JP2011220227A - Fuel saving drive guiding device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a fuel saving drive guiding device capable of guiding a driver so that so that he/she can carry out proper and smooth fuel saving drive, without causing his/her uncomfortable feeling.SOLUTION: The fuel saving drive guiding device includes: a vehicle speed information acquiring means (11); a vehicle acceleration information acquiring means (12); an accelerator alarm fuel-saving drive guiding means for acquiring target fuel-saving acceleration based on a vehicle speed, comparing the target fuel-saving acceleration with actual vehicle acceleration, and guiding the driver so as to achieve the fuel saving drive by urging him/her to pay attention to his/her accelerator operation, when the actual vehicle acceleration exceeds the target fuel-saving acceleration; and an upshift alarm fuel-saving drive guiding means for urging the driver to upshift when an engine speed exceeds an upshift engine speed in the case where processing for urging the driver to pay attention to his/her accelerator operation is performed by the accelerator alarm fuel-saving drive guiding means.

Description

  The present invention determines whether or not the driving state of a vehicle is a fuel-saving driving state, and if the vehicle is not in a fuel-saving driving state, issues a warning to the driver to guide the fuel-saving driving operation to the driver. The present invention relates to a fuel-saving driving guidance apparatus.

  For example, in order to promote a fuel-saving driving for a driver of a vehicle such as a truck, the driving state of the vehicle (for example, an accelerator pedal operation amount, a vehicle speed, an engine speed, etc.) is detected, and the detection result is determined. 2. Description of the Related Art Devices (fuel-saving driving guidance devices) that emit warnings (for example, level display, warning lights, warning sounds, etc.) that encourage fuel-saving driving are known.

  As this type of device, for example, when the driver depresses the accelerator pedal too much and the acceleration is greater than the eco acceleration (vehicle acceleration suitable for fuel-saving driving), the accelerator pedal is issued to depress the accelerator pedal. The driver is urged to correct the overshoot, but it becomes difficult to determine whether or not the accelerator pedal is depressed too much when the vehicle traveling condition changes.

  For this reason, Patent Document 1 describes setting a target acceleration (eco-acceleration) for determining whether or not the fuel-saving driving is performed according to the reduction ratio (engine speed / vehicle speed). .

  Also, for example, in order to prevent the driver from pulling the engine speed excessively (that is, the delay in the shift-up timing), if the engine speed becomes higher than a predetermined value while driving, the shift-up alarm is issued to shift up. The vehicle driving conditions such as the road surface gradient and the vehicle weight may change. For example, if an upshift warning is issued only by the engine speed, the vehicle after the upshifting may occur. However, there is a risk that smooth running cannot be performed at the shift position (shift position).

  For this reason, Patent Document 2 describes that an uphill judgment is made and a shift-up alarm is issued in consideration of the fact that the uphill judgment is not made.

JP 2009-74482 A Japanese Patent No. 4333916

  In the thing of patent document 1, since eco-acceleration is set according to a reduction ratio, it can be judged whether the depression amount of an accelerator pedal is appropriate according to a driving condition change. Since the target acceleration is set finely in response, frequent control such as setting the target acceleration each time the engine speed or gear position is different may occur, even if the vehicle speed is constant. It may be suitable for the pursuit of fuel efficiency improvement, such as frequent information provision for fuel-saving driving will be required and busy operation will be required, but while giving the driver a sense of incongruity, There is a risk of not following the actual situation of smooth and fuel-saving driving.

  Moreover, although the technique described in Patent Document 2 contributes to the realization of fuel-saving driving, it is necessary to make an uphill determination, which may complicate the control, and at the driver's will. There is a risk that guidance for fuel-saving driving will not be performed.

  The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and is capable of guiding an appropriate and smooth fuel-saving driving to the driver without giving the driver an uncomfortable feeling while having a simple and inexpensive configuration. An object is to provide a fuel consumption driving guidance device.

For this reason, the fuel-saving driving guidance device according to the present invention is:
Vehicle speed information acquisition means for acquiring information related to vehicle speed;
Vehicle acceleration information acquisition means for acquiring information related to vehicle acceleration;
When the target fuel efficiency acceleration corresponding to the vehicle speed is acquired and the acquired target fuel efficiency acceleration is compared with the actual vehicle acceleration, and the actual vehicle acceleration exceeds the target fuel efficiency acceleration, the driver Accelerator warning fuel-saving driving guidance means for guiding the driver to realize fuel-saving driving by calling attention to the accelerator operation of,
Accelerator warning When the fuel-saving driving guidance means is executing a process to call attention to the driver's accelerator operation, if the engine speed exceeds the upshift speed, the driver is upshifted. A shift-up warning fuel saving driving guidance means for guiding the driver to realize fuel saving driving by prompting;
It is characterized by including.

  In the present invention, the shift-up warning fuel-saving driving guide means is from fully closed to fully open even when the accelerator warning fuel-saving driving guidance means does not perform processing to call attention to the driver's accelerator operation. If the accelerator operation amount is within the range requested by the driver for acceleration, the engine is shifted up when the engine speed exceeds the upshift speed. By prompting the driver, the driver can be guided to realize fuel-saving driving.

  In the present invention, the shift-up warning fuel-saving driving guide means has a maximum engine speed even when the accelerator warning fuel-saving driving guidance means does not perform a process of calling attention to the driver's accelerator operation. An engine overrun can be prevented by prompting the driver to shift up when the allowable engine speed is exceeded.

  In the present invention, the shift-up warning fuel-saving driving guide means is based on the highest speed shift stage in the limiter traveling state in which the vehicle travels at a constant vehicle speed regardless of the accelerator operation amount so that the maximum speed is equal to or less than a predetermined legal speed. When the vehicle is being driven at a low-speed gear, the driver can be guided to shift up, and the driver can be guided to realize fuel-saving driving.

  In the present invention, the shift-up warning fuel-saving driving guide means, when the vehicle is equipped with an automatic transmission, during the driving in the manual mode in which the driver manually selects the shift stage, When conditions for issuing an alarm are prepared, the driver can be prompted to shift up.

  According to the present invention, there is provided a fuel-saving driving guidance device that can provide an appropriate and smooth fuel-saving driving to a driver without giving a sense of incongruity to the driver while having a simple and inexpensive configuration. be able to.

1 is a system configuration diagram illustrating a drive system and a control system of a vehicle provided with a fuel-saving driving guidance device according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a figure which shows an example of the eco-acceleration map used in the fuel-saving driving guidance apparatus which concerns on embodiment same as the above. It is an example of the flowchart explaining the control (equivalent to an accelerator warning fuel-saving driving guidance means) which issues the accelerator warning performed in the fuel-saving driving guidance apparatus which concerns on embodiment same as the above. It is a block diagram for demonstrating the control (equivalent to a shift-up warning fuel-saving driving guidance means) in the fuel-saving driving guidance apparatus which concerns on embodiment same as the above. It is a figure which shows an example of the setting map of the upshift rotational speed according to the gear position which concerns on embodiment same as the above.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described below.

  In order to describe the fuel-saving driving guidance apparatus according to the present embodiment, the main parts (internal combustion engine 1, clutch mechanism 4, transmission 2 and vehicle (or automatic transmission control) electronic control unit 10 of the drive system of the vehicle are described. 1 is schematically shown in FIG. 1. As shown in FIG. 1, a vehicle speed sensor 11 is included in an ECU (electronic control unit) 10 that controls the fuel-saving driving guide device. A detection signal such as is input.

  Here, reference numeral 3 is a shift mechanism, reference numeral 4 is a clutch mechanism, reference numeral 11 is a vehicle speed sensor, reference numeral 12 is a G sensor, and reference numeral 13 is a shift sensor for detecting a shift (shift stage) position.

In the present embodiment, a map as shown in FIG. 2 is stored in the memory in the ECU 10.
In this map, eco acceleration (target vehicle acceleration suitable for fuel-saving driving) according to the vehicle speed is set, and the ECU 10 maps based on the current vehicle speed acquired based on the detection signal of the vehicle speed sensor 11. The eco acceleration according to the current vehicle speed is acquired with reference to the above, the acquired eco acceleration is compared with the actual vehicle acceleration acquired based on the detection signal of the G sensor 12, and the actual vehicle acceleration is If the acceleration is exceeded, it is assumed that the accelerator pedal has been depressed too much, and an accelerator warning is issued at a position that is easily recognized by the driver in or near the instrument panel (for example, a level bar is displayed or a warning is given) By displaying a light or making a warning sound, etc., control is made to encourage the driver to save fuel and return the accelerator pedal.

  It is also possible to omit the G sensor 12 and obtain a vehicle acceleration by differentiating the detection signal (vehicle speed) of the vehicle speed sensor 11 with respect to time.

  Specifically, in the ECU 10 that functions as the fuel-saving driving guide unit according to the present invention, for example, a flowchart as shown in FIG. 3 is executed.

  In step (denoted as S in the figure) 1, actual vehicle speed or information related to the vehicle speed (vehicle speed related information) is acquired based on the detection signal of the vehicle speed sensor 11. The step 1 and the vehicle speed sensor 11 correspond to vehicle speed information acquisition means according to the present invention.

  In step 2, the eco acceleration set according to the current vehicle speed is acquired with reference to the map shown in FIG. 2 based on the vehicle speed or vehicle speed related information acquired in step 1.

  In step 3, the current vehicle acceleration is acquired based on the detection signal of the G sensor 12. Note that the current vehicle acceleration can also be acquired by time-differentiating the vehicle speed obtained from the vehicle speed sensor 11. Step 3 and G sensor 12 (or vehicle speed sensor 11) correspond to the vehicle acceleration information acquisition means according to the present invention.

  In step 4, the eco acceleration acquired in step 2 is compared with the actual vehicle acceleration acquired in step 3.

  If it is determined in step 4 that the eco acceleration is greater than or equal to the actual vehicle acceleration, it is determined that the fuel-saving driving is being performed, and this flow ends.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step 4 that the eco acceleration is smaller than the actual vehicle acceleration, the process proceeds to step 5. In step 5, an accelerator warning is issued (for example, a level bar) on the assumption that the accelerator pedal is excessively depressed. Display control, display a warning light, emit a warning sound, etc.), prompt the driver to save fuel, and return the accelerator pedal to complete the present flow.

  Steps 2, 4, and 5 correspond to the accelerator warning fuel-saving driving guide means according to the present invention.

  In the present embodiment, the eco acceleration set and stored in accordance with the vehicle speed is obtained by conducting an experiment or the like and quantifying the acceleration with good fuel efficiency on the actual travel path. However, it is also possible to obtain an acceleration with good fuel efficiency by running simulation or the like and use it as an eco acceleration.

  In the present embodiment, since the eco acceleration is set according to the vehicle speed, it is possible to set the acceleration that can actually realize the fuel-saving driving from the low speed to the high speed, and at the same time, the smooth fuel-saving driving can be realized.

  That is, according to the present embodiment, for example, even when the shift position (shift position) is different at the same vehicle speed or when the accelerator pedal is depressed, the relationship between the shift position, the engine speed, and the accelerator pedal is depressed. Because eco-acceleration that can achieve fuel-saving driving based only on the vehicle speed is set, frequent information for fuel-saving driving is not provided and the driver is required to perform busy operations. Therefore, it is possible to contribute to the realization of smooth fuel-saving driving by a sufficient operation without giving the driver an uncomfortable feeling by presenting appropriate information.

  In the present embodiment, in combination with such an accelerator warning, a configuration that issues a shift-up warning (alarm that prompts the driver to shift up) is adopted, thereby making the driver more fuel-efficient driving more precise. It is comprised so that it can guide with respect to.

  That is, in this embodiment, when the accelerator warning is issued and the engine speed is higher than a predetermined value, a shift up warning is issued for fuel-saving driving and the driver shifts up accordingly. Even if is executed, since the acceleration force has a margin, there is no situation where the vehicle becomes insufficient in force and cannot smoothly run.

  Therefore, as shown in the block diagram of FIG. 4, when the accelerator alarm is ON and the actual engine speed> the upshift speed, as shown as condition 1 for issuing the upshift alarm, the upshift is performed. The alarm is turned on.

  Here, the function provided by the block diagram shown in FIG. 4 corresponds to the shift-up warning fuel-saving driving guide means according to the present invention.

  The shift-up rotation speed is set in advance according to the shift position (shift position), and can be acquired by referring to a map as shown in FIG. 5, for example.

  The gear position (shift position) can be detected by the shift sensor 13, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the engine rotational speed (input rotational speed to the transmission) and the detection result of the vehicle speed sensor 11 (output of the transmission). The gear position can also be acquired from the rotation speed).

  It should be noted that a shift up alarm may be issued even if the engine speed increases in a driving state where the accelerator alarm is not issued only in a state where the accelerator alarm is issued and the engine speed is not less than a predetermined value. Therefore, the driver cannot be urged to perform fuel-saving driving, and there is a risk that the fuel consumption will be deteriorated.

  For this reason, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, with respect to the condition 1, as another condition, the accelerator pedal is depressed within a certain range of accelerator opening (half throttle). Or the half-accelerator state) is detected, and if the accelerator pedal is depressed within such a range and the engine speed (speed)> shift-up speed (speed), a shift-up alarm is issued. It comes to turn on.

  In other words, when the accelerator pedal is not depressed too much, it is a time when you don't want to accelerate, so to give priority to maintaining the low speed and applying the engine brake, When the accelerator pedal is depressed more than a certain amount, there is not enough driving force and the driver wants acceleration power, so issuing a shift-up alarm gives the driver a sense of incongruity and actually If the driver shifts up, the smooth running may be hindered.

  For this reason, in the present embodiment, when the accelerator pedal is depressed to a predetermined range of accelerator opening and the engine speed is greater than or equal to a predetermined value, a shift-up alarm is issued, and at other accelerator openings Even if the engine rotational speed is equal to or higher than a predetermined value, an appropriate and smooth fuel-saving driving can be realized by not issuing a shift-up alarm.

Next, condition 2 in FIG. 4 will be described.
In the condition 1 alone, in the state where the driving torque is high on the uphill (the accelerator pedal is depressed) and the vehicle is slowly accelerating, the engine speed increases without raising the upshift warning, and the internal combustion engine 1 May overrun (over rev).

  For this reason, even when the accelerator warning is not issued, if the predetermined engine speed stored in memory before overrun (overlev) is exceeded, an upshift warning is issued to prompt the driver to shift up and The engine 1 is prevented from overrun (over rev).

  As described above, in this embodiment, when the accelerator warning is issued and the driving force of the vehicle has a margin, the engine rotational speed is observed and the maximum allowable engine rotational speed is exceeded. Has issued a shift-up warning and also issued a shift-up warning before overrun to protect the internal combustion engine 1, so that the driver can perform detailed fuel-saving driving with little discomfort and respect for the driver's intention. Can guide.

Further, in the present embodiment, the following consideration is given.
That is, for example, when the limiter travels at a lower speed than the maximum speed (the fuel supply amount is limited to a predetermined value regardless of the accelerator opening so that the maximum speed is less than a predetermined legal speed). If the vehicle is traveling at a constant vehicle speed), the engine speed may not reach the upshift speed because the vehicle speed is limited. Although the fuel efficiency driving is possible, the shift up warning is not issued, so that the fuel efficiency may be deteriorated.

  In other words, the legal speed limiter is usually set so that it can travel at the highest gear position, so it is not in a state where fuel-saving driving is performed when driving at the lower gear position. become.

  For this reason, in the present embodiment, the shift position is detected by the shift sensor 13 (or the engine speed (input rotational speed to the transmission) and the detection result of the vehicle speed sensor 11 (output rotational speed of the transmission). The gear position can also be acquired), and when the vehicle is running at a speed lower than the highest speed in the limiter running state, a shift up alarm is issued. In this case, detailed fuel-saving driving can be guided to the driver.

In addition, in the present embodiment, the following consideration is given.
That is, for example, when the vehicle is equipped with an automatic transmission, when operating in the so-called D-range automatic transmission mode, the gear position is automatically selected based on the vehicle speed, engine rotational speed, accelerator opening, etc. Since the gear is automatically shifted, no upshift warning is issued.

  However, in the so-called H range (manual mode) in which the driver can manually select and instruct the gear position, conventionally, there is no such thing as issuing an upshift alarm even when conditions for issuing an upshift alarm are satisfied, and fuel efficiency is improved. May be exacerbated.

  For this reason, in the present embodiment, when the vehicle is equipped with an automatic transmission, as described above, while the vehicle is traveling in the so-called H range (manual mode) in which the driver can manually select the gear position. When the conditions for issuing the upshift warning are met, the upshift warning is issued. Thus, according to the present embodiment, detailed fuel-saving driving can be guided to the driver.

  In the above-described embodiment, a so-called manual transmission is applicable, and when an automatic transmission is applied, the clutch mechanism is automatically connected / disconnected in accordance with a shift instruction from a driver or a control device. However, it is also possible to apply a mechanical automatic transmission that changes the speed of the transmission, an automatic transmission that includes a torque converter between the drive source and the transmission, and CVT.

  The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention.

  The fuel-saving driving guidance device according to the present invention has a simple and inexpensive configuration, and is useful because it can guide the driver to appropriate and smooth fuel-saving driving without giving the driver a sense of incongruity. .

1 Internal combustion engine (drive source)
2 Transmission 3 Shift mechanism 4 Clutch mechanism 10 ECU (electronic control unit)
11 Vehicle speed sensor 12 G sensor (acceleration sensor)
13 Shift sensor

Claims (5)

Vehicle speed information acquisition means for acquiring information related to vehicle speed;
Vehicle acceleration information acquisition means for acquiring information related to vehicle acceleration;
When the target fuel efficiency acceleration corresponding to the vehicle speed is acquired and the acquired target fuel efficiency acceleration is compared with the actual vehicle acceleration, and the actual vehicle acceleration exceeds the target fuel efficiency acceleration, the driver Accelerator warning fuel-saving driving guidance means for guiding the driver to realize fuel-saving driving by calling attention to the accelerator operation of,
Accelerator warning When the fuel-saving driving guidance means is executing a process to call attention to the driver's accelerator operation, if the engine speed exceeds the upshift speed, the driver is upshifted. A shift-up warning fuel saving driving guidance means for guiding the driver to realize fuel saving driving by prompting;
A fuel-saving driving guidance device characterized by comprising the above.   The shift-up warning fuel-saving driving guide means is a range in the middle from fully closed to fully open even if the accelerator warning fuel-saving driving guidance means does not perform processing to alert the driver to the accelerator operation. When the accelerator operation amount is within the range requested by the driver, the driver is prompted to shift up when the engine speed exceeds the upshift speed. The fuel-saving driving guide device according to claim 1, wherein the driver is guided to realize fuel-saving driving.   The shift-up warning fuel-saving driving guide means has a maximum allowable engine speed even when the accelerator warning fuel-saving driving guidance means has not performed processing to alert the driver to the accelerator operation. 3. The fuel-saving driving guidance apparatus according to claim 1, wherein an engine overrun is prevented by urging the driver to shift up when the engine exceeds the limit.   The shift-up warning fuel-saving driving guide means that the shift speed on the lower speed side than the highest speed is set in the limiter traveling state where the vehicle travels at a constant vehicle speed regardless of the amount of accelerator operation so that the maximum speed is equal to or less than a predetermined legal speed. 4. The vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein when the vehicle is being driven in stages, the driver is guided to realize fuel-saving driving by urging the driver to shift up. The fuel-saving driving guidance device according to any one of the above.   Shift-up warning Fuel-saving driving guidance means when the vehicle is equipped with an automatic transmission and the conditions for issuing a shift-up warning are met while driving in manual mode in which the driver manually selects the gear position The fuel-saving driving guidance apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the driver is prompted to shift up.

Images