JP2012061898A - Vehicle control system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To fully demand a driver switching from an EV travel mode.SOLUTION: A vehicle control system includes; a travel mode selection device which makes the driver choose manually, an engine travel mode using power of an engine 10, an EV travel mode using power of a motor/generator 20; or a hybrid travel mode using power of both of the engine 10, and the motor/generator 20; a manual change gear 30 which will be in neutral condition when EV travel mode is chosen while delivering power according to the travel mode to driving wheels WL and WR sides; and hybrid ECU 100 and engine ECU 101 which stop the engine 10 when the EV travel mode is chosen, and start the engine 10 with the precedent EV travel mode under the stop condition of the EV travel mode.

Description

  The present invention includes a mechanical power source powered by mechanical energy and an electrical power source powered by mechanical energy converted from electrical energy, and includes an engine traveling mode using the mechanical power source and an EV using the electrical power source. The present invention relates to a vehicle control system for manually switching between a traveling mode and a hybrid traveling mode using a mechanical power source and an electric power source.

  Conventionally, a vehicle including a mechanical power source and an electric power source as a power source is known. For example, in Patent Document 1 below, when the charge amount of a battery decreases during traveling in this type of vehicle, the vehicle is pseudo-knocked by intermittently controlling the supply current to the electric motor (electric power source). A technology is disclosed that creates a state in which a manual transmission has occurred and makes the driver notice that the manual transmission is at a high speed to prompt a downshift operation. In this technique, by performing the downshift operation, the power sharing of the electric motor decreases and the power sharing of the internal combustion engine (mechanical power source) increases, so that the power consumption of the battery can be suppressed. Patent Document 2 listed below displays the downshift position of the manual transmission when traveling on a high load such as an uphill road, and prompts the driver to perform a downshift operation, thereby reducing the motor power share and reducing the engine power. A technique for increasing the sharing and suppressing the power consumption of the battery is disclosed. Further, in Patent Document 3 below, the driver switches between an engine drive mode and a motor drive mode by switching a gear position select position and a motor drive mode select position of a shift operation unit of a manual transmission. Technology is disclosed. In the technique of Patent Document 3, when the motor torque is insufficient in the motor drive mode, the driver is prompted to change to the engine drive mode by an alarm or display on the display. Patent Document 4 below discloses a technique for increasing the sound pressure of engine sound that is artificially generated when a driver performs a wave-like driving by repeatedly accelerating and decelerating an accelerator operation.

JP 2007-153253 A JP 2001-027321 A JP 2005-028968 A JP 2007-310106 A

  However, in the technique described in Patent Document 1, pseudo knocking is generated in the vehicle by intermittently controlling the supply current to the electric motor in spite of a decrease in the charge amount of the battery. In addition to deteriorating stability, there is a possibility of further reducing the remaining capacity of the battery. Further, in the techniques described in Patent Documents 2 and 3, since alarms and display on the display are used as means for notifying the driver, for example, it is possible to inform the driver that sufficient power cannot be output from the motor. There is a possibility that it cannot be recognized. Here, in the case of the vehicles described in Patent Documents 1 and 2, since the power of the engine is used at the same time as the motor, there is a possibility that the situation of stopping the vehicle can be avoided. On the other hand, the vehicle described in Patent Document 3 is in a state where the vehicle is running only with the power of the motor, and there is a possibility that the vehicle cannot run due to insufficient motor torque.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle control system that can improve the disadvantages of the conventional example and can sufficiently prompt the driver to switch from the EV traveling mode.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention generates an engine driving mode using the power of a mechanical power source that generates mechanical driving force using mechanical energy, and generates driving force using mechanical energy converted from electric energy. A travel mode selection device that allows a driver to manually select an EV travel mode using the power of an electric power source or a hybrid travel mode using the power of both the mechanical power source and the electric power source; The corresponding power is transmitted to the drive wheel side, and a transmission that is in a neutral state when the EV travel mode is selected, and the mechanical power source is stopped when the EV travel mode is selected, and the EV An engine control device that starts the mechanical power source in the EV travel mode when the travel mode is stopped.

  Here, it is desirable that the engine control device increases the rotational speed of the mechanical power source if the EV traveling mode is selected even after the mechanical power source is started.

  Further, when the transmission is a manual transmission in which the gear ratio can be switched by a driver's manual operation, the rotational speed of the mechanical power source is increased when the driver is traveling in the engine traveling mode. It is desirable that the size be desired for the shift operation.

  Further, when the acoustic device can output a pseudo engine sound of the mechanical power source to the vehicle interior, the acoustic device can be started without starting the mechanical power source when the EV traveling mode is stopped. It is desirable to output a pseudo engine sound.

  In addition, when the transmission is a manual transmission that can be switched by a driver's manual operation, the pseudo engine sound is generated when the driver performs an upshift of the transmission when traveling in the engine traveling mode. It is desirable that the size corresponds to the rotational speed of the mechanical power source desired to be operated.

  The vehicle control system according to the present invention starts the mechanical power source and transmits engine sound and vibration to the vehicle interior or outputs pseudo engine sound when the EV traveling mode is stopped. For this reason, this control system makes it easier for the driver to recognize changes from the EV travel mode than prompted by visual information on an alarm or display, etc., and changes from the EV travel mode to the engine travel mode or the hybrid travel mode. There is a high possibility that the switching operation will be executed.

FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of a hybrid vehicle to which a vehicle control system according to the present invention is applied. FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating an example of the travel mode selection device when the neutral state is selected. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example of the travel mode selection device when the EV travel mode is selected. FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating a control operation when the EV traveling mode is stopped. FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing another control operation in the EV travel mode stop condition.

  Embodiments of a vehicle control system according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. The present invention is not limited to the embodiments.

[Example]
An embodiment of a vehicle control system according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  The vehicle to which the control system according to the present invention is applied includes a mechanical power source powered by mechanical energy and an electrical power source powered by mechanical energy converted from electrical energy, and uses only the power of the mechanical power source. The driver can manually switch between the engine driving mode, the EV driving mode using only the power of the electric power source, and the hybrid driving mode using the power of both the mechanical power source and the electric power source. It is a hybrid vehicle.

  First, an example of this hybrid vehicle will be described with reference to FIG. Reference numeral 1 in FIG. 1 indicates a hybrid vehicle of the present embodiment.

  The hybrid vehicle 1 includes an engine 10 that outputs mechanical power (engine torque) from an output shaft (crankshaft) 11 as a mechanical power source. The engine 10 may be an internal combustion engine, an external combustion engine, or the like. The operation of the engine 10 is controlled by an engine electronic control unit (hereinafter referred to as “engine ECU”) 101. The engine 10 is provided with a starter motor 12 that is driven and controlled by the engine ECU 101 at the time of starting. Here, an engine control device (mechanical power source control device) is configured by the engine ECU 101 and functions related to engine control of the hybrid ECU 100 described later.

  Further, the hybrid vehicle 1 includes a motor, a generator capable of powering driving, or a motor / generator capable of driving both powering and regeneration as an electric power source. Here, the motor / generator 20 will be described as an example. The motor / generator 20 is configured, for example, as a permanent magnet AC synchronous motor, and its operation is controlled by a motor / generator electronic control device (hereinafter referred to as “motor / generator ECU”) 102. . Here, a motor / generator control device (electric power source control device) is configured by the motor / generator ECU 102 and functions related to motor / generator control of the hybrid ECU 100 described later. During power running, it functions as a motor (electric motor), converts electrical energy supplied via the secondary battery 25 and the inverter 26 into mechanical energy, and outputs mechanical power (motor power running torque) from the rotating shaft 21. To do. On the other hand, at the time of regenerative driving, it functions as a generator (generator) and converts mechanical energy into electrical energy when mechanical power (motor regenerative torque) is input from the rotary shaft 21, and power is supplied via the inverter 26. Is stored in the secondary battery 25.

  The hybrid vehicle 1 is provided with a battery monitoring unit 27 that detects a state of charge (SOC) of the secondary battery 25. The battery monitoring unit 27 transmits to the motor / generator ECU 102 a signal related to the detected state of charge of the secondary battery 25 (in other words, a signal related to the amount of state of charge (SOC amount)). The motor / generator ECU 102 determines the charging state of the secondary battery 25 based on the signal, and determines whether or not the secondary battery 25 needs to be charged.

  The hybrid vehicle 1 includes a power transmission device including a stepped manual transmission 30 and the like. The power transmission device transmits the power of the engine 10 and the motor / generator 20 (engine torque and motor power running torque) to the driving wheels WL and WR as a driving force.

  The manual transmission 30 includes an input shaft 41 to which engine torque is input, an output shaft 42 that is disposed in parallel to the input shaft 41 at an interval and outputs torque to the drive wheels WL and WR, Is provided.

  Engine torque is input to the input shaft 41 via the clutch 50. The clutch 50 is in an engaged state in which the output shaft 11 and the input shaft 41 of the engine 10 are engaged, and in a released state (not engaged) in which the output shaft 11 and the input shaft 41 are released (not engaged) from the engaged state. For example, a friction clutch device configured to be able to switch between the engaged state and the engaged state. The engaged state referred to here is a state where torque can be transmitted between the output shaft 11 and the input shaft 41, and the released state (non-engaged state) refers to the output shaft 11 and This is a state where torque cannot be transmitted to the input shaft 41. In the clutch 50, the switching operation between the engaged state and the released state is mechanically performed through a link mechanism, a wire, or the like according to the operation of the clutch pedal 51 by the driver.

  In this embodiment, the motor / generator 20 is connected to the output shaft 42 via a gear pair 60 as an EV gear. The gear pair 60 includes a first gear 61 and a second gear 62 that are in mesh with each other. The first gear 61 is attached so as to rotate integrally with the rotating shaft 21 of the motor / generator 20. On the other hand, the second gear 62 has a larger diameter than the first gear 61 and is attached to the output shaft 42 of the manual transmission 30 so as to rotate integrally. As a result, the gear pair 60 operates as a reduction gear when torque is input from the rotating shaft 21 side of the motor / generator 20, while rotating torque is input from the output shaft 42 side of the manual transmission 30. Operates as a speed increasing device. Accordingly, when the motor / generator 20 is driven by power running, the motor power running torque is transmitted to the manual transmission 30 via the gear pair 60 functioning as a reduction gear. In contrast, when the motor / generator 20 is regeneratively driven, the output torque from the output shaft 42 of the manual transmission 30 is transmitted to the rotor of the motor / generator 20 via the gear pair 60 that functions as a speed increasing device. Is done. Here, the gear pair 60 is located at any position on the shift gauge 81b, that is, a shift lever 81a, which will be described later, that is, at a shift position 1 to 4, R, an EV travel mode selection position EV, or a neutral position. Assume that they are engaged. The motor / generator 20 may directly connect the rotary shaft 21 to the output shaft 42 of the manual transmission 30 without using the gear pair 60.

  Further, the manual transmission 30 exemplified here has four forward speeds and one reverse speed, and the first speed gear stage 31, the second speed gear stage 32, the second speed stage as the forward speed stages. A third gear stage 33 and a fourth gear stage 34 are provided, and a reverse gear stage 39 is provided as a reverse gear stage. The forward gear is configured such that the gear ratio decreases in the order of the first speed gear stage 31, the second speed gear stage 32, the third speed gear stage 33, and the fourth speed gear stage 34. Note that the manual transmission 30 in FIG. 1 is a simple description of the configuration, and the arrangement of each gear stage is not necessarily in the form of FIG.

  In the power transmission device of the present embodiment, the engine torque input to the input shaft 41 is set to any one of the gear positions (gear stages 31 to 34, 39) by engaging the clutch 50. And is transmitted to the output shaft 42. In this power transmission device, the motor power running torque is transmitted to the output shaft 42 via the gear pair 60. In this power transmission device, the torque output from the output shaft 42 is decelerated by the final reduction mechanism 71 and transmitted to the driving wheels WL and WR as a driving force via the differential mechanism 72.

  Here, the first speed gear stage 31 is constituted by a gear pair of a first speed drive gear 31a and a first speed driven gear 31b that are in mesh with each other. The first speed drive gear 31 a is disposed on the input shaft 41, while the first speed driven gear 31 b is disposed on the output shaft 42. Also for the second speed gear stage 32 to the fourth speed gear stage 34, the second speed drive gear 32a to the fourth speed drive gear 34a and the second speed driven gear 32b to the fourth speed driven similar to the first speed gear stage 31 are used. A gear 34b is provided.

  On the other hand, the reverse gear stage 39 includes a reverse drive gear 39a, a reverse driven gear 39b, and a reverse intermediate gear 39c. The reverse drive gear 39 a is disposed on the input shaft 41, and the reverse driven gear 39 b is disposed on the output shaft 42. The reverse intermediate gear 39c is in mesh with the reverse drive gear 39a and the reverse driven gear 39b, and is disposed on the rotation shaft 43.

  In the configuration of the manual transmission 30, one of the drive gears of each gear stage is disposed so as to rotate integrally with the input shaft 41, while the remaining drive gear is relative to the input shaft 41. Are arranged to rotate relative to each other. In addition, the driven gear of each shift stage is arranged so that any one of them is rotated integrally with the output shaft 42, while the rest is arranged so as to rotate relative to the output shaft 42. The

  The input shaft 41 and the output shaft 42 are provided with sleeves (not shown) that move in the axial direction in accordance with the driver's speed change operation. The sleeve on the input shaft 41 is disposed between the drive gears of the two shift stages that can rotate relative to the input shaft 41. On the other hand, the sleeve on the output shaft 42 is disposed between the driven gears of the two gears that can rotate relative to the output shaft 42. The sleeve moves in the axial direction via a link mechanism or a fork (not shown) connected to the speed change operation device 81 when the driver operates the speed change operation device 81. Then, the moved sleeve rotates the drive gear and the driven gear, which can be relatively rotated, located in the moved direction, together with the input shaft 41 and the output shaft 42. In the manual transmission 30, the sleeve moves in a direction corresponding to the speed change operation of the driver's speed change operation device 81, thereby switching to a gear position according to the speed change operation or a neutral state (that is, the input shaft 41. And a state in which torque cannot be transmitted between the output shaft 42 and the output shaft 42).

  As shown in FIG. 2, the shift operation device 81 includes a shift lever 81a used when the driver performs a shift operation, a so-called shift gauge 81b for guiding the shift lever 81a for each shift stage, the link mechanism, It has a fork. FIG. 2 shows the position of the shift lever 81a when the manual transmission 30 is operated to the neutral state. Note that “1-4” and “R” on the shift gauge 81b in FIG. 2 indicate the shift positions (select positions) of the first gear stage 31 to the fourth gear stage 34 and the reverse gear stage 39, respectively. Show.

  In the hybrid vehicle 1, at least an engine travel mode, an EV travel mode, and a hybrid travel mode are prepared as travel modes.

  In the hybrid vehicle 1, the engine travel mode or the hybrid travel mode is selected when the shift lever 81a is located in any one of the shift positions 1 to 4 and R on the shift gauge 81b.

  On the other hand, the hybrid vehicle 1 uses an EV travel mode switching device that is operated by the driver when the EV travel mode is selected. Here, the shift operation device 81 is provided with the function as the EV traveling mode switching device. That is, the shift operation device 81 of the present embodiment not only allows the driver to switch the gear position of the manual transmission 30, but also functions as an EV travel mode switching device when the driver switches to the EV travel mode. Yes. For example, this shift operation device 81 is provided with an EV travel mode selection position EV on the shift gauge 81b, which is the select position of the shift lever 81a similar to the shift positions 1 to 4 and R, and for switching to the EV travel mode. Yes. In the hybrid vehicle 1 of the present embodiment, when the shift lever 81a is operated to the EV travel mode selection position EV as shown in FIG. 3, the manual transmission 30 is in a neutral state by a sleeve or the like, and the travel mode is EV travel mode is set.

  The shift operation device 81 is provided with an EV travel mode selection position detector 82 that detects whether or not the shift lever 81a is located at the EV travel mode selection position EV. The EV travel mode selection position detector 82 is, for example, a position information detection sensor that can detect that the shift lever 81a is at the EV travel mode selection position EV as shown in FIG. The detection signal of the EV traveling mode selection position detection unit 82 is transmitted to an electronic control unit (hereinafter referred to as “hybrid ECU”) 100 that comprehensively controls the operation of the entire vehicle.

  The hybrid ECU 100 can exchange information such as detection signals of various sensors and control commands between the engine ECU 101 and the motor / generator ECU 102. In this embodiment, at least the hybrid ECU 100, the engine ECU 101, and the motor / generator ECU 102 are constituent requirements of the vehicle control system.

  Further, the shift operation device 81 detects which shift position 1 to 4 or R of the shift lever 81a is on the shift gauge 81b, that is, which shift stage the driver has selected. Part 83 is provided. The shift position detection unit 83 may use, for example, a position information detection sensor that can detect which shift positions 1 to 4 and R the shift lever 81a is at. The detection signal is sent to the hybrid ECU 100. The hybrid ECU 100 determines the speed selected by the driver and the current speed based on the detection signal. Here, for the sake of convenience, the shift position detection unit 83 is illustrated as being different from the EV travel mode selection position detection unit 82, but these are replaced with a shift lever position detection unit (not shown) integrated into one. May be. Here, the hybrid ECU 100 may estimate the current shift speed from the engine torque, the wheel speed, or the like using a known technique known in this technical field.

  When the shift lever 81a is operated to the shift positions 1 to 4 and R, the hybrid ECU 100 selects either the engine travel mode or the hybrid travel mode. For example, the hybrid ECU 100 includes a set driver's drive request (required driving force), information on the state of charge of the secondary battery 25 (SOC amount) sent from the motor / generator ECU 102, and information on the vehicle running state (illustrated). On the basis of the vehicle lateral acceleration detected by the vehicle lateral acceleration detection device and information on the slip state of the drive wheels WL and WR detected by the wheel slip detection device), the engine travel mode and the hybrid travel mode are switched.

  When the engine running mode is selected, the hybrid ECU 100 sends a control command to the engine ECU 101 and the motor / generator ECU 102 so as to generate the required driving force only with the engine torque. In this case, as a control command to the engine ECU 101, for example, information on the engine torque that satisfies the required driving force at the current shift stage or the shift stage after the shift operation is transmitted. As a result, the engine ECU 101 controls the fuel injection amount of the engine 10 so as to generate the engine torque. On the other hand, a control command is sent to the motor / generator ECU 102 so that the motor / generator 20 does not operate as a motor or a generator.

  On the other hand, when the hybrid travel mode is selected, the hybrid ECU 100 causes the engine ECU 101 and the motor / generator ECU 102 to generate the required driving force based on the engine torque and the output of the motor / generator 20 as a motor or a generator. Send a control command. In this case, when both the engine torque and the motor power running torque are used, as a control command to the engine ECU 101 and the motor / generator ECU 102, for example, an engine torque that satisfies the required driving force at the current shift stage or the shift stage after the shift operation. And motor power running torque information is transmitted to each. Thereby, the engine ECU 101 controls the engine 10 so as to generate the engine torque, and the motor / generator ECU 102 controls the power supply amount to the motor / generator 20 so as to generate the motor power running torque. When the motor / generator 20 performs power regeneration, a control command is sent to the motor / generator ECU 102 to operate the motor / generator 20 as a generator. At that time, for example, information on the engine torque increased by the amount of the motor regeneration torque is sent to the engine ECU 101.

  When the shift lever 81a is operated to the EV travel mode selection position EV, the hybrid ECU 100 sends a control command to the engine ECU 101 and the motor / generator ECU 102 so that the required driving force is generated only by the motor power running torque. In this case, information on the motor power running torque that satisfies the required driving force is transmitted as a control command to the motor / generator ECU 102. If the engine 10 is operating when the manual transmission 30 is in the neutral state, the fuel efficiency is deteriorated. Therefore, a control command for stopping the operation of the engine 10 is sent to the engine ECU 101 in order to improve the fuel efficiency. Further, in this EV travel mode, control is performed so that regenerative braking can be performed on the motor / generator ECU 102 when the driver removes his or her foot from the accelerator pedal 91 or when a request for deceleration of the hybrid vehicle 1 is made by a brake operation or the like. A command may be sent.

  In the hybrid vehicle 1 of the present embodiment, the switching between the engine travel mode or the hybrid travel mode and the EV travel mode is executed in response to the operation of the clutch 50 and the operation of the speed change operation device 81 by the driver. That is, it can be said that the clutch 50, the clutch pedal 51, and the speed change operation device 81 of this embodiment are travel mode selection devices for allowing the driver to manually select the travel mode. When the driver switches from the engine travel mode or the hybrid travel mode to the EV travel mode, the driver releases the clutch 50, operates the shift lever 81a from the shift position 1 to 4 to the EV travel mode selection position EV, and engages the clutch 50. Combine operations in sequence. At this time, the detection signal received by the hybrid ECU 100 changes from the detection signal of the shift position detection unit 83 to the detection signal of the EV travel mode selection position detection unit 82. On the other hand, when switching from the EV travel mode to the engine travel mode or the hybrid travel mode, the clutch 50 is released, the EV travel mode selection position EV is operated to the shift positions 81 to 4 of the shift lever 81a, and the clutch 50 is engaged. Joint operations are performed in order. At this time, the detection signal received by the hybrid ECU 100 changes from the detection signal of the EV travel mode selection position detection unit 82 to the detection signal of the shift position detection unit 83.

  By the way, when the vehicle is traveling in the EV traveling mode, the power of the secondary battery 25 continues to be consumed unless the regeneration control is executed. For this reason, when the EV traveling mode continues, traveling in the EV traveling mode cannot be continued anytime due to a decrease in the remaining capacity (SOC amount) of the secondary battery 25. Therefore, in this control system, in order to prevent such a situation, stop conditions for the EV travel mode are set in advance so that the remaining capacity of the secondary battery 25 does not decrease more than necessary. The stop condition is a state in which the remaining capacity of the secondary battery 25 falls below a predetermined remaining capacity as a threshold value. The predetermined remaining capacity is a set value for avoiding a situation where the vehicle stops due to a shortage of the remaining capacity of the secondary battery 25. For example, the predetermined remaining capacity may be set based on the remaining target EV travel time and target EV travel distance from when the stop condition is met. Since the remaining target EV travel time and the like also change depending on the road surface gradient, the predetermined remaining capacity may be set in advance to a constant value that also takes into consideration the target remaining time, and the target becomes shorter as the slope of the uphill road increases. You may set each time according to the gradient of a road surface so that it may become EV driving time. Information on the gradient of the road surface is acquired by the gradient detector 95. As the gradient detection device 95, for example, a longitudinal acceleration sensor for detecting vehicle longitudinal acceleration, a car navigation system capable of grasping own vehicle position information and map information may be used.

  In addition, on an uphill road, a steep slope requires a larger driving force for climbing than a gentle slope. Depending on the specifications of the vehicle such as the capacity (output) of the motor / generator 20, there is a possibility that the driving force necessary for climbing a steep slope cannot be generated only by the motor power running torque. For this reason, here, a state where the slope of the uphill road is larger than a predetermined slope as a threshold is also set as a stop condition for the EV travel mode. The predetermined gradient is a set value for avoiding a situation where the climbing performance is deteriorated due to insufficient motor power running torque. For example, the predetermined gradient is the maximum value of the gradient that does not deteriorate the climbing performance in EV traveling obtained based on the vehicle weight at the time of maximum occupant and maximum loading, the capacity of the motor / generator 20, the gear ratio of the gear pair 60, and the like. What is necessary is just to set beforehand.

  Further, a large driving force is required even when the accelerator pedal 91 is largely depressed or obtained by driving force control on the vehicle side, regardless of the road gradient. Further, there is a possibility that the required driving force on the driver or vehicle side cannot be generated only by the motor power running torque. For this reason, here, the state in which the required driving force is larger than the predetermined driving force as a threshold is also set as the stop condition of the EV traveling mode. The predetermined driving force is a set value for avoiding a situation in which traveling performance such as acceleration performance is deteriorated due to insufficient motor power running torque. For example, the predetermined driving force is the maximum driving force that does not deteriorate the running performance in EV running obtained based on the vehicle weight at the time of maximum occupant and maximum loading, the capacity of the motor / generator 20, the gear ratio of the gear pair 60, and the like. The value may be set in advance. The required driving force is calculated based on the detected value of the accelerator operation amount detection device 92 such as an accelerator opening sensor if it is accompanied by an accelerator operation, and the hybrid ECU 100 has a requirement if the driving force control on the vehicle side is being executed. Use driving force information.

  Furthermore, the engine travel mode and the hybrid travel mode may be superior to the EV travel mode in terms of fuel consumption, for example, because the power consumption increases. For this reason, here, a state in which the fuel consumption in the engine travel mode or the hybrid travel mode is superior to the fuel consumption in the EV travel mode is also set as the stop condition in the EV travel mode. For example, the fuel efficiency in the EV travel mode is expressed as an index value of the fuel efficiency based on the power consumption of the secondary battery 25. The fuel consumption in the engine travel mode is expressed as a fuel consumption index value based on the fuel consumption of the engine 10. The fuel consumption in the hybrid travel mode is expressed as a fuel consumption index value based on the power consumption of the secondary battery 25 and the fuel consumption of the engine 10.

  Further, when the engine 10 is stopped for a long time, the engine temperature (water temperature or oil temperature) decreases. When the engine temperature is excessively lowered, the exhaust performance of the engine 10 is deteriorated when the engine 10 is restarted or before the warm-up is completed after the restart. For this reason, here, the state where the engine temperature is lower than the predetermined temperature is also set as the stop condition of the EV traveling mode. The predetermined temperature is a set value for avoiding a situation in which exhaust performance deteriorates when the engine 10 is restarted or restarted due to a decrease in engine temperature. For example, the predetermined temperature is set to be higher than the engine temperature that deteriorates the exhaust performance when the engine 10 is restarted or after the restart. This is because if a predetermined temperature is set as the engine temperature that causes such deterioration of the exhaust performance, the exhaust performance of the engine 10 is deteriorated when the engine 10 is restarted or before the warm-up is completed after the restart. For the engine temperature, information from the water temperature gauge 96 and the oil temperature gauge 97 may be used.

  In this control system, when the EV traveling mode stop condition is met, the driver is made aware that the vehicle is in such a state, and the switching operation from the EV traveling mode to the engine traveling mode or the hybrid traveling mode is performed. Prompt. Therefore, in this control system, the engine 10 is started by the starter motor 12 while maintaining the EV travel mode, and the driver is prompted to switch to the engine travel mode or the hybrid travel mode by the engine sound or vibration. In addition, in this control system, in order to cope with the case where the driver does not perform the switching operation, the engine noise is increased by increasing the engine speed, and the switching operation to the engine traveling mode or the hybrid traveling mode is performed. Encourage people. A driver of a vehicle on which the manual transmission 30 is mounted has experienced that a speed change operation (in search of a reduction in engine sound and suppression of wasteful fuel consumption by an increase in engine speed and an increase in engine sound) This is because an upshift operation is performed.

  Specifically, the hybrid ECU 100 performs the arithmetic processing operation shown in the flowchart of FIG. 4 during traveling in the EV traveling mode.

  First, the hybrid ECU 100 determines whether or not the stopping condition of the EV traveling mode described above is satisfied (step ST5). In this determination, it is determined that the EV travel mode stop condition is met when one of the previously exemplified stop conditions is met.

  If the stop condition for the EV travel mode is not satisfied, hybrid ECU 100 repeats the determination in step ST5 until the EV travel mode ends.

  On the other hand, hybrid ECU 100 sends a command to engine ECU 101 to start engine 10 when the stop condition of the EV travel mode is met (step ST10). The engine speed of the engine 10 after the start is preferably controlled to, for example, an idle speed in order to suppress an increase in fuel consumption, but is higher than the idle speed in order to increase the recognition rate of engine start by the driver. You may control to the side. As the engine 10 starts, engine sound and vibration of the engine 10 are transmitted to the vehicle interior.

  Thereafter, the hybrid ECU 100 determines to which select position the shift lever 81a is operated (step ST15). This determination is made based on detection signals from the EV travel mode selection position detection unit 82 and the shift position detection unit 83. This determination is preferably performed after a predetermined time has elapsed after the engine 10 is started. The predetermined time is set to a time until the driver who has recognized the start of the engine 10 has operated the shift lever 81a from the EV travel mode selection position EV to any one of the shift positions 1 to 4 at least. deep.

  When the driver notices that the engine 10 has started due to engine noise or vibration and operates the shift lever 81a from the EV travel mode selection position EV to any one of the shift positions 1 to 4, the hybrid ECU 100 moves the shift lever 81a. Since it is grasped that the selected position is in any one of the shift positions 1 to 4, this calculation process is terminated. In this case, the hybrid ECU 100 switches the travel mode to the engine travel mode or the hybrid travel mode.

  On the other hand, it is not certain whether or not the driver has noticed the start of the engine 10, but when the shift lever 81a is not moved in the EV travel mode selection position EV, the hybrid ECU 100 makes the change of the travel mode clearer. Is sent to the engine ECU 101 to increase the engine speed higher than the speed after the start of step ST10 (step ST20). Thereby, in a vehicle interior, an engine sound and the vibration of the engine 10 increase.

  For example, after elapse of a predetermined time equivalent to step ST15, hybrid ECU 100 determines to which select position shift lever 81a is operated (step ST25).

  Here, the increase in the engine speed in step ST20 increases the fuel consumption. For this reason, in order to suppress an increase in fuel consumption, the hybrid ECU 100 increases the engine speed by a predetermined speed (for example, several hundred revolutions or 1,000 revolutions) in step ST20, and then selects the EV travel mode based on the determination in step ST25. If no change from the position EV is detected, the process returns to step ST20 again to further increase the engine speed by a predetermined speed. The hybrid ECU 100 repeats this until a change from the EV travel mode selection position EV is detected in step ST25, and the engine speed is set to a predetermined speed within a range not exceeding the rev limit (maximum engine speed). Raise every time.

  The prescribed rotational speed is set to an engine rotational speed close to a high speed that the driver desires to change to any one of the shift positions 1 to 4. For example, the specified engine speed may be a predetermined engine speed set in advance regardless of the vehicle speed or the like, or may be an engine speed changed each time according to the vehicle speed and the gear ratio. The gear ratio is assumed to be, for example, that the driving in the engine driving mode is performed at the current actual vehicle speed, and at that time the driver desires an upshift operation of the manual transmission 30 sensuously. It is the gear ratio (any of the gear stages 31 to 34). Depending on the driver's preference, the gear stage that sensibly desires the upshift operation is, for example, high engine speed that makes the engine sound uncomfortable, or seems that fuel is wasted. This is a gear stage with a high engine speed. Therefore, such an engine speed may be determined as the latter specified speed.

  When the hybrid ECU 100 detects that the select position of the shift lever 81a is in any one of the shift positions 1 to 4, the hybrid ECU 100 ends the calculation process.

  In this way, this control system starts the engine 10 and informs the driver when the EV travel mode stop condition is reached, so that a change from the EV travel mode is displayed on the alarm, display, etc. It is easier for the driver to recognize than prompted by visual information, and there is a high possibility that an operation for switching from the EV travel mode to the engine travel mode or the hybrid travel mode is executed. In addition, since this control system increases the engine speed and increases engine noise and vibration as the next step, it is possible to appeal the change from the EV travel mode to the driver's sensitivity rather than warning or visual information. This increases the possibility that the driver performs a switching operation from the EV travel mode to the engine travel mode or the hybrid travel mode. In particular, by increasing the engine rotational speed to a rotational speed at which the driver wants to operably operate the shift lever 81a, this control system increases the possibility of causing the driver to perform the switching operation. it can.

  Further, since this control system starts the engine 10 and increases the engine speed in the EV traveling mode, the engine torque is not transmitted to the drive wheels WL and WR. Therefore, this control system can prompt the driver to perform a switching operation from the EV traveling mode while maintaining traveling stability without changing the driving force.

  In this example, the engine speed is gradually increased to the specified speed. However, in step ST20, the engine speed may be increased to the specified speed at once. This increases the possibility that the driver can be aware of the change from the EV travel mode selection position EV within a short period of time, rather than repeatedly increasing the engine speed several times. In some cases, it is possible to suppress an increase in consumption.

  Further, when the driver does not perform the switching operation of the traveling mode even when the engine speed is increased to the specified speed, the hybrid ECU 100 keeps the specified speed for the driver for a certain time. The driving mode switching operation may continue to be prompted, and the engine speed may be increased to the rev limit by a predetermined speed. If the driver still does not perform the driving mode switching operation, the hybrid ECU 100 may prompt the driver to perform the driving mode switching operation using, for example, an alarm or visual information. Can be executed even when the driver does not switch the driving mode even if the engine speed is increased to the specified rotational speed).

  Here, in this example, the engine 10 is actually moved. Therefore, no matter how the control mode is adjusted, the fuel is consumed. Therefore, when the EV traveling mode stop condition is met, a pseudo engine sound may be output to the vehicle interior as shown in the flowchart of FIG.

  In this case, when it is determined in step ST5 that the EV traveling mode is stopped, the hybrid ECU 100 controls the vehicle acoustic device 98 to output a pseudo engine sound (step ST11). The engine sound may be an actual sound recorded in advance, may be generated in advance, or may be generated each time the frequency is changed. The engine sound at this time is set to the same level as the engine sound propagating into the passenger compartment as the engine 10 is started in step ST10.

  The hybrid ECU 100 makes a determination in step ST15 after the elapse of a predetermined time, and increases the engine sound if there is no change from the EV travel mode selection position EV (step ST21). Here, the engine sound may be gradually increased, but it is not necessary to consider the fuel consumption of the engine 10, so it is desirable to increase the engine sound to a predetermined level at once. In step ST21, for example, when the engine sound is first increased through step ST15, the engine sound is increased to a magnitude corresponding to the above-described prescribed rotational speed. If the change from the EV travel mode selection position EV has not been made, the engine sound is increased to a level corresponding to the rev limit, for example, after the determination in step ST25.

  In this way, the control system in this case informs the driver with a pseudo engine sound when the EV travel mode is stopped, so that a change from the EV travel mode is a warning or a display unit. It is easier for the driver to recognize the vehicle than the visual information, and there is a high possibility that the switching operation from the EV travel mode to the engine travel mode or the hybrid travel mode is executed. In addition, since the control system in this case intends to increase the engine sound corresponding to the increase in the engine speed as the next stage, the change from the EV travel mode is appealed to the driver's sensitivity rather than the warning or visual information. This increases the possibility that the driver performs a switching operation from the EV travel mode to the engine travel mode or the hybrid travel mode. In particular, by increasing the engine sound corresponding to the engine speed at which the driver wants to operably operate the shift lever 81a, this control system gives the driver the illusion that the engine 10 is rotating at a high speed. Therefore, the possibility of causing the driver to perform the switching operation can be increased.

  Furthermore, the control system in this case can prompt the driver to perform a switching operation from the EV traveling mode while maintaining traveling stability without changing the driving force. Furthermore, since the control system in this case keeps the engine 10 stopped, it is possible to suppress deterioration in fuel consumption when prompting the driver to change the travel mode.

  Here, this pseudo engine sound cannot transmit the vibration of the engine 10 to the driver in the passenger compartment. For this reason, in order to make the driver have an illusion that the engine 10 is actually moving, a command is sent to the motor / generator ECU 102 to the hybrid ECU 100 so that the running stability of the motor / generator 20 is not impaired. The torque may be varied to generate fine vibrations as when the engine 10 is turning. However, when it is difficult to realize this, vibration may be generated by actually moving the engine 10 at a low speed such as an idle speed.

  As described above, the vehicle control system according to the present invention is useful for a technique that can sufficiently prompt the driver to switch from the EV travel mode.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Hybrid vehicle 10 Engine 12 Starter motor 20 Motor / generator 30 Manual transmission 50 Clutch 51 Clutch pedal 60 Gear pair (EV gear)
DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 81 Shift operation apparatus 81a Shift lever 81b Shift gauge 82 EV driving mode selection position detection part 83 Shift position detection part 98 Sound apparatus 100 Hybrid ECU
101 engine ECU
102 Motor / generator ECU
EV EV driving mode selection position WL, WR Drive wheel

Claims (5)

Engine travel mode using the power of a mechanical power source that generates mechanical power using mechanical energy, and EV travel mode that uses the power of an electrical power source that generates mechanical power generated by converting mechanical energy Or a driving mode selection device that allows a driver to manually select a hybrid driving mode using the power of both the mechanical power source and the electric power source;
A transmission that transmits the power according to the travel mode to the drive wheel side and that is in a neutral state when the EV travel mode is selected;
An engine control device that stops the mechanical power source when the EV traveling mode is selected, and starts the mechanical power source in the EV traveling mode when the EV traveling mode is stopped;
A vehicle control system comprising:   2. The vehicle control system according to claim 1, wherein the engine control device increases the rotational speed of the mechanical power source if the EV traveling mode is selected even after the mechanical power source is started. . The transmission is a manual transmission capable of changing a gear ratio by a manual operation of a driver,
3. The vehicle control system according to claim 1, wherein the rotational speed of the mechanical power source is large enough for a driver to desire an upshift operation of the transmission when traveling in the engine travel mode. 4. .   When the acoustic device can output a pseudo engine sound of the mechanical power source to the passenger compartment, the acoustic device can simulate the mechanical power source without starting the mechanical power source when the EV traveling mode is stopped. 2. The vehicle control system according to claim 1, wherein the engine sound is output. The transmission is a manual transmission capable of changing a gear ratio by a manual operation of a driver,
5. The pseudo engine sound has a magnitude corresponding to a rotational speed of the mechanical power source at which a driver desires an upshift operation of the transmission when traveling in the engine traveling mode. The vehicle control system described.

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