JP2010071306A - Control device for automatic transmission - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a control device of a vehicle, which reduces the shock when an air-conditioner is turned ON while the vehicle runs at a speed not greater than a predetermined vehicle speed. <P>SOLUTION: While the vehicle runs at a decelerated speed not greater than minimum vehicle speed V<SB>A</SB>releasing an accelerator pedal fully, and releasing the lockup in an air-conditioner ON state, being in a state where fuel is cut and a lockup clutch is engaged, when the air-conditioner is requested to operate, and the air-conditioner is permitted to operate, the lockup clutch is released, the fuel cut is released, and the air-conditioner is stopped simultaneously after elapsing a predetermined time ΔT to stabilize the engine torque. That is, since after elapsing unstable period of the engine torque, the lockup clutch is released, fuel cut is released, and the air-conditioner is stopped simultaneously, so that the lockup clutch is not released suddenly within the unstable range of the engine torque, which can prevent the shock from occurring. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

The present invention relates to a vehicle control device, and more particularly to a vehicle control device equipped with an automatic transmission having a lock-up clutch and provided with an air conditioner (air conditioner) driven by the driving force of an engine.

Conventionally, a vehicle in which a torque converter with a lock-up clutch is provided between an engine and a transmission has been widely used. In such a vehicle, in order to reduce fuel consumption, the fuel cut is performed at the same time as the lockup clutch is engaged during traveling. In particular, in the case of a vehicle using a continuously variable transmission (CVT), the engagement region of the lockup clutch is expanded to the lowest possible vehicle speed region by taking advantage of the characteristic that the gear can be continuously changed. However, if the lockup is continued up to the LOW gear, the deceleration increases due to the balance of the gear ratio, and the driver feels uncomfortable. In addition to the gear ratio of the transmission, the mechanical loss of the engine itself acts on the deceleration. When the air conditioner operates, the mechanical loss further increases and the deceleration increases. When the lockup is released from this state, there is a problem that since the deceleration is large, a shock at the time of releasing the lockup is increased.

FIG. 4 shows the control when the lockup clutch is operated (fuel cut state) in the D range accelerator fully closed state and the vehicle is decelerated while the air conditioner is ON. When the vehicle speed drops to the specified vehicle speed V _A at time t1, the lockup clutch is automatically released (fuel cut return) and at the same time the air conditioner is automatically turned off to prevent the engine from being stopped. The operating pressure of the lockup clutch decreases later than the lockup release signal. In addition, the magnetic clutch for operating the air conditioner operates with a slight delay from the air conditioner command signal (OFF). The specified vehicle speed V _A is the lowest vehicle speed for releasing the lock-up in the air conditioner ON state, and the specified vehicle speed V _B is the lowest vehicle speed for releasing the lock-up in the air conditioner OFF state.

FIG. 5 shows that the air conditioner operation command (ON) is issued while the lockup clutch is operated (fuel cut state) and the air conditioner is in the OFF state while the accelerator is fully closed in the D range. Indicates the control when entering. At time t1, the vehicle speed drops below the specified vehicle speed V _A , but since the air conditioner is in the OFF state, the lockup is not released (returning fuel cut). When the vehicle speed further decreases and an operation command (ON) is input to the air conditioner at time t2 of the intermediate vehicle speed between the prescribed vehicle speeds V _A and V _B , the vehicle is already at or below the prescribed vehicle speed V _A , so it is locked at the next time t3. The air conditioner is automatically turned off at the same time when the up is released (fuel cut return). However, since the air conditioner is turned on in an area where the air conditioner cannot be turned on (between the specified vehicle speeds V _A and V _B ), mechanical loss increases and negative deceleration increases, and such engine torque is unstable. Since the lock-up clutch is released in this state, a large shock occurs.

In Patent Document 1, when a request for operating an air conditioner is made during vehicle deceleration, a lock-up clutch release command is issued, and the operation of the air-conditioner is delayed for a period until the lock-up clutch release is completed based on the release command. Things have been proposed. In the case of Patent Document 1, as in FIG. 5, control is performed when there is an air conditioner operation command in a low vehicle speed range where the lockup clutch is operating while the air conditioner is not in operation. However, it waits for the air conditioner to operate until the lockup is released.

However, since it is not possible to predict when an air conditioner operation command will be received, it is necessary to delay the signal instantaneously before the air conditioner operation in order to implement control that delays the air conditioner operation even if an operation command (ON signal) is input. This is difficult to achieve unless the control response is significantly improved. Actually, as shown in FIG. 5, the air conditioner operation state is entered together with the air conditioner operation command, and a shock is generated. Furthermore, although the lock-up release (return of fuel cut) is performed, there is a concern that the engine brake becomes excessive because the air conditioner continues to operate.
JP 2001-200987 A

An object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle control device that reduces shock when an air conditioner is turned on during traveling at a specified vehicle speed V _A or less.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention is a vehicle equipped with an automatic transmission having a lock-up clutch and equipped with an air conditioner driven by the driving force of the engine, during deceleration traveling with the accelerator fully closed below a predetermined vehicle speed. In addition, when there is a request for operation of the air conditioner in a fuel cut state and the lockup clutch is engaged, the lockup is performed after a predetermined time has elapsed when the engine torque is stabilized after the operation of the air conditioner is permitted. There is provided a vehicle control device comprising control means for simultaneously performing clutch release, fuel cut release, and air conditioner stop.

In the present invention, the operation of the air conditioner is once permitted when the air conditioner suddenly receives an operation request while decelerating at a specified vehicle speed V _A or less, that is, in a state where the fuel is cut and the lockup clutch is engaged. That is, rather than delaying the operation of the air conditioner, the air conditioner is once activated. Since this timing is a period in which the engine torque is unstable, the air conditioner is not immediately stopped and the air conditioner is maintained in an operating state. Eventually, the engine intake air amount, etc. will be controlled to stabilize the engine speed, and the engine torque will also stabilize. After this unstable period of engine torque has elapsed, the lockup clutch is released, the fuel cut is released, and the air conditioner is stopped. At the same time. Therefore, the lockup clutch is not suddenly released in an unstable region of the engine torque, and the occurrence of shock can be prevented. Moreover, since not only the lock-up clutch release and the fuel cut release but also the air conditioner is stopped, there is no fear of excessive engine braking. Moreover, it does not require a high control response as in the case of delaying the conventional air conditioner operation, and can be easily implemented with an existing control device.

It is desirable that the predetermined time from the request for operation of the air conditioner to the stop is the time from when the control of the intake air amount to the engine is started in response to the request for operation of the air conditioner until the engine speed is stabilized. Although the negative deceleration increases with the operation of the air conditioner, the engine speed and the engine torque are stabilized by controlling the amount of intake air to the engine. Specifically, it can be the time until the intake air control by the ISC (idle engine speed control device) is started together with the air conditioner operation request and the feedback control of the intake air amount with the engine speed as the target value is started. . The predetermined time is preferably about 500 ms to 700 ms, for example.

In addition to a manual air conditioner that is turned on / off in response to a driver's operation, there is an air conditioner that automatically turns on / off by detecting the temperature inside the vehicle. The air conditioner OFF in the present invention is performed in an integrated manner with the lockup clutch and fuel cut control. The operation / stop of the air conditioner can generally be executed by connecting / disconnecting a magnet clutch provided between the engine and the compressor for driving the air conditioner.

As described above, according to the present invention, when the air conditioner is requested to operate at a low vehicle speed where the air conditioner cannot be turned on with the fuel cut and the lock-up clutch engaged, the air conditioner is once allowed to operate. After the air conditioner is kept in operation until the engine torque becomes stable, the lockup clutch is released, the fuel cut is released, and the air conditioner is stopped at the same time, so the lockup clutch is suddenly released in an unstable region of the engine torque. And the occurrence of shock can be prevented. In addition, the release of the lockup clutch, the release of the fuel cut, and the stop of the air conditioner all work in the direction of increasing the engine torque, so that it is possible to prevent the engine from being stopped and excessive engine braking from occurring even at a low vehicle speed.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to examples.

FIG. 1 shows an example of a vehicle system according to the present invention. The output shaft 11 of the engine 1 is connected to the input shaft (turbine shaft) 20 of the automatic transmission 2 via the torque converter 3. The torque converter 3 includes a lockup clutch 30 that directly connects the output shaft 11 of the engine 1 and the input shaft 20 of the automatic transmission 2. The input shaft 20 is connected to an output shaft (drive shaft) 25 via a continuously variable transmission mechanism 21. Note that other mechanisms such as a forward / reverse switching mechanism are not shown. As is well known, the continuously variable transmission mechanism 21 wraps a belt 24 between a drive pulley 22 and a driven pulley 23 and changes the belt wrapping diameter of both pulleys 22 and 23 to change the transmission ratio steplessly. To change. The automatic transmission 2 is provided with a hydraulic control device 26 for operating the pulleys 22 and 24 and for controlling the lock-up clutch 30. The hydraulic control device 26 includes a plurality of solenoid valves. By controlling these solenoid valves with the control unit 40, the continuously variable transmission mechanism 21 is controlled to a desired gear ratio, and the lockup clutch 30 is controlled to be connected / disconnected. is doing.

A compressor 15 that compresses the refrigerant for the air conditioner is provided in the vicinity of the engine 1, and the compressor 15 is driven by the output shaft 11 of the engine 1 via the belt 16. A magnet clutch 17 for connecting and disconnecting power transmission is provided between the engine output shaft 11 and the compressor 15, and the magnet clutch 17 is controlled by the control unit 40.

The control unit 40 detects the vehicle speed, the accelerator opening, the shift position such as P, R, N, D, and L, the engine speed, the intake air amount, the engine water temperature, the vehicle interior temperature, and other driving conditions and the engine 1 condition. Signals are input from various sensors 41 to 47 that control the engine 1 and the automatic transmission 2 in an integrated manner, and also have a function of controlling an air conditioner. The operation command for the air conditioner is output from the control unit 40, and thereby the magnet clutch 17 is engaged. As a result, the engine power is transmitted to the compressor 15, the refrigerant is compressed, and the air conditioner operates. On the other hand, a stop command for the air conditioner is output from the control unit 40 when the temperature in the passenger compartment becomes equal to or lower than the set temperature, or based on various conditions as described later, and the magnet clutch 17 is released. The memory of the control unit 40 stores an engine control program, an automatic transmission control program, an air conditioner control program, and various data.

The engine 1 includes an injector 12 that performs fuel injection, and an ISC valve 13 that adjusts the amount of air that bypasses the throttle valve. The control unit 40 controls the injector 12 to perform fuel injection control, and performs predetermined conditions. Fuel cut is carried out when the above is satisfied. Further, by controlling the amount of air that bypasses the throttle valve by the ISC valve 13, it is controlled so as to obtain an optimum idle speed. Since engine control and automatic transmission control are known per se, detailed description thereof is omitted.

Here, a vehicle control method according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. Fig. 2 shows that the air conditioner operation command (ON) is entered while the lock-up clutch is operated (fuel cut state) and the air conditioner is in the OFF state while the accelerator is fully closed in the D range. A time chart is shown. When an air conditioner operation command (air conditioner signal ON) is issued at time t1 when the vehicle speed is equal to or less than the specified vehicle speed V _A , the magnet clutch 17 is engaged at t2 after a minute time and the air conditioner starts operating. Since the mechanical loss increases due to the operation of the air conditioner, the engine torque decreases and the negative deceleration increases. Since the engine torque is unstable at the beginning of the operation of the air conditioner, the lockup is not released immediately and the operating state is maintained. Meanwhile, the engine 1 starts the feedback control to control the ISC 13 and maintain the idle speed at a predetermined value.

Eventually, at time t3 after time ΔT from time t1, it is estimated that the engine torque has stabilized, the lockup signal is turned off (released), the fuel cut is turned off (returned), and an air conditioner stop command ( Air conditioner signal OFF) is output. The time ΔT from the time t1 to the time t3 is about 500 ms to 700 ms although it depends on the engine. When the lock-up signal is turned off at time t3, the solenoid valve of the hydraulic control device 26 is operated, and the operating pressure of the lock-up clutch 30 is drained, but there is a time delay until it is completely drained. On the other hand, the return of the fuel cut is immediately started by a command to the injector 12. Further, the magnet clutch 17 is released by the air conditioner OFF signal. By executing the release of the lockup, the return of the fuel cut, and the stop of the air conditioner, the engine torque increases, and the engine torque returns to the normal state at time t4. As described above, since the lockup release, the fuel cut return, and the air conditioner stop are executed after the engine torque is stabilized, the occurrence of a shock can be suppressed and the situation of the engine stop can be avoided.

FIG. 3 shows a flowchart of an example of a vehicle control method according to the present invention. First, when the control is started, it is determined whether or not the accelerator is off, the vehicle speed is equal to or less than the specified vehicle speed V _A , and the fuel is being cut (step S1). The specified vehicle speed V _A is the minimum vehicle speed at which lockup is released when the air conditioner is ON. If the accelerator is off, the vehicle speed is equal to or less than the specified vehicle speed V _A , and the fuel is being cut, it is next determined whether or not an air conditioner operation request has been made (step S2). When there is an air conditioner operation request, the air conditioner is operated (step S3), and then it is determined whether a predetermined time ΔT has elapsed from the air conditioner operation request (step S4). If the predetermined time ΔT has elapsed, a lockup release, fuel cut return, and air conditioner stop command are issued (step S5).

On the other hand, if there is no air conditioner operation request in step S2, it is next determined whether or not the vehicle speed is equal to or lower than V _B (minimum vehicle speed for releasing lockup in the air conditioner OFF state) (step S6). If the vehicle speed is equal to or lower than V _B , a lockup release and fuel cut return command is issued (step S7).

In the above embodiment, the lock-up signal OFF (release) and the fuel cut OFF (return) are synchronized. However, the fuel cut OFF may be delayed from the lock-up OFF signal. For example, the fuel cut may be synchronized with the timing when the lockup operating pressure is turned off.

In the above-described embodiment, an example of a V-belt type continuously variable transmission is shown as an automatic transmission. However, another continuously variable transmission such as a toroidal type may be used, and a plurality of friction engagement elements and a planetary gear mechanism are provided. A stepped automatic transmission may be used.

1 is a system diagram of a vehicle according to the present invention. It is a time chart figure of an example of the control method concerning the present invention. It is a flowchart figure of an example of the control method which concerns on this invention. It is a time chart figure of an example of the control method at the time of the conventional deceleration driving. It is a time chart figure of the other example of the control method at the time of the conventional deceleration driving.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Engine 2 Automatic transmission 3 Torque converter 11 Engine output shaft 12 Injector 13 ISC valve 15 Compressor 17 Magnet clutch 20 Input shaft 21 Continuously variable transmission mechanism 22 Drive pulley 23 Driven pulley 24 Belt 25 Output shaft (drive shaft)
26 Hydraulic control device 30 Lock-up clutch 40 Control unit 41 Vehicle speed sensor 42 Accelerator opening sensor 43 Shift position sensor 44 Engine speed sensor 45 Intake air amount sensor 46 Engine water temperature sensor 47 Car interior temperature sensor

Claims (2)

In vehicles equipped with an automatic transmission having a lock-up clutch and equipped with an air conditioner driven by the driving force of the engine,
If there is a request for operating the air conditioner in a fuel cut state and the lock-up clutch is engaged during deceleration traveling with the accelerator fully closed at a predetermined vehicle speed or less, allow the air conditioner to operate before allowing the engine A control apparatus for a vehicle, comprising: control means for simultaneously executing the release of the lockup clutch, the release of the fuel cut, and the stop of the air conditioner after a lapse of a predetermined time during which the torque is stabilized. 2. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined time is a time from when the control of the intake air amount to the engine is started in response to an air conditioner operation request until the engine speed is stabilized. Control device.

Images