the main control unit 109 stores and holds the route in the storage unit 104, and according to map information and traffic jam information acquired from the center through the communication unit 101, the main control unit 109 accelerates or decelerates the route. Factors are extracted (S301).

  Here, the acceleration / deceleration factor is any factor resulting from the road shape or traffic situation of the route that triggers the host vehicle to accelerate or decelerate when the vehicle travels along the route. Gradients, traffic lights, temporary stop lines, curved roads, railroad crossings, pedestrian crossings, intersections, entrances and exits for automobiles, and traffic jam sections.

  When the acceleration / deceleration factor in the optimum route searched in this way is extracted, the main control unit 109 then divides the route into a plurality of sections based on the extracted acceleration / deceleration factor (S302). . In each section, a) a “steady traveling section” in which the vehicle tends to travel at a substantially constant speed, and b) a “decelerated traveling section” in which the vehicle tends to travel while decelerating, c) “Acceleration travel section” where the vehicle tends to travel while accelerating, and d) “Idle travel section (traffic travel section during traffic congestion) where the vehicle tends to move forward intermittently only by creep. ) ". The length of each section may be determined in consideration of factors such as designated or recommended acceleration / deceleration (G) and desired arrival time at the destination.

  An example is shown in FIG. Here, as shown in the upper part of FIG. 4, as an example of the route, the host vehicle V passes through the curves 1 and 2 along the road from the illustrated position and stops at the temporary stop line L. Further, as shown in the figure, it is assumed that there is a traffic jam between the curves 1 and 2.

  An example in which such a route is divided into a plurality of sections and each section is classified into one of the above section types is shown in the lower part of FIG. Here, as an example, the straight road is classified into a steady running section, the first half of the curved road (from entry to the top) is a deceleration section, the second half of the curved road (from the top to the exit) is classified as an acceleration section, and the congestion section is classified as an idle running section. ing.

  Next, the main control unit 109 sets a restriction condition to be observed at a minimum when performing vehicle control for the entire route or one or more sections (S303). Here, such a constraint condition is, for example, a battery target voltage at the final destination of the route or an arbitrary point along the route, a minimum battery voltage during the route traveling, The required minimum torque, the set temperature of the air conditioner during the route travel, etc.

  When the division into the sections, the classification of the sections, and the setting of the constraint conditions are completed for the searched optimum route in this way, the main control unit 109 then stores the section sequence formed by decomposing the paths. Apply to each of a plurality of control patterns stored and held in advance in the unit 104 (S304).

  Here, the control pattern is a control setting pattern in which a ratio of emphasizing vehicle performance and a ratio of emphasizing fuel saving are set in advance for each of the steady section, the deceleration section, the acceleration section, and the idle section. It is assumed that a plurality of control patterns having different degrees of priority / priority on fuel efficiency are stored and held in the storage unit 104 in advance.

  An example of a plurality of control patterns stored and held in advance in the storage unit 104 is shown in FIG. Here, it is assumed that four patterns of control patterns A to D are prepared. FIG. 5 shows only the control pattern A that prioritizes the vehicle performance (in other words, the least fuel-saving priority) and the control pattern D that gives the highest fuel-saving priority among the four control patterns for convenience. To do.

  In FIG. 5, a parameter α indicates a ratio that emphasizes vehicle performance, and a parameter β indicates a ratio that emphasizes fuel efficiency.

  For example, in the case of the control pattern A that prioritizes the vehicle performance among the four control patterns, the ratio α that prioritizes the vehicle performance and the ratio β that prioritizes the fuel saving at the time of deceleration and acceleration are actually in a ratio of 10: 4. This means that it is reflected at a ratio of α: β = 8: 6 at idle, and at a ratio of α: β = 4: 2 at steady state.

  Similarly, in the case of the control pattern D that prioritizes fuel saving among the four control patterns, the ratio α that emphasizes vehicle performance and the ratio β that emphasizes fuel saving are actually controlled at a ratio of 2: 6 during deceleration. And reflect at a ratio of α: β = 1: 6 during acceleration, reflect at a ratio of α: β = 2: 5 at idle, and reflect at a ratio of α: β = 8: 6 at steady state. Means.

  The fitting in S304 applies a plurality of control patterns (in this case, control patterns A to D) held in advance to a plurality of sections obtained by dividing the searched optimum route together with the above-described constraints. If each control pattern is followed, whether or not the above-described cylinder deactivation control, alternator power generation voltage control, and air conditioner ON / OFF control for improving fuel efficiency are performed in each section of the optimum route this time. Is to judge.

  That is, here, the number of control patterns prepared in advance matches the number of control plans to be created, and the control pattern A and the above-described constraints are applied to each section of the optimum route this time. The control plan A, which is a vehicle control plan with the highest priority on vehicle performance, is created, and the control plan D, which is the vehicle control plan with the highest priority on fuel saving, is created by applying the control pattern D and the above-described constraints. (S305).

  FIG. 6 shows an example of a control plan created by applying the control patterns A and D shown in FIG. 5 to the section sequence shown in the lower part of FIG. Here too, for convenience, only the control plan A that conforms to the control pattern A that prioritizes vehicle performance among the prepared ones and the control plan D that conforms to the control pattern D that prioritizes fuel consumption most are illustrated.

  In the illustrated example, with respect to the cylinder resting control, the deceleration section just before the curve, the acceleration section between the curves 1 and 2, the idle section, the deceleration section, and the acceleration section between the curve 2 and the temporary stop line L, the steady section In the deceleration zone, according to the control plan D, the execution (ON), execution, implementation, implementation, non-execution (OFF), implementation, implementation, respectively, and according to the control plan A, the implementation, non-execution, respectively. Not implemented, implemented, implemented, implemented, implemented.

  Similarly, for the alternator power generation voltage control, the deceleration section before the curve 1, the acceleration section between the curves 1 and 2, the idle section, the deceleration section, the acceleration section between the curve 2 and the temporary stop line L, the steady section, In the deceleration zone, according to the control plan D, normal (Hi), reduction (Lo), reduction, normal, reduction, reduction, normal, respectively, and according to the control plan A, normal, reduction, reduction, normal, respectively. , Usually, has become normal. Here, the normal alternator power generation voltage (Hi) value is 14.5 V, for example, and the reduced voltage (Lo) value is 12.5 V, for example.

  Furthermore, for the air conditioner ON / OFF control, the deceleration section before the curve 1, the acceleration section between the curves 1 and 2, the idle section, the deceleration section, the acceleration section between the curve 2 and the temporary stop line L, the steady section, In the deceleration zone, all are turned off (OFF) according to the control plan D, and all are turned on (ON) according to the control plan A.

  As described above, since the above-described constraint conditions are taken into consideration when creating a control plan, even if the same control pattern is applied to the same route, different control plans can be created if the constraint conditions are different.

  In this way, when a plurality of control plans are created for the searched route based on a plurality of control patterns that are stored in advance and have different levels of priority / priority on fuel economy, the main control unit 109 displays the display unit. It is presented to the driver through 105 and a selection is requested (S306).

  Here, when presenting a plurality of created control plans (here, control plans A to D) to the user, for example, even if specific control contents for various controls as shown in FIG. 6 are presented, Since the user may be wondering which control plan should be selected intuitively, for example, as shown in the example of the graphic display shown in FIG. It is preferable to adopt an information display format in which only the difference in the degree of priority on fuel saving is displayed in an easily comparable manner.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the degree of priority on fuel saving / priority in the actual operation of the cylinder resting control, the alternator power generation voltage control, and the air conditioner ON / OFF control for improving the fuel efficiency in the searched route. A plurality of different control plans are presented to the driver in advance, and the user can select an arbitrary control plan, so that the driver can operate each with a tendency to emphasize fuel efficiency according to his / her intention and intention. However, it will be possible to operate each with a tendency to emphasize vehicle performance. Therefore, various controls for improving fuel efficiency can be performed based on the driver's intention and intention.

  In the above embodiment, as an example, the optimum route is searched when the optimum route search from the current position to the destination is performed on the assumption that it is integrated with a general car navigation system. It is assumed that the driver can select from among a plurality of vehicle control control plans for improving fuel efficiency that are performed during traveling of the vehicle. However, as will be apparent to those skilled in the art, the present invention is The present invention is not limited to the form, and can be similarly applied to routes other than the searched optimum route such as a route arbitrarily designated on the map by the driver.

  In the above embodiment, the searched optimum route is divided into a plurality of sections in consideration of traffic information acquired using communication in addition to information such as road shape included in the map information. Although classified, the present invention is not limited to such an embodiment. For example, road construction information or weather information that may cause a traffic jam may be considered instead of or in addition to the traffic jam occurrence information.

  Further, in the above-described embodiment, as an embodiment of the cylinder resting control, it is described as whether the control is performed (ON) or not performed (OFF), but this is an example for convenience. Only. For example, the case where the cylinder resting control is performed (ON) may be classified into a plurality of embodiments by changing the number of cylinders among the cylinders provided with the resting mechanism. That is, for example, in the case of an eight-cylinder engine provided with a deactivation mechanism in four cylinders, the deactivation control mode is not binary control of ON / OFF, for example, one cylinder deactivation, two cylinder deactivation, It is possible to perform four-value control with four cylinders being deactivated.

  Furthermore, in the one embodiment, for example, as shown in FIG. 6, in the alternator power generation voltage control, when priority is given to fuel saving, while charging the battery so as to ensure the minimum battery capacity, Although the control is made so that the time (Lo) for reducing the generation voltage is made as long as possible, the engine speed during each section is predicted, and the generation voltage is intentionally set in the section where the power generation efficiency is expected to be good. It is also possible to obtain a normal power generation amount without reducing it.

  The present invention can be used in a vehicle control device that performs vehicle control for improving fuel efficiency. The fuel type, appearance design, weight, size, running performance, etc. of the vehicle to be mounted are all unquestioned.

It is a schematic block diagram of the vehicle control apparatus which concerns on one Example of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the process which reflects a driver | operator's intention in the vehicle control for the fuel consumption improvement by the vehicle control apparatus which concerns on one Example of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of the preparation process of the some control plan by the vehicle control apparatus which concerns on one Example of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of a mode that the vehicle control apparatus which concerns on one Example of this invention divides | segments a predetermined path | route into a some area. It is a figure which shows an example of the several control pattern hold | maintained previously by the vehicle control apparatus which concerns on one Example of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the some control plan produced by the vehicle control apparatus which concerns on one Example of this invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the display screen to the user of the some control plan by the vehicle control apparatus which concerns on one Example of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 100 Vehicle control apparatus 101 Communication part 102 Own vehicle position detection part 103 User input part 104 Storage part 105 Display part 106 Engine control part 107 Alternator control part 108 Air-conditioner control part 109 Main control part

Claims (10)

A vehicle control device mounted on a vehicle and performing vehicle control for improving fuel efficiency,
For a predetermined route, a plan creation / presentation means for creating a plurality of control plans for the vehicle control performed while traveling on the route, and presenting it to the driver of the host vehicle;
Vehicle control means for carrying out the vehicle control according to a plan selected by the driver of the vehicle among the plurality of control plans created / presented by the plan creation / presentation means while the vehicle is traveling on the predetermined route; And a vehicle control device. The vehicle control device according to claim 1,
The plan creation / presentation means divides the predetermined route into a plurality of sections,
Each of the plurality of control plans is set with whether or not to perform predetermined vehicle control for each of the plurality of sections. The vehicle control device according to claim 2,
The vehicle control apparatus, wherein the plan creation / presentation means divides the predetermined route into a plurality of sections based on map information. The vehicle control device according to claim 3,
The vehicle control apparatus characterized in that the plan creation / presentation means classifies each of the plurality of sections as a steady travel section, a deceleration travel section, or an acceleration travel section. The vehicle control device according to claim 3,
The vehicle planning apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the plan creation / presentation means divides the predetermined route into a plurality of sections based on map information and traffic jam information. The vehicle control device according to claim 5,
The vehicle planning apparatus characterized in that the plan creation / presentation means classifies each of the plurality of sections as a steady travel section, a deceleration travel section, an acceleration travel section, or an idling travel section. The vehicle control device according to any one of claims 2 to 6,
The predetermined vehicle control includes a dead cylinder control of an internal combustion engine, a generated voltage reduction control of a generator, or an on / off control of an in-vehicle air conditioner. The vehicle control device according to any one of claims 2 to 7,
The plan creation / presentation means stores a plurality of vehicle control patterns with different degrees of importance on fuel saving in advance, and each of the plurality of sections is lit with the plurality of vehicle control patterns, and the plurality of vehicle control patterns A vehicle control apparatus that creates the plurality of control plans corresponding to The vehicle control device according to claim 8, wherein
The plan creation / presentation means has a display means for visually transmitting a difference in the degree of emphasis on fuel saving between each of the plurality of control plans to the driver of the vehicle. . The vehicle control device according to any one of claims 1 to 9,
Detection means for detecting the vehicle position;
A user input means for a user to input a destination;
The vehicle control apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined route is a route from the host vehicle position detected by the detection unit to a destination input through the user input unit.

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