JP2002159101A - Vehicle drive - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To attain both of rapid acceleration and failsafe capability at the time of emergent acceleration. SOLUTION: While a driver is desirous of emergent acceleration, he or she depresses an emergent acceleration button fitted at a place where he or she often places his or her hand after response period 2 shorter than response period 1 necessary to fully open an accelerator pedal has elapsed. When the button is depressed, a motor driving a driving wheel is fully driven at a stroke, so that rapid acceleration in an emergent case is started rapidly, and an increasing degree of driving force after that is almost the same as an increasing tendency of output in the case of a single engine because the driving force of an engine is used at the same time.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vehicle drive device, and more particularly to a so-called hybrid vehicle drive device using both an engine and an electric motor.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in the field of automobiles, which are typical vehicles, a so-called hybrid vehicle using both an engine and an electric motor as drive sources for wheels has been proposed.

In recent years, as one example of such a hybrid drive, a system for realizing a so-called four-wheel drive by driving a front wheel by an engine and driving a rear wheel by an electric motor has been disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H9-1997. 2
No. 84911.

[0004]

However, a hybrid vehicle is designed with a view to protecting the environment from energy efficiency as much as possible.
Generally, the responsiveness of the driver to the driving operation is not very high.In particular, when the driver operates the accelerator pedal fully open, generally, the acceleration operation desired by the driver and the actual acceleration operation There will be a considerable difference between them, which will stress the driver. Also, for example, when trying to avoid an obstacle ahead while suddenly accelerating on a highway or the like, it is expected that it is not preferable from the viewpoint of safe driving that the driver cannot achieve the desired acceleration operation as described above. Is done.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a vehicle drive device that achieves both rapid acceleration during emergency acceleration and fail-safe performance.

[0006]

In order to achieve the above object, a vehicle drive device according to the present invention has the following configuration.

That is, the present invention relates to a vehicle drive device having a drive source for each of a front wheel and a rear wheel, wherein a manual operation switch provided near a driver's seat and an operation of the manual operation switch are detected. Control means for canceling the output restriction of at least one of the drive sources.

In a preferred embodiment, a plurality of the manual operation switches are provided, and the control means preferably releases the output restriction only when all the operations of the plurality of manual operation switches are detected. In this case, it is preferable that the plurality of manual operation switches are separately provided at positions on the steering wheel where the driver can operate the steering wheel while holding the steering wheel with both hands.

Alternatively, it is preferable that the manual operation switch is provided above the shift lever for shifting, and the manual operation switch is provided with a protection means (for example, a protection force bar that can be opened and closed by the driver) for preventing erroneous operation of the driver. .

In any of the above configurations, the vehicle includes, as the drive sources, an engine for driving front wheels and an electric motor for driving rear wheels, and the control means controls the operation of the manual operation switch. Accordingly, the output restriction of the electric motor may be released.

[0011] The control means may detect a brake operation, a turning state of the vehicle, or a low speed equal to or lower than a predetermined vehicle speed, even when the operation of the manual operation switch is detected. When a predetermined condition such as when traveling is detected is satisfied, the output restriction may be continued.

[0012]

According to the present invention described above, it is possible to provide a vehicle drive system that achieves both rapid acceleration during emergency acceleration and fail-safe performance.

That is, according to the first aspect of the present invention, when the manual operation switch is operated, the output limitation is released and the emergency acceleration is performed, so that both the quick acceleration and the fail-safe property can be achieved. it can.

According to the second, fourth and fifth aspects of the present invention, it is possible to reduce the risk that the driver accidentally touches the manual operation switch and the emergency acceleration is performed carelessly. Can be.

According to the third and sixth aspects of the present invention, the manual operation switch is provided in a place where the driver often places his / her hand, so that the driver can quickly drive the vehicle drive device. Communication can be realized.

According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, since the release control of the output limitation is performed for the electric motor having an excellent output rising characteristic as compared with the engine, the acceleration operation can be started quickly.

According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, a predetermined condition is satisfied, for example, when a brake operation, a turning state of the vehicle, or when a low speed running at a predetermined vehicle speed or less is detected (claim 10). Sometimes, even if the manual operation switch is operated, the release of the output restriction is canceled, so that safety can be ensured.

[0018]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, a vehicle drive device according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings as an embodiment applied to a typical automobile.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a drive system of a vehicle drive device according to the present embodiment, which employs a hybrid drive system in which front wheels are driven by an engine and rear wheels are driven by an electric motor. .

In FIG. 1, an engine 5 is started by a generator 6 and drives a front wheel via a transmission 7 under the control of a controller 1. An electric motor (hereinafter, referred to as a motor) 3 drives rear wheels with electric energy stored in a large-capacity battery (for example, a lithium-ion battery) 4 under the control of a controller 1 via an inverter 2, and performs a predetermined operation. The battery 4 is charged by functioning as a generator under the traveling conditions of.

Here, the arrangement of the drive system of the vehicle drive device will be described with reference to FIGS.

FIGS. 15 to 17 are a perspective view (FIG. 15), a plan view (FIG. 16), and a side view (FIG. 17) showing the arrangement of the drive system at the rear of the vehicle drive device in this embodiment. .

As shown in FIGS. 15 to 17, the vehicle drive system according to the present embodiment has a front seat 4 near the intermediate position between the front axle 33 and the rear axle 33 (not shown).
The battery 4 is mounted below the seating surface of the vehicle 1, and the fuel tank 31 is mounted rearward and forward of the rear wheel axle 33 and below the seating surface of the rear seat 42. In addition, at a position in front of a rear wheel axle 33 for rotating the rear wheel 34,
The motor 3 is mounted at a rear position of the fuel tank 31 via a differential gear 32. The controller 1 and the inverter 2 are mounted at a position behind the rear wheel axle 33.

In the present embodiment, the driving system shown in FIGS.
7, the battery 4, the motor 3, and the fuel tank 31 in the case of a large amount of fuel, which occupy a large proportion with respect to the weight of the entire vehicle.
Is disposed in front of the rear wheel axle 33 to reduce the occurrence of yaw moment during turning of the vehicle, thereby improving driving operability. In particular, the battery 4 is positioned below the seat surface of the front seat 41. Since it is arranged at a substantially intermediate position between the front and rear axles, a great improvement in driving operability is realized.

Next, a basic operation pattern of the hybrid vehicle drive device according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the vehicle drive system according to the present embodiment when the vehicle is stopped. When the vehicle is stopped, the engine 5 is controlled according to the control of the controller 1 from the viewpoint of quietness and emission reduction. Stop (idle stop). However, when the battery 4 needs to be charged or the air conditioner needs to be operated, idling is continued.

FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the vehicle drive device according to the present embodiment when the vehicle starts and runs at low speed. When the vehicle starts and runs at low speed, the inverter 2 is operated from the viewpoint of quietness and emission reduction. Controller 1 via
, The motor 3 drives the rear wheels by the electric energy stored in the battery 4. At this time, the engine 5 remains stopped, but idling is started (or continued) when charging of the battery 4 or operation of the air conditioner is necessary.

FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the vehicle drive system according to the present embodiment when the engine is started. When the engine 5 is started, the motor 3 continues to drive the rear wheels, and the controller 1 The engine 5 is started by supplying the electric energy stored in the battery 4 also to the generator 6. At this time, in the present embodiment, the driving of the front wheels by the engine 5 is not performed.

FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the vehicle drive system according to the present embodiment when the vehicle is driven by the engine.
The traveling by the engine 5 is started according to the clutch engagement operation of the transmission 7 when the engine 5 is started as described above.
At this time, the controller 1 stops supplying power to the motor 3. When the clutch is engaged, the driving force (rotational state) of the engine 5 and the driving force (rotational state) of the motor 3 are synchronized to reduce the shock caused by the engagement of the clutch.

FIG. 6 is a view for explaining the power generation operation of the vehicle drive device in the present embodiment during traveling.
In the case where the battery 4 is charged by generating power during traveling by the vehicle, the rotation of the engine 5 is shifted to a high-efficiency region by adjusting the load state of the motor 3 via the inverter 2 and shifting the transmission 7. As a result, electric power is generated by the motor 3, and the generated electric power charges the battery 4.

FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the vehicle drive system according to the present embodiment at the time of rapid acceleration. When the vehicle is driven by the driving force of the engine 5, when the driver requests rapid acceleration. When the battery 4 is being charged, the charging is stopped and the entire engine output is used as the driving force. At this time, if the required acceleration state cannot be realized, the controller 1 drives the motor 3 by the battery 4 to perform further rapid acceleration.

FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining the power regeneration operation of the vehicle drive device according to the present embodiment at the time of deceleration. When the vehicle 5 is decelerated during traveling by the engine 5, the engaged clutch is disengaged. By stopping the driving of the front wheels and adjusting the load state of the motor 3 via the inverter 2, the deceleration operation started by the motor 3
(Regenerated power) is charged in the battery 4.

FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the vehicle drive system in the present embodiment at the time of rapid deceleration. When the vehicle is running with the driving force of the engine 5, or as shown in FIG. When a sudden deceleration is requested by the driver during this operation, mechanical braking is performed by a braking mechanism (not shown), and the engine brake is applied by engaging the clutch. At this time, the controller 1 uses the generator 6 and the motor 3 as a generator to charge the battery 4 with electric power (regenerative electric power) generated by the deceleration operation.

Next, a description will be given of a configuration of the vehicle drive device having the above-described configuration that achieves both rapid acceleration during emergency acceleration and fail-safe performance.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing a control system for realizing emergency acceleration in the vehicle drive device according to the present embodiment. The controller 1 realizes the basic traveling operation described above, and With the input / output signals from the control system shown, rapid acceleration in an emergency is realized.

That is, the controller 1 receives input signals from the emergency acceleration buttons (switches) 11A and 11B, a vehicle speed sensor 12, a lateral acceleration sensor 13, a steering angle sensor 14, a battery charge state detector 15, and a brake switch 16 or The operation state is input. The controller 1 includes a microcomputer (not shown), executes a control program prepared in advance based on information acquired from the above sensors and the like, and executes a motor / generator controller 17, an engine controller 18, and By controlling the mission controller 19, emergency acceleration is performed according to the driver's request.

In the above control system, general components may be employed for the components other than the emergency acceleration buttons 11A and 11B and the control processing of the controller 1 for realizing the emergency acceleration. Detailed description is omitted.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a manually operated switch for starting emergency acceleration in the first embodiment.
It is a figure which illustrates arrangement of emergency acceleration buttons 11A and 11B.

In this embodiment, the emergency acceleration button 11
A and 11B are spaced apart from each other on the steering wheel 43 (within the circumference) so that the driver can operate the steering wheel while holding the steering wheel with both hands. In the present embodiment, since the emergency acceleration buttons 11A and 11B are provided in a place where the driver often places their hands as shown in FIG. 11, the driver's quick communication to the vehicle drive device is realized. can do.

From the viewpoint of fail-safe, the controller 1 controls the motor / generator only when both of these two buttons are simultaneously operated (pressed) by the driver and a predetermined condition described later is satisfied. By instructing the heater 17 to release the output limitation of the motor 3, the emergency acceleration of the vehicle is started. Here, when the emergency acceleration is performed, the output limitation of the motor 3 is released because the electric motor generally has a higher output rising characteristic than the engine.

Next, the acceleration operation when the two buttons are operated will be described.

FIG. 13 shows the emergency acceleration buttons 11A and 11A.
It is a figure explaining the difference between the rapid acceleration operation at the time of operation of B, and the acceleration operation at the time of normal acceleration, and a horizontal axis shows elapsed time and a vertical axis shows driving force.

In the figure, the characteristic curve at the time of normal acceleration by the driving force of the engine 5 indicates that the driver fully recognizes a dangerous state by a driver or the like at the timing indicated by INPUT and then fully opens the accelerator pedal. After the required reaction time (reaction time 1) elapses,
This shows that the output (drive power) of the engine 5 gradually increases.

On the other hand, the characteristic curve at the time of emergency acceleration according to the operation of the emergency acceleration buttons 11A and 11B is represented by INP
The motor 3 can output when the reaction time (reaction time 2) required for the driver to operate both of the buttons elapses after the driver recognizes a certain dangerous state visually or the like at the timing indicated by the UT. Since the driving force rises at a stretch and the driving force of the engine 5 is increased at the same time, the driving force of the engine 5 is also used.

That is, in this embodiment, the emergency acceleration buttons 11A and 11B are provided at a place where the driver frequently places his or her hand as described above (FIG. 11).
reference). Therefore, when the driver desires the emergency acceleration, the driver uses the emergency acceleration button 11A at the time when the reaction time 2 shorter than the reaction time 1 required to fully open the accelerator pedal has elapsed due to the general behavioral characteristics of the human. And 11B can be operated, and it is possible to instruct the vehicle (controller 1) to perform emergency acceleration in a short time after visually recognizing a dangerous state.

Further, when both of the buttons are operated, the motor 3 is fully driven at a stroke, so that the rapid acceleration operation in an emergency can be started quickly.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart of control processing for emergency acceleration in the present embodiment, and shows a processing procedure performed by a microcomputer (not shown) of the controller 1.

In the figure, steps S1 and S
2: It is determined whether both of the operations of the emergency acceleration buttons 11A and 11B are performed (step S1). If only one of the operations is performed, an erroneous operation of the driver is assumed, so the emergency acceleration is carelessly executed. The process returns to step S1 in order to prevent the brake pedal from being operated, and when both are operated, it is determined whether or not the brake pedal is depressed based on the operation state of the brake switch 16 (step S1).
2). If it is determined that the brake pedal is depressed, it is dangerous to execute emergency acceleration, and the process returns to step S1.

Further, when returning in steps S1 and S2, if the emergency acceleration has been performed in the previous control cycle, the acceleration state is canceled.

Step S3, Step S4: Step S
When both of the buttons are operated and the brake is not applied in the determinations of step 1 and step S2, the own vehicle speed is set to a predetermined speed V1 (for example, several km / h) based on the detection signal of the vehicle speed sensor 12. If the vehicle speed is lower than the speed V1, it is assumed that the vehicle is running on a parking lot or a slow road, and it is dangerous to execute emergency acceleration. A warning is given to the driver by display or display, and the process returns to step S1. If the vehicle speed is equal to or higher than the speed V1, the battery charge state detector 1
5, the charging state of the battery 4 is determined based on the detection signal. If the charging state is an overdischarge state, it is expected that stable power supply to the motor 3 cannot be performed. Therefore, since the emergency acceleration should not be performed, the driver is warned to that effect by voice or display, and the process returns to step S1.

Further, when returning in steps S3 and S4, if the emergency acceleration has been performed in the previous control cycle, the acceleration state is canceled.

Step S5: If the own vehicle speed is equal to or higher than the predetermined speed V1 and the battery 4 is not in the overdischarged state in the judgment of the steps S3 and S4, the output limitation of the motor 3 and the engine 5 is released to thereby accelerate the sudden acceleration. I do. At this time, the full drive of the motor 3 is started immediately, but the start-up of the engine 5 is delayed, so that the vehicle drive device according to the present embodiment has the acceleration characteristic at the time of emergency acceleration described above with reference to FIG. Becomes

Steps S6 and S7: The traction state (step S6) and the vehicle stability (step S6) are determined by a general method based on the detection signals of the vehicle speed sensor 12, the lateral acceleration sensor 13 and the steering angle sensor 14. It is determined whether or not step S7) satisfies the predetermined condition. If any of the determinations satisfies the condition, it can be determined that there is no problem even if the emergency acceleration is continued, and the process returns to step S1. In the determination of step S6,
When the traction does not satisfy the predetermined condition, if the emergency acceleration is continued as it is, the vehicle may cause a wheel spin due to a wet road surface or the like, and the process proceeds to step S8. Also, even if the traction satisfies the predetermined condition, if the stability of the vehicle does not satisfy the predetermined condition, if the emergency acceleration is continued as it is, there is a possibility that a spin or a drift out due to the skidding of the vehicle may occur. , The process proceeds to step S8.

Step S8: The driver is warned by voice or display that there is a problem with the traction or running stability, and a DSC (Dynami) using a general method is used.
c Stability Control) and traction control are activated, and the process returns to step S1.

As described above, according to the above-described embodiment, it is possible to achieve both rapid acceleration during emergency acceleration and fail-safe performance.

In each of the above-described embodiments, the operation of the emergency acceleration buttons 11A and 11B has been described assuming that the operation of the emergency acceleration buttons 11A and 11B is performed to avoid danger from the viewpoint of safe driving of the vehicle. A good circuit performance can be enjoyed by adopting such a circuit in a competition car.

[Second Embodiment] Next, a second embodiment based on the vehicle drive device according to the above-described first embodiment will be described. In the following description, the same configuration as that of the first embodiment will not be described repeatedly, and the description will focus on the characteristic portions of the present embodiment. FIG.
FIG. 9 is a view showing a manual operation switch for starting emergency acceleration in the second embodiment, and in this embodiment, an emergency acceleration button 11C which is the manual operation switch;
As shown in FIG. 11A, a protective force bar 21 that can be opened and closed by the driver is provided on the upper part of the shift lever 20 for shifting to prevent the accidental start of the emergency acceleration due to the driver's erroneous operation. It is provided in a covered state. Therefore, when emergency acceleration is desired, the driver opens the protection force bar 21 as shown in FIG. 11B, and operates (presses) the emergency acceleration button 11C in this state. Also in the present embodiment, the manual operation switch (the emergency acceleration button 1
1C), the driver's quick communication to the vehicle drive device can be realized.

The control system for realizing emergency acceleration in the vehicle drive system according to the present embodiment has two switches of the emergency acceleration buttons 11A and 11B in the first embodiment described above. The present embodiment is different only in that only the emergency acceleration button 11C is provided.
The control process of the emergency acceleration performed by the control process described above (FIG. 1)
The only difference is that, in step S1 of 2), it is determined whether or not the emergency acceleration button 11C has been operated. Therefore,
According to this embodiment, the same operation and effect as those of the first embodiment can be performed.
The effect can be enjoyed, and both rapid acceleration at the time of emergency acceleration and fail-safety can be achieved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a drive system of a vehicle drive device according to an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an operation of the vehicle drive device according to the embodiment when the vehicle is stopped.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an operation of the vehicle drive device according to the present embodiment when the vehicle starts and runs at a low speed.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an operation of the vehicle drive device according to the present embodiment when the engine is started.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an operation of the vehicle drive device according to the present embodiment when the vehicle is driven by an engine.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a power generation operation during traveling of the vehicle drive device according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating an operation of the vehicle drive device according to the present embodiment at the time of rapid acceleration.

FIG. 8 is a diagram illustrating a power regeneration operation during deceleration of the vehicle drive device according to the present embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an operation of the vehicle drive device according to the embodiment at the time of sudden deceleration.

FIG. 10 is a block diagram showing a control system for realizing emergency acceleration in the vehicle drive device according to the embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a manually operated switch for starting emergency acceleration in the first embodiment.

FIG. 12 is a flowchart of control processing for emergency acceleration according to the embodiment.

FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining a difference between a rapid acceleration operation at the time of operating the emergency acceleration buttons 11A and 11B and an acceleration operation at the time of normal acceleration.

FIG. 14 is a view showing a manually operated switch for starting emergency acceleration in the second embodiment.

FIG. 15 is a perspective view showing an arrangement of a drive system at a rear portion of the vehicle drive device according to the embodiment.

FIG. 16 is a plan view showing an arrangement of a drive system at a rear portion of the vehicle drive device according to the embodiment.

FIG. 17 is a side view showing an arrangement of a drive system at a rear portion of the vehicle drive device according to the embodiment.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1: controller, 2: inverter, 3: motor, 4: battery, 5: engine, 6: generator, 7: transmission, 11A, 11B, 11C: emergency acceleration button, 20: shift lever, 21: protective cover, 31 : Fuel tank, 32: differential gear, 33: rear axle, 34: rear wheel, 41: front seat, 42: rear seat, 43: steering wheel,

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁷ Identification symbol FI theme coat ゛ (Reference) B62D 1/04 B62D 1/04 F02D 29/02 F02D 29/02 D // B60K 6/02 B60K 9/00 E (72) Inventor Takami Kirita 3-1, Shinchi, Fuchu-cho, Aki-gun, Hiroshima Mazda Co., Ltd. (72) Reiji Kikuchi 3-1, Shinchi, Fuchu-cho, Aki-gun, Hiroshima Mazda F-term (reference) 3D030 DB13 3D039 AA01 AA04 AB01 AB27 AC32. FA11 FB05 5H115 PA08 PG04 PI16 PI29 PO17 PU01 PU22 PU24 PU25 QE01 QE02 QE08 QE10 QI04 QN02 RB08 RE01 SE04 SE05 SJ13 TB01 TI01 TO23 TU17 TZ07

Claims (10)

[Claims] 1. A vehicular drive device having a drive source on each of a front wheel and a rear wheel, comprising: a manual operation switch provided in the vicinity of a driver's seat; and only when an operation of the manual operation switch is detected.
Control means for canceling the output limitation of at least one of the drive sources. 2. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of said manual operation switches are provided, and said control means releases the output restriction only when all the operations of said plurality of manual operation switches are detected. The vehicle drive device according to claim 1. 3. The plurality of manual operation switches are provided at positions on a steering wheel, which are operable while a driver holds the steering wheel with both hands, and are spaced apart from each other. The vehicle drive device according to claim 2. 4. The vehicle drive device according to claim 1, wherein the manual operation switch is provided with protection means for preventing an erroneous operation of a driver. 5. The vehicle drive device according to claim 4, wherein the protection means is a protection force bar that can be opened and closed by a driver. 6. The vehicle drive device according to claim 4, wherein the manual operation switch is provided above a shift lever for shifting. 7. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the vehicle includes, as the drive source, an engine that drives a front wheel and an electric motor that drives a rear wheel. Drive device. 8. The vehicle drive device according to claim 7, wherein the control unit releases the output restriction of the electric motor in response to an operation of the manual operation switch. 9. The apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control means continues the output limitation when a predetermined condition is satisfied even when the operation of the manual operation switch is detected. The vehicle drive device according to any one of the above. 10. The vehicle according to claim 9, wherein the predetermined condition is that any one of a brake operation, a turning state of the vehicle, and a low-speed running at a predetermined vehicle speed or less is detected. Drive.