JP2008255968A - Vehicular controller - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a vehicular controller 3 which stops automatically an engine 1 when the prescribed auto-stopping conditions are met and is further equipped with an idling stop function to restart the stopped engine 1 when the prescribed restarting conditions are met and an oil pressure monitoring function for performing notification of a failure in oil pressure when such is sensed during the engine 1 is in operation, wherein it is made practicable for the information about the failure in oil pressure to be accurately transmitted to the driver even if the failure is generated during the engine 1 is in operation and auto-stop of the engine 1 is caused by the idling stop function while the notification is being conducted. <P>SOLUTION: The engine 1 mounted on a vehicle is configured so that the lubricating oil and the working oil in the engine are circulated by an oil pump 9 driven by a crank shaft 1a. The oil pressure monitoring function exerted by this vehicular controller 3 continues the notifying operation even if the auto-stop of the engine 1 is conducted by the idling stop function while the failure is being notified. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a control device for a vehicle in which an engine that circulates internal lubricating and operating oil with an oil pump driven by a crankshaft is mounted.

  The control device automatically stops the engine when a predetermined automatic stop condition is satisfied, and restarts the automatically stopped engine when the predetermined restart condition is satisfied; and during the engine operation And a hydraulic pressure monitoring function that performs a notification operation of the hydraulic pressure abnormality when the hydraulic pressure abnormality is detected. In particular, the hydraulic pressure monitoring function is improved.

  Conventionally, some vehicles are equipped with an idle stop function (also referred to as an eco-run function) in order to reduce fuel consumption and reduce exhaust gas emission (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  This idle stop function, for example, in a general vehicle equipped with, for example, a gasoline engine or a diesel engine, automatically stops the engine when the vehicle stops temporarily, such as when waiting for a signal (when a predetermined automatic stop condition is satisfied), Thereafter, when the vehicle is started (when a predetermined restart condition is satisfied), a process for restarting the engine is performed.

  By the way, it is conceivable to equip a hydraulic pressure monitoring function for performing a hydraulic pressure abnormality notification operation when an abnormality that causes the hydraulic pressure of the engine to fall below a predetermined value is detected (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2).

  For reference, when an oil pump that circulates oil for lubrication or operation in the engine is driven by a crankshaft, the oil pressure on the discharge side of the oil pump is detected, and the detected value is a predetermined threshold value. Whether or not there is an abnormality in the hydraulic pressure is determined based on whether or not the following is true. Therefore, when the engine is stopped, the oil pressure of the engine is not generated because the oil pump is not driven.

  Here, in the engine mounted on the vehicle having the idle stop function described above, if the oil pressure monitoring function is performed, the following situation may occur.

  For example, when the engine is automatically stopped by the idle stop function, the oil pressure of the engine is not generated due to the relationship that the oil pump is driven by the crankshaft. Therefore, even if the oil pressure is normal immediately before the engine is automatically stopped, It is determined that an abnormality has occurred, and there is a concern that a hydraulic pressure abnormality notification operation is performed. In this case, it is a mistake to notify the hydraulic pressure abnormality.

  On the other hand, in the conventional example of Patent Document 1, the presence or absence of hydraulic oil pressure abnormality is monitored only during engine operation, and the oil pressure warning lamp is sounded only during engine operation when the oil pressure abnormality is recognized. The alarm operation is interrupted when the engine is automatically stopped.

In this case, as a matter of course, even if the hydraulic pressure abnormality is recognized during the engine operation and the alarm operation is performed, the alarm operation is interrupted when the engine is automatically stopped thereafter.
Japanese Utility Model No. 4-14301 JP 2001-140619 A

  In the conventional example of Patent Document 1 described above, for example, when an abnormal pressure is detected and the notification operation is executed during operation of the engine, the notification operation of the abnormal hydraulic pressure is interrupted when the engine is automatically stopped. As a result, the driver can not only be confident that an abnormality in hydraulic pressure has occurred, but may be suspicious of whether the monitoring system for abnormal hydraulic pressure has malfunctioned. In this way, it can be said that there is a possibility that the driver may be confused and the information regarding the hydraulic abnormality cannot be accurately transmitted to the driver.

  In particular, in the conventional example of the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, instead of interrupting the alarm operation regarding the hydraulic pressure abnormality during the automatic engine stop, the hydraulic warning lamp for forgetting to pull the side brake is purposely sounded. If you do, there is a concern that the driver will be confused more.

  The present invention relates to a vehicle control apparatus having an idle stop function that enables automatic stop / restart of an engine and a hydraulic pressure monitoring function that performs a notification operation of a hydraulic pressure abnormality when a hydraulic pressure abnormality is detected during engine operation. An object of the present invention is to enable accurate transmission of information on hydraulic abnormality to the driver even if the engine is automatically stopped by the idle stop function in the middle of performing a notification operation when hydraulic abnormality occurs during engine operation. It is said.

  The present invention relates to a control device for a vehicle equipped with an engine that circulates internal lubricating and operating oil using an oil pump driven by a crankshaft, and the engine is operated when a predetermined automatic stop condition is satisfied. An idle stop function for automatically stopping and restarting the automatically stopped engine when a predetermined restart condition is satisfied, and a hydraulic pressure for performing an abnormality notification operation when a hydraulic pressure abnormality is detected during engine operation And the hydraulic pressure monitoring function is characterized in that the notification operation is continued even when the engine is automatically stopped by the idle stop function during the notification operation.

  In the first place, in the engine as described above, when the operation is stopped, the oil pump is not driven, so that no hydraulic pressure is generated. Therefore, if the hydraulic pressure is monitored when the engine is automatically stopped by the idle stop function, a hydraulic pressure abnormality is detected. Therefore, it is meaningless to determine the hydraulic pressure abnormality during the automatic engine stop. It can be said. Considering this point, it has been found that it is preferable to monitor the hydraulic pressure substantially only during engine operation.

  According to the above-described configuration of the present invention in consideration of such knowledge, when an abnormality in the engine internal pressure is detected during operation of the engine, an operation for notifying an abnormality in the oil pressure is performed. Even if the engine is automatically stopped, the notification operation is intentionally continued.

  This makes it possible to appeal to the driver that the operation for notifying the abnormality of the hydraulic pressure is correct. Therefore, there is no concern that the driver is confused by interrupting the notification operation during the automatic engine stop as in the conventional example.

  Preferably, the oil pressure monitoring function is configured to determine whether there is an abnormality in which the oil pressure drops below a predetermined value based on an output of the oil pressure detection element during the engine operation, and when the means determines that the oil pressure is abnormal, A means for performing a notification operation of a hydraulic pressure abnormality and having an execution history of the notification operation; a means for continuing the state of the notification operation before the automatic stop when the engine is automatically stopped by the idle stop function; Have

  In this configuration, the means for realizing the hydraulic pressure monitoring function is specified, and the configuration of the vehicle control device is clarified by the specification.

  According to the present invention, even when the engine is automatically stopped by the idle stop function while the notification operation is being performed in response to the occurrence of the hydraulic pressure abnormality during engine operation, the information regarding the hydraulic pressure abnormality is accurately transmitted to the driver. Will be possible, and the driver will not have to worry too much.

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

  1 to 6 show an embodiment of the present invention. First, prior to the description of the portion to which the features of the present invention are applied, a schematic configuration of a vehicle drive train to which the present invention is applied will be described with reference to FIG.

  In the figure, 1 is an engine as a power source, 2 is an automatic transmission, and 3 is a vehicle control device.

  The engine 1 is, for example, a gasoline engine, and supplies an air-fuel mixture in which intake air adjusted by an electronic control throttle 5 and fuel injected from an injector 6 are mixed at an appropriate ratio to a combustion chamber. Is ignited to burn the air-fuel mixture, thereby generating rotational power. This engine may be a diesel engine.

  For starting the engine 1, cranking is performed by rotationally driving a flywheel (not shown) connected to the crankshaft 1a with a starter motor 8 serving as a starter. An oil pump 9 that circulates oil for lubrication and operation in the engine 1 is driven by a crankshaft 1a.

  Although not shown in detail, this electronically controlled throttle 5 is a throttle valve installed in the intake manifold by driving the throttle motor based on the depression amount of the accelerator pedal 11 (accelerator opening) and the necessary control conditions. It is the structure which adjusts an opening degree suitably.

  The automatic transmission 2 appropriately changes the rotational power generated in the engine 1 and outputs it to the drive system, and has a generally known configuration including a torque converter, a transmission mechanism, a hydraulic control device, and the like. The transmission mechanism may be a planetary gear mechanism, a gear train mechanism having a plurality of gears, or a continuously variable transmission mechanism such as CVT.

  The vehicle control device 3 includes a generally known engine ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 31, a transmission ECU 32, an idle stop ECU 33, and the like, and various types related to the operation of the engine 1 based on information input from various detection elements. The control and the shift control of the automatic transmission 2 are performed in a unified manner.

  Each of the ECUs 31 to 33 includes a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, a backup RAM, and the like, and can transmit and receive mutually stored data as necessary. For example, a CAN (Controller Area Network) is used for transmission / reception of this data.

  The ROM stores various control programs, maps that are referred to when the various control programs are executed, and the like. The CPU executes arithmetic processing based on various control programs and maps stored in the ROM. The RAM is a memory that temporarily stores calculation results in the CPU, information input from various detection means, and the like, and the backup RAM stores various data to be saved when the engine 1 is stopped. It is a non-volatile memory.

  The detection elements for inputting information to the vehicle control device 3 include at least an engine speed sensor 71, a vehicle speed sensor 72, an accelerator opening sensor 73, a shift position sensor 74, a foot brake, as shown in FIG. Examples thereof include a switch 75 and an oil pressure switch 76 as a hydraulic pressure detection element.

  The engine speed sensor 71 detects the speed of the engine 1, the vehicle speed sensor 72 detects the speed of the vehicle, and the accelerator opening sensor 73 detects the opening of the accelerator pedal 11. is there. The shift position sensor 74 detects a shift position selected by the shift lever 12 of the automatic transmission 2. The foot brake switch 75 detects whether or not the foot brake pedal 13 has been operated by the driver of the vehicle. The oil pressure switch 76 is turned on / off depending on whether or not the oil pressure on the discharge side of the oil pump 9 is below a predetermined threshold value.

  Such a vehicle control device 3 executes at least an idle stop function and a hydraulic pressure monitoring function.

  The idle stop function is basically the same as a known method. In short, the engine 1 is automatically stopped when a predetermined automatic stop condition is satisfied, and the engine 1 that has been automatically stopped is set to a predetermined restart condition. For example, the engine is controlled mainly by the idle stop ECU 33.

  The automatic stop condition of the engine 1 is, for example, a vehicle speed, an accelerator opening, a foot brake state, and the like, and the idle stop ECU 33 is based on outputs from, for example, the vehicle speed sensor 72, the accelerator opening sensor 73, and the foot brake switch 75. When it is determined that the vehicle speed is zero, the accelerator is off, and the foot brake is on, it is determined that the automatic stop condition is satisfied, a stop command is transmitted to the engine ECU 31, and the fuel injection system and ignition system of the engine 1 are transmitted. For example, the operation of the engine 1 is stopped.

  On the other hand, the restart condition of the engine 1 is a shift position or a foot brake state. The idle stop ECU 33 determines that the shift position is in the drive range D, based on outputs from the shift position sensor 74 and the foot brake switch 75. Alternatively, when it is determined that the foot brake switch 75 is off, it is determined that the restart condition has been established, a restart command is transmitted to the engine ECU 31, and the starter motor 8 is driven so that the crankshaft 1 a of the engine 1 is driven. While rotating (cranking), the operation of the engine 1 is restarted by driving the fuel injection system, the ignition system, and the like of the engine 1 in accordance with the cranking timing.

  In short, the oil pressure monitoring function is to perform a notification operation by the oil pressure warning lamp 15 as a hydraulic pressure abnormality notification element when a hydraulic pressure abnormality is detected during the operation of the engine 1, and is controlled mainly by the engine ECU 31, for example. Is done. This hydraulic pressure monitoring function can be incorporated as one of diagnosis by diagnosis, for example, and can be controlled by a dedicated ECU.

  The oil pressure warning lamp 15 is installed, for example, on a meter panel in the vehicle compartment. However, instead of the oil pressure warning lamp 15, for example, an alarm buzzer can be used, or a message, a mark, or the like informing a hydraulic pressure abnormality can be displayed on a message display section provided on a meter panel or the like in the vehicle compartment.

  Here, the part to which the features of the present invention are applied will be described in detail.

  That is, in this embodiment, in the hydraulic pressure monitoring function, when processing for substantially detecting hydraulic pressure abnormality is performed only during operation of the engine 1, the engine 1 is automatically stopped by the idle stop function, for example. Furthermore, it is devised to continue the state of the hydraulic pressure abnormality notification operation before the automatic stop.

  For example, when the engine 1 is automatically stopped by the idle stop function, if the operation for notifying the hydraulic pressure abnormality is performed before the automatic stop, the notification operation is continued, but the engine 1 is automatically stopped. In this case, if the operation for notifying the hydraulic pressure abnormality is not performed before the automatic stop, the state where the notification operation is not performed is continued.

  Hereinafter, the operation related to the hydraulic pressure monitoring function will be described with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

  This flowchart is entered at regular intervals, and in step S1, it is determined whether or not the engine 1 is in operation. This determination can be made based on, for example, the state of an ignition switch (not shown) and the output of the engine speed sensor 71. In short, during engine operation is an idling state or a traveling state.

  Here, if the engine 1 is in operation, an affirmative determination is made in step S1, and the flow proceeds to steps S2 to S6. If the engine 1 is not in operation, a negative determination is made in step S1. Then, the process proceeds to steps S11 and S12.

  First, in step S2, it is determined whether or not the hydraulic pressure is abnormal. This determination can be made by checking whether the oil pressure switch 76 is on or off. The oil pressure switch 76 is turned off when the oil pressure on the discharge side of the oil pump 9 is within a predetermined appropriate range, and is turned on when it is outside the appropriate range.

  Here, when the oil pressure switch 76 is off, the hydraulic pressure is normal. Therefore, a negative determination is made in step S2, the hydraulic pressure abnormality flag is set to “0” in step S3, and the hydraulic pressure warning lamp 15 is subsequently set in step S4. After this is turned off, this flowchart is exited.

  On the other hand, when the oil pressure switch 76 is on, the oil pressure is abnormal. Therefore, an affirmative determination is made in step S2, the oil pressure abnormality flag is set to “1” in step S5, and the oil pressure warning lamp 15 is set in step S6. After the lighting state, the process exits this flowchart.

  Incidentally, in step S11, it is determined whether or not the stop of the engine 1 is an automatic stop period of the engine 1 by the idle stop function. This determination can be made by referring to the state of the automatic stop flag of the idle stop ECU 33, for example. For example, the automatic stop flag is set to “1” when the engine 1 is automatically stopped by the idle stop function, and is set to “0” when the engine is restarted.

  Here, when the stop of the engine 1 is different from the automatic stop by the idle stop function, a negative determination is made in step S11, and this flowchart is exited. However, when the engine 1 is stopped by the idle stop function, an affirmative determination is made in step S11, and the process proceeds to the subsequent step S12.

  In step S12, it is determined whether or not the hydraulic pressure abnormality flag is “1”. In other words, it is checked whether or not the operation for notifying the hydraulic pressure abnormality is performed before the engine 1 is automatically stopped.

  Here, when the hydraulic pressure abnormality flag is “0”, that is, when the hydraulic pressure abnormality notification operation is not performed before the engine 1 is automatically stopped, a negative determination is made in step S12 and the process proceeds to step S4. Then, after the oil pressure warning lamp 15 is kept off, this flowchart is exited.

  However, when the oil pressure abnormality flag is “1”, that is, when the operation of notifying the oil pressure abnormality is performed before the engine 1 is automatically stopped, an affirmative determination is made in step S12, and the flow proceeds to step S6. After the lighting state of the warning lamp 15 is continued, this flowchart is exited.

  Next, in relation to the above-described operation explanation, the relationship between the automatic stop by the idle stop function according to the traveling state of the vehicle and the presence or absence of hydraulic abnormality will be described with reference to the time charts shown in FIGS. .

  4 is a time chart used for explaining the operation when the hydraulic pressure is normal in the present embodiment, FIG. 5 is a time chart used for explaining the operation when the hydraulic pressure is abnormal in the present embodiment, and FIG. 6 is when the hydraulic pressure is abnormal in the comparative example. It is a time chart used for description of operation | movement. In these drawings, (a) shows the engine speed, (b) shows the output of the oil pressure switch 76, and (c) shows the state of the oil pressure warning lamp 15.

  (1) First, in a situation in which the hydraulic pressure of the engine 1 is normal during the period in which the engine 1 is operating (time t0 to t1 in FIG. 4), as shown in FIG. The output is off, and the oil pressure warning lamp 15 is turned off as shown in FIG.

  Here, if the engine 1 is automatically stopped by the idle stop function at time t1 in FIG. 4, the output from the oil pressure switch 76 is turned on as shown in FIG. 4B. This indicates that the oil pressure switch 76 is normal due to the relationship that the oil pump 9 is not driven by the automatic stop of the engine 1.

  During the automatic stop of the engine 1, as shown in FIG. 4B, the oil pressure switch 76 is on. However, as described above, the control is related to the output from the oil pressure switch 76. Instead, as shown in FIG. 4C, the state of the oil pressure warning lamp 15 before the automatic stop, that is, the extinguished state is continued.

  When the engine 1 is restarted by the idle stop function at time t2 in FIG. 4, the output from the oil pressure switch 76 is turned off as shown in FIG. 4 (b). ), The oil pressure warning lamp 15 is turned off.

  Thus, when the hydraulic pressure of the engine 1 is normal, the hydraulic pressure warning lamp 15 continues to be turned off even if the engine 1 is automatically stopped by the idle stop function.

  (2) Next, it is assumed that after the operation of the engine 1 is started at time t0 in FIG. 5, the hydraulic pressure of the engine 1 falls below a predetermined appropriate range at time tn in FIG. In that case, since the output from the oil pressure switch 76 is turned on at time tn as shown in FIG. 5B, the oil pressure warning lamp 15 is turned on as shown in FIG. 5C. .

  Here, when the engine 1 is automatically stopped by the idle stop function at time t1 in FIG. 5, the output from the oil pressure switch 76 is kept on as shown in FIG. 5B.

  Also in this case, during the automatic stop of the engine 1, as described above, regardless of the output from the oil pressure switch 76 in the control, as shown in FIG. 15 state, that is, the lighting state is continued.

  When the engine 1 is restarted at time t2 in FIG. 5 by the idle stop function, assuming that the hydraulic pressure abnormality still occurs, the output from the oil pressure switch 76 as shown in FIG. 5B. Is kept on, and the oil pressure warning lamp 15 remains lit as shown in FIG.

  As described above, when an abnormality in the hydraulic pressure occurs during the operation of the engine 1, even if the engine 1 is automatically stopped by the idle stop function, the lighting state of the oil pressure warning lamp 15 is continued from the time when the abnormality occurs. Become.

  (3) For reference, as shown in FIG. 6, for the comparative example, the timing of automatic stop by the idle stop function of the engine 1 and the output state of the oil pressure switch 76 are exactly the same as the situation described in the above (2). Will be described.

  In this case, it is assumed that the hydraulic pressure of the engine 1 falls below a predetermined appropriate range at the time tn in FIG. 6 during the operation of the engine 1 after the operation of the engine 1 is started at the time t0 in FIG. In that case, since the output from the oil pressure switch 76 is turned on at time tn as shown in FIG. 6B, the oil pressure warning lamp 15 is turned on as shown in FIG. 6C. .

  Here, when the engine 1 is automatically stopped at the time t1 in FIG. 6 by the idle stop function, the output from the oil pressure switch 76 is kept on as shown in FIG. During the automatic stop, the output from the oil pressure switch 76 is ignored for control, and the oil pressure warning lamp 15 is turned off as shown in FIG.

  When the engine 1 is restarted at time t2 in FIG. 6 by the idle stop function, assuming that the hydraulic pressure abnormality still occurs, the output from the oil pressure switch 76, as shown in FIG. 6B. Is kept on, the oil pressure warning lamp 15 is turned on as shown in FIG.

  As described above, when a hydraulic pressure abnormality occurs during operation of the engine 1, the oil pressure warning lamp 15 is turned on. However, when the engine 1 is automatically stopped by the idle stop function, the oil pressure warning lamp 15 is turned off. The person becomes suspicious as to whether the alarm of the hydraulic abnormality is correct, which is not preferable.

  As described above, in this embodiment, when an abnormality such as a decrease in the hydraulic pressure in the engine 1 is detected during the operation of the engine 1, a hydraulic pressure abnormality notification operation is performed. Thus, even if the engine 1 is automatically stopped, the notification operation is intentionally continued.

  As a result, it is possible to appeal to the driver that the operation of notifying the abnormality of hydraulic pressure is correct, so that there is no concern that the driver is confused by interrupting the notification operation during the automatic engine stop as in the conventional example.

  This is advantageous in providing a vehicle that is easy for the driver to use, such as eliminating the need for the driver to have regular prior knowledge regarding the notification operation of the hydraulic pressure abnormality.

  In addition, this invention is not limited only to the said embodiment, All the deformation | transformation and application included in the range equivalent to the claim and the said range are possible.

  (1) In the above embodiment, a vehicle using only the engine 1 as a power source is taken as an example. However, although not shown, the present invention is also applied to a hybrid vehicle equipped with a motor in addition to the engine as a power source. It is possible to apply.

  That is, since the hybrid vehicle generally has an idle stop function (automatic engine stop / restart function), it is possible to incorporate the hydraulic pressure monitoring function disclosed in the above embodiment of the present invention. In that case, the same operation and effect as the above-described embodiment can be obtained.

  (2) In the above embodiment, the oil pressure detection of the engine 1 is detected by the oil pressure switch 76 and an on / off signal is output. For example, a hydraulic sensor is used and the output of the hydraulic sensor is output by an appropriate ECU. It is good also as a form which judges normality and abnormality compared with a predetermined threshold value.

It is a schematic block diagram which shows the power train of the vehicle used as the use object of the control apparatus of the vehicle which concerns on this invention. It is a schematic block diagram of the vehicle control apparatus of FIG. It is a flowchart used for operation | movement description regarding the hydraulic pressure monitoring function of the vehicle control apparatus of FIG. It is a time chart used for operation | movement description at the time of normal hydraulic pressure in this embodiment. It is a time chart used for operation | movement description at the time of hydraulic pressure abnormality in this embodiment. It is a time chart used for operation | movement description at the time of hydraulic pressure abnormality in a comparative example.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Engine 1a Engine crankshaft 3 Control apparatus 5 Electronic control throttle 6 Injector 7 Igniter 8 Starter motor 9 Engine oil pump 11 Accelerator pedal 12 Shift lever 13 Foot brake pedal 15 Oil pressure warning lamp 71 Engine speed sensor 72 Vehicle speed sensor 73 Accelerator Opening sensor 74 Shift position sensor 75 Foot brake switch (Hydraulic detection element)
76 Oil pressure switch

Claims (2)

A control device for a vehicle equipped with an engine that circulates internal lubricating and operating oil with an oil pump driven by a crankshaft,
An idle stop function that automatically stops the engine when a predetermined automatic stop condition is satisfied, and restarts the automatically stopped engine when the predetermined restart condition is satisfied, and detects a hydraulic pressure abnormality during the engine operation And a hydraulic pressure monitoring function that performs a notification operation of hydraulic pressure abnormality when
And in the said hydraulic pressure monitoring function, even if the automatic stop of the engine by the said idle stop function is performed during the said alerting | reporting operation | movement, the said alerting | reporting operation is continued, The vehicle control apparatus characterized by the above-mentioned. The vehicle control device according to claim 1,
The oil pressure monitoring function is
Means for determining the presence or absence of an abnormality in which the hydraulic pressure drops below a predetermined level based on the output of the hydraulic pressure detection element during engine operation;
Means for notifying the hydraulic pressure abnormality when the means determines that the hydraulic pressure is abnormal, and having an execution history of the notification operation;
When the engine is automatically stopped by the idle stop function, the vehicle control device executes means for continuing the state of the notification operation before the automatic stop.

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