JP2000213388A - Controller for prima mover - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve operability and a feeling of ride by performing automatic stop control of a prime mover in stopping of the vehicle according to the situations. SOLUTION: This controller stops a prime mover of a vehicle when the vehicle is temporarily stopped. In this case, the controller is provided with a detecting means (step S2) for detecting the time to the time when a stop signal to the vehicle is switched to a passage enabling signal, and a stop control performing means (step S3) for performing stop control of the prime mover on the basis of the time detected by the detecting means.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a control device for improving energy efficiency by appropriately controlling stop of a prime mover mounted on a vehicle in accordance with a traffic condition of the vehicle.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, there has been a strong demand for improving fuel efficiency of vehicles in view of global energy situation and environmental protection. An example of control that responds to such a request is so-called eco-run control, in which when the vehicle is temporarily stopped, the internal combustion engine that is the power source is stopped, and an operation for starting is performed. Is controlled to start again.

[0003] In this eco-run control, the motor is stopped because the stop of the vehicle continues to some extent. Therefore, when the stop control of the motor is performed, the state other than that the vehicle speed is zero is changed. It is necessary to judge that it will continue to some extent. Conditions for determining the continuation include, for example, that the transmission is in neutral and the brake is being depressed. Therefore, conversely, conditions for determining the start of the engine include that the manual transmission is in a position other than the neutral position and the clutch between the engine and the transmission is disengaged.

If the control for stopping and restarting the engine is executed when the above conditions are satisfied in addition to the fact that the vehicle speed is zero, it is ensured that the temporary stop of the vehicle continues to some extent. The engine can be stopped. However, since the above conditions are frequently satisfied during actual running, there is a possibility that the engine may be repeatedly stopped and started. Accordingly, starting devices such as a starter motor for rotating the engine are frequently driven, so that the useful lives of these devices may be shortened.

Therefore, in the invention described in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-4284, control for stopping and starting the engine is executed based on the following distance and the state of the traffic light. For example, when the traffic light is yellow or red and the vehicle speed is zero, the engine is stopped, and when the traffic light switches from red to blue, the engine is started.

[0006]

A vehicle stopped due to a yellow or red traffic light does not start until at least the traffic light switches to blue.
In the above-described conventional device, it is possible to execute the automatic stop control of the engine by detecting that the temporary stop time is long to some extent, and to avoid repeating the stop and start of the engine excessively frequently. it can.

However, in the above-described conventional apparatus, the engine is stopped when the traffic light stops in red, and when the traffic light switches from red to blue immediately after the stop, the engine is stopped and the start control is immediately executed. Will be. Therefore, the stop control and the start control of the engine occur continuously in a short time, and as a result, the drivability may be impaired.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and in controlling the stop and restart of the prime mover when the vehicle is temporarily stopped, the stop control and the start control are performed in a short time. It is an object of the present invention to provide a control device capable of reliably preventing continuous occurrence.

[0009]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION To achieve the above object, a first aspect of the present invention is a motor control apparatus for stopping a motor of a vehicle when the vehicle temporarily stops. Detecting means for detecting a time until the stop signal for the vehicle is switched to a passable signal,
Stop control performing means for performing stop control of the prime mover based on the time detected by the detecting means.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect, the stop control means inhibits the stop control of the prime mover when the time detected by the detection means is shorter than a predetermined time. It is characterized by including means.

Further, a third aspect of the present invention is a motor control device for stopping a motor of the own vehicle when the vehicle stops following the preceding vehicle, wherein a front vehicle start detecting means for detecting a start state of the front vehicle; Stop control performing means for performing a stop control of the prime mover based on the starting state of the preceding vehicle detected by the preceding vehicle start detecting means.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the stop control executing means according to the third aspect includes a prohibition means for prohibiting the stop control of the prime mover when the start of the front vehicle is detected by the front vehicle start detection means. It is characterized by including.

Therefore, in the first aspect of the present invention, the stop control of the motor is performed in accordance with the duration of the stop signal for the vehicle. In particular, in the second aspect of the present invention, when the duration of the stop signal is short, Since the stop control of the prime mover is prohibited, the prime mover is stopped when the stop state of the vehicle is long to some extent, and the prime mover is not stopped when the stop time is short, so that the stop control and the start control of the prime mover are performed in a short time. Continuous occurrence is surely prevented, and deterioration of drivability is avoided.

According to the third aspect of the present invention, in stopping the motor when stopping following the stop of the preceding vehicle,
Stop control of the prime mover is performed in accordance with the state of the start of the preceding vehicle. In particular, in the invention of claim 4, when the forward vehicle starts, the stop control of the prime mover is prohibited, so that the stop following the preceding vehicle is stopped. When the vehicle immediately starts following the vehicle in front of the vehicle, the engine is not stopped. As a result, the stop control and the start control of the engine are reliably prevented from occurring continuously in a short period of time. Sex deterioration is avoided.

[0015]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Next, the present invention will be described based on a specific example shown in the drawings. First, a basic configuration of the present invention will be described. A vehicle 1 to which the present invention is applied is a vehicle provided with various operation mechanisms that can be electrically controlled, as schematically shown in FIG. The operation mechanism is, for example, an engine (internal combustion engine) 2, a transmission 3, a suspension 4, and the like. As the control data for controlling these operation mechanisms, not only the traveling state of the host vehicle 1 but also surrounding conditions such as the state of the vehicle ahead and the state of the road are incorporated.

Here, control data relating to the running state of the vehicle 1 includes vehicle speed, acceleration / deceleration, throttle opening, accelerator opening, on / off of an idle switch, engine 2
, The rotation speed of each wheel including the drive wheel Dw, the speed,
The information includes a steering angle, on / off of a brake switch, a shift pattern of the transmission 3, a coolant temperature of the engine 2, an oil temperature of the transmission 3, and the like. The means for detecting the control data relating to the traveling state of the host vehicle 1 may be various sensors mounted on a conventional general vehicle.

The control data relating to the situation around the host vehicle 1 (ie, the traffic situation) during travel includes the position of the host vehicle 1 on the map, the road on which the host vehicle 1 is currently running, and the road ahead. Information on roads such as slopes and turning radii, information on the presence or absence of level crossings and traffic restrictions, the presence or absence of traffic congestion, the distance to the destination, the distance between vehicles in front of the vehicle 1 and the change in the distance between vehicles Degree.

The means for obtaining information on the road on which the vehicle 1 is traveling and the road ahead is, for example, the navigation system 5. This navigation system 5 uses GP
A system that shows the position of the vehicle 1 on an electronic map and guides it to the destination by autonomous navigation using S (global positioning system), a geomagnetic sensor or a gyro sensor, and a beacon installed on the ground It includes various road traffic information systems that obtain various types of road information including traffic congestion information and information on facilities from signposts and sign posts.

Further, a radar cruise system 6 can be employed as a means for obtaining information on the inter-vehicle distance between the host vehicle 1 and the preceding vehicle. This is configured to irradiate an electromagnetic wave such as an infrared ray or a millimeter wave forward, receive an electromagnetic wave reflected from a vehicle ahead, and detect a distance and a relative speed. In addition, an inter-vehicle communication system D that communicates information such as a traveling state with another vehicle traveling around the own vehicle 1, particularly with a preceding vehicle.
Has TS.

The navigation system 5, the radar cruise system 6, or the inter-vehicle communication system D
The traffic situation around the own vehicle 1 obtained by the TS is input to a control device that controls each of the operation mechanisms. For example, an electronic control unit (E-ECU) 7 for an engine, an electronic control unit (T-ECU) 8 for a transmission, and the like, which include a navigation system 5 and a radar cruise system 6
It is also configured to transmit data to and from the inter-vehicle communication system DTS.

Here, the above navigation system 5
5, the navigation system 5 includes a player 10 loaded with an information recording medium 9 such as an optical disk or a magnetic disk and reading information stored in the information recording medium 9; And a display unit 11 for displaying the information read by the computer in a two-dimensional or three-dimensional image.

The navigation system 5 includes a first position detecting unit 12 and a second position detecting unit 13 for detecting a current position of the vehicle and a road condition, and a speaker 14 for notifying a driver of the road condition by voice. Have. The display unit 11 is a liquid crystal display provided on the side of an indoor instrument panel or glove box,
In addition to a CRT or the like, it is possible to use an image projection unit or the like provided at a location that does not affect the field of view of the front window.

The player 10, the display unit 11, the first position detection unit 12, and the second position detection unit 13
And the speaker 14 are controlled by the electronic control unit 15. The electronic control unit 15 includes a central processing unit (C
PU), a storage device (RAM, ROM), and a microcomputer mainly including an input / output interface.

The information recording medium 9 stores information necessary for the vehicle to travel, for example, maps, place names, roads, major buildings around the roads, intersections, and the like. Roads and curves or uphills, downhills,
Ordinary roads, expressways, unpaved roads, gravel roads, deserts, riverbeds, forest roads, agricultural roads, low friction coefficient roads, level crossings, and the like are stored.

The first position detector 12 includes a geomagnetic sensor 16 for detecting the direction in which the vehicle is traveling, and a vehicle speed sensor 1.
7, a steering sensor 18 for detecting a steering angle of a steering wheel, a distance sensor 19 for detecting a distance between the vehicle and surrounding objects, an acceleration sensor 20, and the like.
Further, the second position detecting unit 13 includes a GPS antenna 22 for receiving a radio wave from the artificial satellite 21 and a GPS antenna 2
2 and an GPS receiver 24 connected to the amplifier 23.

The second position detecting unit 13 is installed on a roadside, at a traffic light, at a road surface at an intersection, and the like, and is provided with a ground detection system for detecting and transmitting an object, a beacon or signpost for outputting road information, a VICS, An antenna 26 for receiving a radio wave transmitted from a ground-based information transmission system 25 such as a vehicle information & communication system, SSVS (super smart vehicle system), and an amplifier 27 connected to the antenna 26; A ground information receiver 28 connected to the amplifier 27;

The first position detecting unit 12 and the second position detecting unit 13 detect the current position and inhibit the traveling state existing on the road to be traveled, for example, traffic jam, under construction, snow cover, landslide, flooding of river, closing of traffic, Falling rocks, fallen trees, vehicles stopped at intersections, presence of people and animals, indication of traffic lights at the approaching forward intersection (red, yellow, blue), operating status of traffic lights and circuit breakers at front crossings, these traffic lights , Or the time until the operating state of the circuit breaker is switched, and the like can be detected.

The above-described vehicle control device operates in an ASV (Advanced Safety Vehicle) function, for example, by vibrating a seat when the vehicle approaches an object in the vicinity, in order to improve safety during traveling. It is also possible to add a function of notifying a person or a function of deploying an airbag when the vehicle comes into contact with a surrounding object.

Further, the radar cruise system 6 will be described. As shown in FIG. 6, the radar cruise system 6 is mainly composed of a radar sensor 29 and a distance control computer 30. The radar sensor 29 includes an oscillator and a receiver for emitting electromagnetic waves such as an infrared laser, a microcomputer, and the like. The electromagnetic waves emitted from the oscillator are reflected on a vehicle body or a reflector of a vehicle ahead, and the reflected waves are reflected. The microcomputer calculates the time and the angle of incidence until the data is received by the receiver, and uses the distance control computer 30 to calculate data such as the presence or absence of a preceding vehicle on the traveling line of the host vehicle 1, the inter-vehicle distance to the preceding vehicle, and the relative speed. Is configured to be output. The distance control computer 30 mainly performs control related to the following running, and requests the target acceleration, downshift, approach warning buzzer and the like based on data such as the inter-vehicle distance and the relative speed input from the radar sensor 29. A signal is output to the engine electronic control unit 7.

Further, the vehicle-to-vehicle communication system DTS provides respective traveling states (vehicle speed, throttle opening, gear shift) between the vehicle 1 and another vehicle traveling within a predetermined range from the vehicle 1. Stage, engine speed, etc.), and outputs predetermined instruction signals to the engine electronic control unit 7 and the transmission electronic control unit 8 based on the received data. ing.

The engine electronic control unit 7 includes an electronic throttle valve (not shown) for controlling the output of the engine 2 based on these request signals, a fuel injection device, a transmission electronic control unit 8 or a skid control. A command signal is output to the computer 31.
An approach alarm buzzer 32 is connected to the skid control computer 31.

On the other hand, the transmission 3 mounted on the host vehicle 1 is a stepped or stepless automatic transmission capable of electrically controlling the transmission ratio, and is an electronic control unit for the transmission. The gear ratio is changed to be large or small on the basis of a gear shift command signal from the control unit 8. In the case of a transmission 3 having a fluid torque converter Tc having a built-in lock-up clutch Lc, a command signal from a transmission electronic control unit 8 determines whether the lock-up clutch Lc is engaged / disengaged and the slip state. It is configured to be controlled by: The transmission 3 outputs a driving force to the driving wheels Dw.

Further, when the engine 2 having an electronic throttle valve is mounted, the opening characteristic of the electronic throttle valve with respect to the accelerator opening is appropriately set by a command signal from the engine electronic control unit 7. It is configured to be able to.

In the control device according to the present invention, the control system of which is configured as described above, it is configured to execute control for automatically stopping the engine 2 even when the vehicle 1 is temporarily stopped. . This is control for minimizing unnecessary consumption of fuel by driving the engine 2 unnecessarily, and is a kind of so-called eco-run control.
The engine automatic stop control basically includes conditions such as that the vehicle 1 is stopped, a throttle valve is closed (accelerator off), and a braking operation is performed (brake on). It is implemented by being established.

As an example, an engine stop control at an intersection or a railroad crossing with a traffic light will be described. FIG.
Is a flowchart for explaining the control,
First, in step S1, it is determined whether the current location of the vehicle is within an intersection or a railroad crossing. This determination can be made by detecting the position of the vehicle 1 on the map by the navigation system 5 described above,
Alternatively, it can be performed based on information obtained from the ground installation information transmission system 25. Since the vehicle cannot be stopped at the intersection or railroad crossing, step S
If an affirmative determination is made in step 1, the routine returns without performing any particular control. That is, engine stop control is prohibited.

On the other hand, if a negative determination is made in step S1, it is determined whether or not the traffic signal displaying or prohibiting the traffic is switched to the traffic permission (possible) within a predetermined time (step S1). S2). This decision
The determination can be made based on the traffic signal information obtained by the ground information receiver 28 via the antenna 26 from the ground installation information transmission system 25 that can output the control state of the traffic signal. This is a determination based on so-called road-to-vehicle communication.

The predetermined time serving as a criterion for this determination is such that the state in front of the vehicle 1 can be started from the point in time when the above-mentioned engine stop conditions such as zero vehicle speed, accelerator off and brake on are satisfied. This time is set to a length that does not give an occupant an impression that the engine 2 will be stopped and started in a short time.

Therefore, if a negative determination is made in step S2, that is, since the traffic light instructing the stop of the vehicle is not switched to blue allowing the vehicle to travel within a predetermined time, a negative determination is made in step S2. If so, the stop control of the engine 2 is performed (step S
3). On the other hand, the signal instructing the vehicle to stop is
When the vehicle is switched to a state in which the vehicle is allowed to pass within the predetermined time, and the determination in step S2 is affirmative, the process returns without performing any particular control, and the stop control of the engine 2 is not performed.

FIG. 2 is a time chart in the case where the control for automatically stopping the engine 2 shown in FIG. 1 is performed in accordance with an instruction of a traffic signal at an intersection. The traffic light in front of the vehicle 1 is red, indicating that the vehicle is to be stopped. In this state, the vehicle 1 that is driving the engine 2 performs a braking operation and stops, and accordingly, the stop control condition of the engine 2 Is established at time t1, the time T1 from this time t1 to time t3 at which the traffic light switches to blue is determined. That is, the predetermined time serving as the criterion described above and this T
One hour is compared, and since the time T1 until the traffic light switches to blue is long, the stop control of the engine 2 is performed. That is, as shown by the broken line in FIG. 2, the engine (ENG) stop control signal switches from off to on,
Accordingly, the engine speed becomes zero. Then, at time t3 when the traffic light switches to blue, the engine stop control is released, the engine 2 is automatically started, and its rotation speed increases.

On the other hand, the stop condition of the engine 2 is shown in FIG.
Is established at the time point t2, the time T2 from the time point t2 to the time point t3 at which the traffic light switches to blue is shorter than the predetermined time as the criterion described above. Therefore, in this case, as shown by the solid line in FIG. 3, the engine stop control signal is kept off and the engine 2 continues to be driven, and is not stopped. That is, engine stop control is prohibited.

Therefore, in the control shown in FIG. 1, the engine 2 is stopped on the basis of the display of the traffic light because the display of prohibition of traffic by the traffic light continues for a predetermined time or more and the stop period of the engine 2 is long to some extent. Limited to Therefore, immediately after stopping according to the instruction of the traffic light and stopping the engine 2, the display of the traffic light switches and the engine 2 is stopped.
For example, when the engine 2 is started, the stop and start of the engine 2 in a short time can be reliably avoided.

Here, the relationship between the above specific example and the present invention will be described. The function of step S2 in FIG. 1 corresponds to the detecting means in the first aspect of the present invention, and step S3 is the invention of the first aspect. And the stop control prohibiting means according to the second aspect of the present invention.

Next, an example of control using vehicle-to-vehicle communication will be described. As described above, since the control device according to the present invention is configured to mutually communicate data about the traveling state with another vehicle within a predetermined range around the own vehicle 1, the control device is used. Thus, it is possible to know the traveling state of the vehicle immediately before the own vehicle 1 or the vehicles several vehicles ahead. Therefore, when a plurality of vehicles are stopped in a line in a row in response to an instruction from a traffic signal or traffic congestion, and the stop control condition of the engine 2 of the own vehicle 1 is satisfied,
The control shown in FIG. 3 is executed.

That is, when a plurality of vehicles are stopped in line in a column, the vehicle 1 stops, and if the stop condition of the engine 2 is satisfied in that state, step S shown in FIG.
Eleven decisions are made. Specifically, the vehicle 1 communicates with the vehicle immediately before or several vehicles ahead of the own vehicle 1, and determines the start of the vehicle ahead based on the obtained data. When a negative determination is made in step S11 because the start of the preceding vehicle is not determined, the own vehicle 1 is also continuously stopped, and the stop control of the engine 2 is performed (step S12).

On the other hand, if the determination of step 11 is affirmative due to the detection of the start of the preceding vehicle, the routine returns without performing any particular control, and the stop control of the engine 2 is not performed. That is, if the vehicle in front starts, the own vehicle 1 also starts without any particular time. In this case, the engine 2 is kept driven. In other words, the stop control of the engine is prohibited.

As described above, in the apparatus of the present invention for performing the control shown in FIG. 3, the execution / non-execution of the stop control of the engine 2 of the own vehicle 1 is determined based on the behavior of the preceding vehicle.
If the vehicle 1 is started following the start of the preceding vehicle, the stop control of the engine 1 is prohibited if the stop time is short. Therefore, the stop of the engine 2 and the start immediately after that are performed within a short time. Continuous occurrence can be avoided beforehand.

Therefore, the function of step S11 shown in FIG. 3 corresponds to the forward vehicle start detecting means in the third aspect of the present invention, and the function of step S12 corresponds to the stop control executing means and the fourth aspect of the present invention. The invention corresponds to the prohibition means in the invention.

In the above specific example, the case where the traffic signal at the intersection switches from red to blue has been described as an example. However, the stop signal for the vehicle in the present invention is not limited to the signal obtained from the traffic signal at the intersection. It may be a stop signal obtained from a traffic signal at a railroad crossing or a circuit breaker, a traffic signal installed temporarily for road construction, a traffic signal indicating that a bridge over a waterway such as a canal cannot be passed, etc. May be used, and any of them can be controlled in the same manner as in the above specific example. Further, in each of the above specific examples, the internal combustion engine is shown as the prime mover. However, the prime mover targeted by the present invention may be any device that may consume energy depending on the control method at the time of stoppage. It is not limited to an internal combustion engine.

[0049]

As described above, according to the first aspect of the present invention, since the stop control of the prime mover is performed in accordance with the duration of the stop signal for the vehicle, the stop control of the prime mover is performed in accordance with the behavior of the vehicle. In particular, according to the second aspect of the present invention, when the duration of the stop signal is short, the stop control of the motor is prohibited. Therefore, when the stop state of the vehicle is relatively long, the motor is stopped. When the stop time is short, the motor is not stopped, so that it is possible to reliably prevent the stop control and the start control of the motor from continuously occurring in a short period of time, and to avoid deterioration in drivability. .

According to the third aspect of the present invention, when stopping the prime mover when the vehicle stops following the stop of the preceding vehicle, stop control of the prime mover is performed in accordance with the starting state of the preceding vehicle. Stop control of the prime mover can be suitably performed in accordance with the behavior of the vehicle. In particular, according to the invention of claim 4, when the preceding vehicle starts moving, stop control of the prime mover is prohibited, so that the vehicle follows the preceding vehicle. When the vehicle starts following the vehicle immediately after it stops, the prime mover is not stopped. As a result, the stop control and the start control of the prime mover are reliably prevented from occurring continuously in a short time. As a result, it is possible to avoid deterioration in drivability.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a flowchart for explaining a control example by a control device of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a time chart for explaining an execution state of engine stop control when the control of FIG. 1 is executed.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart for explaining another control example by the control device of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a diagram schematically showing an overall control system of the control device according to the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram schematically showing an example of the navigation system.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram schematically illustrating an example of the radar cruise system.

[Explanation of symbols]

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Own vehicle, 2 ... Engine, 3 ... Transmission, 5 ... Navigation system, 6 ... Radar cruise system, 7 ... Engine electronic control unit, 8 ... Transmission electronic control unit, DTS ... Inter-vehicle communication system.

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI Theme coat ゛ (Reference) G08G 1/16 B60R 21/00 624G 624H F-term (Reference) 3D037 FA13 FA23 FA24 FA25 FA26 FB00 FB05 3G092 AC03 CA02 EA09 EA14 EA17 FA30 GB01 GB10 HF08Z HF21Z HF26Z HG04Z 3G093 AA06 BA22 CB01 CB05 DA06 DB00 DB06 DB15 DB23 FA11 FB05 5H180 AA01 BB13 CC02 CC12 CC14 FF04 FF05 FF12 FF13 FF22 FF25 LL09 LL09

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A motor control device for stopping a motor of a vehicle when the vehicle temporarily stops, comprising: detecting means for detecting a time until a stop signal for the vehicle is switched to a passable signal; And control means for performing stop control of the motor based on the time detected by the means. 2. The stop control means includes stop control prohibition means for prohibiting stop control of the prime mover when the time detected by the detection means is shorter than a predetermined time. 2. The control device for a motor according to claim 1. 3. A motor control device for stopping a motor of a host vehicle when the vehicle stops following the preceding vehicle, comprising: a front vehicle start detecting means for detecting a start state of the front vehicle; A control device for a prime mover, comprising: stop control performing means for performing a stop control of the prime mover based on the detected starting state of the preceding vehicle. 4. The vehicle according to claim 3, wherein the stop control execution unit includes a prohibition unit that prohibits the stop control of the prime mover when the start of the preceding vehicle is detected by the front vehicle start detection unit. Motor control device as described.