JP2013068216A - On-board speed reducing device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an on-board speed reducing device which can automatically reduce a vehicle speed on abnormality of a power system, even if a user cannot perform special operation.SOLUTION: The device automatically determines the abnormality of the power system (step S10), and controls an engine in a manner so as to automatically stop the engine when determining that the power system is abnormal (steps S20-S40). Accordingly, the engine is stopped without the user's special operation, and thus the engine can be stopped even if the user cannot perform the special operation. As a result, the vehicle speed can be decreased.

Description

The present invention relates to an in-vehicle speed reduction device that is mounted on a vehicle and automatically reduces the speed of the vehicle.

  There has been proposed a technique for forcibly stopping an engine when a vehicle abnormality occurs during travel of the vehicle (for example, Patent Document 1). In Patent Document 1, a start / stop switch for requesting start or stop of the engine is provided, and when the user holds the start / stop switch for a predetermined time or more, it is a special operation for forcibly stopping the engine. Judgment is made and the engine is forcibly stopped.

JP 2007-263020 A

  Specifically, the vehicle abnormality that requires the engine to stop may be an abnormality of the engine itself or an abnormality of an engine ECU (electronic control unit) that controls the engine. By the way, in a state where the power system including the engine and the engine ECU is abnormal, the user may be in a panic state. Therefore, as in Patent Document 1, in the technology for forcibly stopping the engine by the user's special operation, the user is in a panic state and cannot perform the special operation, and the engine cannot be stopped. The vehicle speed may not decrease. Further, even when a special operation cannot be performed due to a decrease in the physical strength of the user, the engine cannot be stopped, and as a result, the vehicle speed may not decrease.

  The present invention has been made based on this situation, and the purpose of the present invention is to automatically reduce the vehicle speed when the power system is abnormal even when the user cannot perform a special operation. It is providing the vehicle-mounted speed reduction apparatus which can do.

  In order to achieve the object, the present invention is configured such that the vehicle speed is equal to or higher than the traveling state determination vehicle speed and the driving force source of the vehicle is equal to or higher than a reference value even though the brake pedal force is equal to or higher than the strong pedal force determination value. The driving speed source is controlled when the vehicle speed is equal to or greater than the running condition judgment vehicle speed, even though the current state has continued for a preset judgment time or the brake pedal effort is greater than the strong pedal effort judgment value. It is determined that the power system including the driving force source and the driving force source control device is abnormal based on the fact that the state where the driving force source control device (40) to be operated is not normal continues for a preset determination time or longer. When the power system abnormality determination means (12 (S10), 112 (S100)) and the power system abnormality determination means determine that the power system is abnormal, the vehicle is not driven by the driving force source. Non-driven Non-drive control means for controlling to (12 (S20~S40), 112 (S110~S130)) is a vehicle speed reduction device which comprises a (10, 100).

  Thus, in the present invention, the power system abnormality determining means automatically determines the abnormality of the power system, and when it is determined that the power system is abnormal, the vehicle is not driven by the driving force source. Control to make it non-driving is performed. Therefore, since it can be set to a non-driving state without a user's special operation, even if it is a situation where a user cannot perform a special operation, it will be in a non-driving state and, as a result, a vehicle speed can be reduced.

  As the non-driving control means, for example, when the power system abnormality determining means determines that the power system is abnormal, driving power source stop control means (12, S20 to S40).

  In this case, when the power system abnormality determining unit determines that the power system is abnormal, the driving force source stop control unit performs control to stop the driving force source. Therefore, the driving force source can be stopped without any special operation by the user. Therefore, even in a situation where the user cannot perform a special operation, the driving force source can be stopped, and as a result, the vehicle speed can be reduced.

  The driving force source stop control means may instruct the driving force source control device to stop the driving force source. However, in this case, if the driving force source control device is abnormal, the driving force source may not stop or the driving force source may not be smoothly stopped. Therefore, preferably, the driving force source stop control means (12, S40) stops the driving force source by turning off the ignition relay. Thus, if the ignition relay is turned off, the driving force source can be stopped even if the driving force source control device is abnormal.

  Moreover, it is preferable to do as follows. That is, the driving force source stop control means (12, S20 to S30) allows the user to execute control to stop the driving force source when the power system abnormality determination means determines that the power system is abnormal. After the notification, when the user inputs a cancellation input, the control for stopping the driving force source is not performed, whereas when the user determines not to perform the cancellation input, the control for stopping the driving force source is executed. .

  In this way, when the determination result that the power system is abnormal is incorrect, the user can prevent the driving force source from being stopped due to the incorrect determination result by performing a cancel input. Further, when the user determines that the cancel input is not performed, the driving force source stop control unit executes the control to stop the driving force source, so that the driving force source can be stopped without a user operation.

  Further, when the power system abnormality determining unit determines that the power system is abnormal as the non-driving control unit, the drive position of the driving force source is driven by setting the shift position of the vehicle to a neutral position. Driving force invalidating means (112 (S110 to S130)) for invalidating the force may be provided.

  Further, after invalidating the driving force of the driving force source by the driving force invalidating means, based on the operation state of the accelerator pedal and the brake pedal, when it is determined that the user has an intention to re-run the vehicle, It is preferable that a driving force returning means (112 (S200 to S240)) that sets the shift position to a position during forward traveling is preferably provided.

  Moreover, it is determined as follows, for example, that the driving force source control device is not normal. That is, the driving force source controller is configured to periodically transmit a pulse signal to the in-vehicle speed reducing device, and the power system abnormality determining means is configured to determine whether the driving force source controller is based on the transmission cycle of the pulse signal. Judge that it is not normal.

It is a block diagram which shows the apparatus related to the power supply control mounting unit 10 provided with the function as a vehicle-mounted speed reduction apparatus of this invention, and this power supply control mounting unit 10. FIG. It is a flowchart which shows the content of the automatic engine stop control which the microcomputer 12 performs. It is a figure which shows the determination conditions in step S10 of FIG. It is a block diagram which shows power supply control ECU100 which is 2nd Embodiment, and the apparatus relevant to this power supply control ECU100. 6 is a flowchart showing vehicle driving force invalidation control performed by a microcomputer 112 in FIG. 4. It is a figure which shows the determination conditions in step S100 of FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing driving force return control performed by a microcomputer 112 in FIG. 4. It is a figure which shows the determination conditions in step S200 of FIG.

(First embodiment)
Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. In the first embodiment, the present invention is applied to a vehicle including an engine (internal combustion engine) as a driving force source. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a power control mounting unit 10 having a function as an in-vehicle speed reduction device of the present invention and devices related to the power control mounting unit 10 in the first embodiment.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a power control mounting unit (hereinafter referred to as a power control ECU) 10 is connected to a microcomputer (hereinafter referred to as a microcomputer) 12 and a battery 20 to generate a power supply having a voltage suitable for the microcomputer 12. 12 includes an internal power generation unit 14 that supplies the power to the internal power generation unit 14.

  The vehicle power supply device 30 is provided in a power supply path for supplying power from the battery 20 to various vehicle-mounted devices, and includes an ignition relay and an accessory relay (both not shown). By turning on and off these relays, the power state of the vehicle is switched to accessory on, ignition on, and ignition off.

  The microcomputer 12 functions as a power supply control unit that controls the power supply state of the vehicle. By controlling the ignition relay and accessory relay of the vehicle power supply device 30, the power supply state of the vehicle is changed to accessory on, ignition on, and ignition off. Switch to.

  The microcomputer 12 is connected to the engine ECU 40, the power switch 50, the accelerator switch 60, the brake ECU 70, and the vehicle speed sensor 80, and the microcomputer 12 acquires various signals from these devices. Specifically, the engine ECU 40 periodically outputs a signal indicating the engine rotation speed and a pulse signal (hereinafter referred to as an engine pulse signal) to the microcomputer 12. The engine ECU 40 controls an engine (not shown) and corresponds to a driving force source control device in claims.

  The power supply switch 50 is a single pushbutton switch, and outputs a push signal indicating that to the microcomputer 12 each time it is pressed. Each time the power switch 50 is pressed, the microcomputer 12 controls the relay of the vehicle power supply device 30 to change the power state of the vehicle in the order of accessory on → ignition on → ignition off. . In the automatic engine stop control, the automatic engine stop control is stopped when the power switch 50 is pressed.

  The accelerator switch 60 outputs a signal indicating whether an accelerator (not shown) is open / closed to the microcomputer 12. The brake ECU 70 outputs a signal indicating whether or not the brake pedal is depressed to the microcomputer 12, detects the brake depression force from the brake hydraulic pressure, and also outputs a signal indicating the detected brake depression force to the microcomputer 12. The vehicle speed sensor 80 outputs a signal indicating the vehicle speed to the microcomputer 12.

  The microcomputer 12 sequentially determines abnormality of the power system including the engine (not shown) and the engine ECU 40 based on various signals supplied from the engine ECU 40 and the like. When it is determined that the power system is abnormal, automatic engine stop control for automatically stopping the engine is executed. Details of this automatic engine stop control will be described later.

  The microcomputer 12 is also connected to the display device 90. The display device 90 is disposed on the instrument panel, displays meters, and displays a message notifying the user that the engine is automatically stopped by being controlled by the microcomputer 12.

  Next, automatic engine stop control executed by the microcomputer 12 will be described. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the contents of the automatic engine stop control. The microcomputer 12 periodically executes this automatic engine stop control.

  First, in step S10, it is determined whether the power system is abnormal and the engine needs to be stopped. Specifically, this determination is made based on whether or not the determination condition shown in FIG. 3 is satisfied. The determination conditions shown in FIG. 3 consist of the conditions (1) to (4). The condition (1) is that the brake is turned on. More specifically, the brake pedal force is 90% or more of the maximum brake pedal force stored in advance. This “90%” is a value for determining that the driver is depressing the brake strongly, and is an example of a strong pedal force determination value in the claims.

  The condition (2) is that the vehicle speed is higher than 50 km / h. The condition (2) is used to determine whether or not the vehicle is traveling. When combined with the condition (1), the vehicle is traveling even though the brake is depressed. It is a condition for judging. Note that “50 km / h” is an example of the traveling state determination vehicle speed in the claims, and does not necessarily need to be 50 km / h. If it can be determined that the vehicle is traveling, it may be higher. Also, it may be low.

  The condition (3) is determined that the condition (3) is satisfied when either (3-1) or (3-2) is satisfied. The condition (3-1) is a condition that the engine rotation speed is 2000 rpm or more. The condition (3-2) is a condition that the engine ECU 40 is not normal. Whether the engine ECU 40 is normal is determined by the cycle of the pulse signal output from the engine ECU 40. If the cycle of the pulse signal is within a preset normal cycle range, the engine ECU 40 is determined to be normal. .

  The condition (4) is a condition that the state in which all the above (1) to (3) are satisfied continues for a certain time (here, 10 seconds). The condition (3-2) is a condition for determining an abnormality of the engine ECU 40. However, the condition (3-1) is combined with the conditions (1) and (4) to This is to judge abnormality. This is because it is possible to estimate that the power system is abnormal when the state where the engine rotational speed is 2000 rpm or higher continues despite the brake pedaling force being 90% or higher.

  If all of the above conditions (1) to (4) are satisfied, an affirmative determination is made in step S10 and the process proceeds to step S20. If any one of the conditions (1) to (4) is not satisfied, step S10 is performed. Is negatively determined, and the processing of FIG.

  In step S20, a message indicating that a control for automatically stopping the engine is executed is displayed on the display device 90, and a cancel input method for canceling this control is also displayed on the display device 90. In the present embodiment, the cancel input is a press of the power switch 50 and a voice input (for example, “cancel” or the like). If any one of the inputs is performed, it is determined that there is a cancel input. . In addition, you may notify by audio | voice instead of any one or both of the former display and the latter display.

  In the subsequent step S30, it is determined whether or not the user has determined that there is no intention to cancel. Specifically, if the cancel input notified in step S20 is not performed within a predetermined time after notifying the user in step S20, it is determined that there is no intention to cancel. That is, if neither pressing of the power switch 50 nor voice input is performed within a predetermined time after notifying the user in step S20, the user determines that there is no intention to cancel. In this case, an affirmative decision is made in step S30 and the process proceeds to step S40. On the other hand, if the cancellation input is made within the predetermined time, a negative determination is made in step S30, and the process of FIG.

  In step S40, the ignition relay of the vehicle power supply device 30 is turned off. The ignition relay is a relay provided in a power supply path for supplying electric power from the battery 20 to the power system such as the engine ECU 40. When the ignition relay is turned off, the engine is stopped.

As described above, the power supply control ECU 10 of the present embodiment described above automatically determines abnormality of the power system (step S10), and performs control to automatically stop the engine when it is determined that the power system is abnormal. Perform (Steps S20 to S40). Therefore, the engine can be stopped without any special operation by the user. Therefore, even in a situation where the user cannot perform a special operation, the engine can be stopped, and as a result, the vehicle speed can be reduced.

  In the present embodiment, the engine is stopped by turning off the ignition relay (step S40). Therefore, even if the engine ECU 40 is abnormal, the engine can be stopped reliably.

  Further, in this embodiment, even when it is determined that the power system is abnormal, after notifying the user that the control for stopping the engine is executed (step S20), when the user inputs a cancel ( Step S30 is NO), and control for stopping the engine is not performed. Therefore, even if the determination result that the power system is abnormal is incorrect, the user can prevent the engine from being stopped due to the incorrect determination result by making a cancel input. If the user does not perform a cancel input (YES in step S30), the engine is stopped without any user operation because control for stopping the engine is executed.

(Second Embodiment)
Next, a second embodiment will be described. In the following description of the second embodiment, elements having the same reference numerals as those used so far are the same elements as those of the previous embodiments unless otherwise specified. is there. In addition, when only a part of the configuration is described, the embodiment described above can be applied to other parts of the configuration.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the power supply control ECU 100 of FIG. 2 has the same mechanical configuration as the power supply control ECU 10 of the first embodiment, and the control performed by the microcomputer 112 is different from that of the first embodiment. Further, the microcomputer 112 can communicate with the shift control device 110.

  The vehicle according to the second embodiment includes a shift switching mechanism (not shown) that can electrically control the shift position. The shift control device 110 outputs a switching signal to the shift switching mechanism, so that the shift position is changed from the D position to the N position or vice versa, and the shift position being set, such as the N position to the D position, is changed. Switch to the shift position.

  The microcomputer 112 acquires a signal indicating the current shift position from the shift control device 110 and outputs a signal requesting switching of the shift position to the shift control device 110. The microcomputer 112 performs these processes as part of the vehicle driving force invalidation control.

  FIG. 5 shows the vehicle driving force invalidation control. This control is executed instead of the automatic engine stop control of the first embodiment.

  In step S100, it is determined whether or not the power system is abnormal. Specifically, this determination is made based on whether or not the determination condition shown in FIG. 6 is satisfied. The determination conditions shown in FIG. 6 are the same as those in FIG. 3 used in the determination in step S10 of FIG. 2, except for some specific numerical values, and include the conditions (1) to (4).

  The condition (1) is the same as in FIG. 3, and is an example of the strong pedal force determination value in the claims. The condition (2) is that the vehicle speed is higher than 20 km / h. The condition (2) is an example of determining whether or not the vehicle is traveling, that is, an example of a traveling state determination vehicle speed. Although it was 50 km / h in FIG. 3, it is 20 km / h in FIG.

  The reason is that in the first embodiment described above, the engine is stopped, and then a user operation for turning on the ignition is necessary for re-running. On the other hand, in the second embodiment, only the shift position is set to the N position, and the return is also automatically performed (FIG. 7). Therefore, even if it is easy to determine that the power system is abnormal, it is bothersome when re-running. Because there is no. However, it is not necessarily 20 km / h, and may be 50 km / h or other values.

  The condition (3) is the same as in FIG. The condition (3-1) is a condition for determining an abnormality in the power system in combination with the conditions (1) and (4) as described in the first embodiment. However, it is also a condition for determining whether the engine is running. When the engine is not moving, it is not necessary to set the shift position to the N position to cut off power transmission from the engine, so it can be considered that the determination of (3-1) is made.

  The condition of (4) is different from FIG. 3 in specific numerical values, but as in FIG. 3, the condition in which the above (1) to (3) are all established is a condition that continues for a certain time.

  If it is determined in step S100 that the power system is not abnormal (S100: NO), the processing in FIG. 5 is terminated. On the other hand, if it is determined that the power system is abnormal (S100: YES), the power system abnormality FLAG is turned ON in step S110, and then a signal requesting to switch the shift position to the N position is shifted in step S120. It transmits to the control apparatus 110.

  The shift control device 110 that has received this signal executes control to switch the shift position to the N position, so that even if the engine is driven, the driving force of the engine is not transmitted to the drive wheels, so that the vehicle speed decreases. To go. In step S130, a message for notifying the user that the shift position has been switched to the N position is displayed on the display device 90.

  In the second embodiment, the driving force return control shown in FIG. 7 is also periodically executed. In step S200, it is determined whether the power system abnormality FLAG is ON. If this determination is NO, the process of FIG. 7 is terminated.

  On the other hand, if the power system abnormality FLAG is ON, the process proceeds to step S210. When the power system abnormality FLAG is ON, since the shift position is the N position, the vehicle is stopped or the speed is decreasing toward the stop (vehicle speed 0).

  Therefore, in step S210, it is determined whether or not the vehicle can be re-traveled and the user is willing to re-travel the vehicle. Specifically, this determination is made based on whether or not the determination condition shown in FIG. 8 is satisfied. The determination conditions shown in FIG. 8 are the conditions (1) to (5).

  The condition (1) is accelerator on. Whether or not the accelerator is on is determined using a signal from the accelerator switch 60. In addition, it is good also considering the signal which shows an accelerator opening from an accelerator opening sensor (not shown) as a condition of (1) that an accelerator opening is more than predetermined value (for example, 50% or more).

  The condition (2) is that the brake is off. This is determined using a signal from the brake ECU 70. The condition of (3) is that the shift position is N position. The condition (4) is that the engine ECU is normal. The determination of (4) is made based on the cycle of the pulse signal output by the engine ECU 40, as in the determination of “3-2) in FIGS. If the cycle of this pulse signal is within a preset normal cycle range, engine ECU 40 determines that it is normal.

  The condition (5) is a condition that the state in which all the above (1) to (4) are satisfied continues for a certain time (here, 3 seconds). If all the above conditions (1) to (5) are satisfied, step S210 is affirmed and the process proceeds to step S220. If any one of the conditions (1) to (5) is not satisfied, step S210 is performed. Is negatively determined, and the processing of FIG.

  In step S220, a signal requesting to switch the shift position to the D position is transmitted to shift control device 110. The shift control device 110 that has received this signal executes control to switch the shift position to the D position, so that the driving force of the engine is again transmitted to the drive wheels. In step S230, a message for notifying the user that the shift position has been switched to the D position is displayed on the display device 90. In step S240, the power system abnormality FLAG is turned off, and the process of FIG.

  As described above, the power supply control ECU 100 of the second embodiment described above also automatically determines abnormality of the power system (step S100). If it is determined that the power system is abnormal, the shift position is automatically set to the N position (step S120). As a result, the driving force of the engine is invalidated, and the vehicle speed decreases. Therefore, the vehicle speed can be reduced without any special operation by the user.

  In the second embodiment, if it is determined that there is an intention to re-run the vehicle after setting the shift position to the N position (step S210: YES), the shift position is automatically returned to the D position (step S220). . Therefore, the vehicle can be caused to travel again by the driving force without the user performing a cumbersome operation.

  Further, when the shift position is automatically switched (steps S120 and S220), the fact is notified to the user (steps S130 and S230), so that the shift position recognized by the user is different from the actual shift position. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the user from feeling uncomfortable.

  Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, 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.

(Modification 1)
For example, in the above-described embodiment, the engine is exemplified as the driving force source. However, in addition to the engine, a motor may be provided as the driving force source. Further, the engine may not be provided, but only the motor may be provided as a driving force source.

  In the case where a motor is provided as a driving force source, the condition (3-1) in FIGS. 3 and 6 is assumed to be that the hybrid (hereinafter referred to as HV) system (or EV system) is in a travelable state, and the condition (3- 2) Suppose that the HV system (or EV system) is not normal. Condition (3-1) “HV system (or EV system) is in a travelable state” is determined from the result of a normal check as to whether or not the HV vehicle or electric vehicle is in a travelable state. Also, the condition (3-2) “HV system (or EV system) is not normal” means that a pulse signal is acquired from the ECUs of those systems, as in the case of normal / abnormal determination of the engine ECUs in the above-described embodiment. Thus, the determination is made based on whether or not the period of the pulse is normal.

(Modification 2)
Further, in the second embodiment, when the inclination of the running road can be acquired by an inclination sensor or the like provided in the vehicle, the specific numerical values of the determination conditions shown in FIG. May be. For example, when the slope is a downhill with a predetermined value or more, the vehicle speed satisfying the condition (1) is changed from 20 km / h to 30 km / h, or 5 seconds in (4) is changed to a longer time. You may do it. By doing so, it is possible to suppress the determination that the power system is abnormal even though the power system is not actually abnormal. The specific numerical values may not be changed stepwise, but may be changed continuously according to the inclination.

(Modification 3)
In step S220 in FIG. 7, the shift position is set to D, but instead of setting to the D position, a forward position other than the D position, such as the S position, may be used.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Power supply mounting unit (vehicle speed reduction device), 12 microcomputer, 14 internal power generation part, 20 battery, 30 vehicle power supply device, 40 engine ECU, 50 power supply changeover switch, 60 accelerator switch, 70 brake ECU, 80 vehicle speed sensor 90 display device, 100 power control unit (vehicle speed reduction device), 112 microcomputer, 110 shift control device, S10 power system abnormality determination means, S20 to S40 driving force source stop control means, S100 power system abnormality determination means, S110 to S130 Driving force invalidating means, S200 to S240 Driving force returning means

Claims (7)

The state where the vehicle speed is equal to or higher than the running state determination vehicle speed and the driving force source of the vehicle is operating at a reference value or higher, even though the brake pedal force is equal to or higher than the strong pedal force determination value, is longer than a predetermined determination time. A driving force source control device (40) for controlling the driving force source when the vehicle speed is equal to or higher than the traveling state determination vehicle speed even though the brake pressing force is equal to or higher than the strong pressing force determination value. Based on the fact that the abnormal state has continued for a preset determination time or more, the power system abnormality determining means (12 (12) for determining that the power system including the driving force source and the driving force source control device is abnormal. S10), 112 (S100)),
When the power system abnormality determining means determines that the power system is abnormal, the non-driving control means (12 (S20) for performing control to set the non-driving state in which the vehicle is not driven by the driving force source. To S40) and 112 (S110 to S130)), an in-vehicle speed reduction device (10, 100). In claim 1,
As the non-driving control means, driving power source stop control means (12, S20 to S20) that performs control to stop the driving power source when the power system abnormality determining means determines that the power system is abnormal. A vehicle-mounted speed reduction device (10) characterized by comprising S40). In claim 2,
The on-board speed reduction device characterized in that the driving force source stop control means (12, S40) stops the driving force source by turning off an ignition relay. In claim 2 or 3,
The drive power source stop control means (12, S20 to S30) executes a control to stop the drive power source when the power system abnormality determination means determines that the power system is abnormal. If the user inputs a cancel input after the notification, the control to stop the driving force source is not performed, while the control to stop the driving force source is performed when the user determines that the cancel input is not performed. An on-vehicle speed reduction device characterized by: In claim 1,
When the power system abnormality determining means determines that the power system is abnormal as the non-driving control means, the driving force of the driving force source is increased by setting the shift position of the vehicle to the neutral position. An in-vehicle speed reducing device (100) comprising driving force invalidating means (112 (S110 to S130)) for invalidating. In claim 5,
After invalidating the driving force of the driving force source by the driving force invalidating means, if it is determined that the user intends to re-run the vehicle based on the operation state of the accelerator pedal and the brake pedal, the shift A vehicle-mounted speed reduction device comprising driving force return means (112 (S200 to S240)) that sets the position to a position during forward traveling. In any one of Claims 1-6,
The driving force source control device is configured to periodically transmit a pulse signal to the in-vehicle speed reduction device,
The in-vehicle speed reduction device, wherein the power system abnormality determination means determines that the driving force source control device is not normal based on a transmission cycle of the pulse signal.

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