JP2014097762A - Travel control unit - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a travel control unit making it possible to further decrease a running cost of the whole of a hybrid vehicle.SOLUTION: A travel control unit 1 selects a travel mode of a hybrid vehicle 2 including a battery 9 that can be charged with power fed from an external power supply 16, an MG 6 that generates a travel driving force using the power of the battery 9, and an engine 5 that generates the travel driving force. The travel control unit 1 includes a calculation block 53 that estimates a travel load in each of zones on a travel route of the hybrid vehicle 2 and a reliability of the travel load. In a zone in which the estimated reliability of the travel load is high, if a high load state is recognized, a driving switching block 55 selects an HV mode. If a low load state is recognized, the driving switching block 5 selects an EV mode. In a zone in which the estimated reliability of the travel load is low rather than the zone in which the estimated reliability thereof is high, the driving switching block 55 inhibits selection of the EV mode.

Description

  The present invention relates to a travel control device.

  Conventionally, a travel control device that is mounted on a vehicle and controls the travel of the vehicle is known. For example, in Patent Document 1, in a hybrid vehicle including a motor and an engine as a vehicle drive source, depending on driving conditions, the vehicle travels only by the driving driving force of the motor, or at least by the driving driving force of the engine, A travel control device for a hybrid vehicle that selects is described.

  Conventionally, a hybrid vehicle travel control apparatus disclosed in Patent Document 1 described above and the like has a state-of-charge of a battery (referred to as a secondary battery) that supplies electric power to a motor. (Hereinafter referred to as “SOC”) is less than a predetermined value determined in advance, and whether it corresponds to one of a high-load state that requires a relatively large driving torque such as high-speed traveling or uphill traveling. judge. The travel control device determines that the SOC falls into one of a state where the SOC is lower than a predetermined first predetermined value and a high load state where a relatively large driving torque is required, such as high-speed traveling or uphill traveling. Then, it is selected to travel at least by the travel driving force of the engine. In addition, the travel control device corresponds to any of a state where the SOC is lower than a predetermined first predetermined value and a high load state that requires a relatively large driving torque, such as high-speed traveling or uphill traveling. If it is determined not to do so, it is selected to travel only by the driving force of the motor.

JP 2004-248455 A

  The travel control device described in Patent Document 1 described above is required to further reduce the running cost of the entire hybrid vehicle by bringing the SOC as close to zero as possible when the destination is reached.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a travel control device that can further reduce the running cost of the entire hybrid vehicle.

  In order to achieve the above object, a travel control device of the present invention includes a battery that can be charged, a motor that generates a travel driving force by the electric power of the battery, and an engine that generates the travel drive force. A travel control device that selects an EV mode that travels only by the travel driving force of the motor of the hybrid vehicle provided, and an HV mode that travels by at least the travel drive force of the engine, according to the destination of the hybrid vehicle Estimating the travel load of each section of the set travel route and the reliability of the travel load, and in the section where the estimated reliability of the travel load is equal to or higher than a threshold, select the HV mode as being in a high load state, The EV mode can be selected in a low load state, and the EV mode selection is prohibited in a section where the reliability of the estimated traveling load is less than the threshold. Characterized in that it.

  Further, storing at least one traveling load for each section, and estimating the reliability of the traveling load in each section based on a variation in one or more of the traveling loads in each section. Is preferred.

  The travel control device according to the present invention has an effect that the SOC can be made as close to zero as possible when the destination is reached, and the running cost of the entire hybrid vehicle can be further reduced.

FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a hybrid vehicle including a travel control device according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of the ECU and the navigation device of the travel control device according to the embodiment. FIG. 3 is a flowchart for selecting the HV mode and the EV mode of the ECU of the travel control apparatus according to the embodiment.

  Embodiments according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the drawings. In addition, this invention is not limited by this embodiment. In addition, constituent elements in the following embodiments include those that can be easily replaced by those skilled in the art or those that are substantially the same.

[Embodiment]
FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a hybrid vehicle including a travel control device according to the embodiment. FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of an ECU, a navigation device, and the like of the travel control device according to the embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, the travel control device 1 according to the present embodiment is a so-called hybrid vehicle 2 that combines an engine 5 and an MG 6 as a motor to serve as a travel drive source for rotationally driving drive wheels. Installed. The travel control device 1 includes an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 50. The travel control device 1 selects the travel mode of the hybrid vehicle 2 by the ECU 50 controlling the engine 5, the MG 6 and a transmission 7 described later according to the situation.

  The travel control apparatus 1 of the present embodiment estimates the travel load of each section to the set destination and the travel load accuracy (corresponding to reliability) of each section, and the estimated travel load accuracy is Selection of the EV mode is prohibited in the low section, and the HV mode and the EV mode are appropriately selected in the section where the accuracy of the estimated traveling load is high. That is, the traveling control device 1 estimates the traveling load of each section and the reliability of the traveling load, and selects the HV mode when the estimated reliability of the traveling load is high in a section where the reliability is higher than a threshold. In the low load state, the EV mode can be selected, and the EV mode selection is prohibited and only the HV mode is selected in a section lower than the high section where the reliability is less than the threshold. Thereby, the traveling control device 1 is configured to allow further reduction in running cost of the hybrid vehicle 2 as a whole.

  In the present invention, the EV mode refers to a travel mode in which the hybrid vehicle 2 travels only by the travel driving force of the MG 6, and the HV mode refers to a travel mode in which the hybrid vehicle 2 travels by at least the travel drive force of the engine 5. Say. In the HV mode, the ECU 50 operates the engine 5 in the most efficient state as much as possible, while making the MG 6 that is the rotating electrical machine compensate for excess or deficiency of the driving force or engine braking force, and further reduce the energy during deceleration. By improving the fuel efficiency, the fuel efficiency will be improved.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 1, the hybrid vehicle 2 includes an engine 5 as an internal combustion engine, a motor generator (hereinafter referred to as “MG”) 6, a transmission 7, a brake device 8, a battery 9, and the like. The hybrid vehicle 2 includes a vehicle speed sensor 10, an accelerator sensor 11, a brake sensor 12, a yaw rate sensor 13, an acceleration sensor 14, a navigation device 20, and the like.

  The engine 5 applies traveling driving force to the wheels of the hybrid vehicle 2 in response to an acceleration request operation by the driver, for example, an accelerator pedal depression operation. The engine 5 consumes fuel and generates an engine torque as an engine torque as a driving force to be applied to the driving wheels of the hybrid vehicle 2. In short, the engine 5 is a heat engine that outputs thermal energy generated by burning fuel in the form of mechanical energy such as torque, and examples thereof include a gasoline engine, a diesel engine, and an LPG engine. The engine 5 includes, for example, a fuel injection device, an ignition device, a throttle valve device, and the like (not shown). These devices are electrically connected to the ECU 50 and controlled by the ECU 50. The output torque of the engine 5 is controlled by the ECU 50. The driving force generated by the engine 5 may be used for power generation in the MG 6. Further, the engine 5 outputs information (for example, throttle valve opening, engine speed, etc.) indicating the generated traveling driving force to the ECU 50.

  The MG 6 applies a traveling driving force to the wheels of the hybrid vehicle 2 in response to an acceleration request operation by the driver, for example, an accelerator pedal depression operation. The MG 6 converts electric energy into mechanical power and generates motor torque as travel driving force that acts on the drive wheels of the hybrid vehicle 2. MG6 is what is called a rotary electric machine provided with the stator which is a stator, and the rotor which is a rotor. The MG 6 is an electric motor that converts electric energy into mechanical power and outputs it, and also a generator that converts mechanical power into electric energy and recovers it. In other words, the MG 6 is driven by supplying electric power, functions as an electric motor that converts electric energy into mechanical energy and outputs it (power running function), and functions as a generator that converts mechanical energy into electric energy (regenerative function). Have both. The MG 6 is electrically connected to the ECU 50 through an inverter or the like that converts direct current and alternating current, and is controlled by the ECU 50. The output torque and power generation amount of the MG 6 are controlled by the ECU 50 via an inverter.

  The transmission 7 is a power transmission device that shifts the rotational driving force of the engine 5 and the MG 6 and transmits it to the drive wheel side of the hybrid vehicle 2. The transmission 7 may be a so-called manual transmission (MT), a stepped automatic transmission (AT), a continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT), a multimode manual transmission (MMT), a sequential manual transmission (SMT). ), A so-called automatic transmission such as a dual clutch transmission (DCT). Here, the description will be made assuming that the transmission 7 is a continuously variable transmission using a planetary gear mechanism, for example. The transmission 7 is controlled by the ECU 50 with a transmission actuator or the like electrically connected to the ECU 50. Further, the transmission 7 outputs information indicating the transmission state of the travel driving force to the ECU 50.

  The brake device 8 applies a braking force to the wheels of the hybrid vehicle 2 in response to a braking request operation by the driver, for example, a depression operation of a brake pedal. The brake device 8 applies a braking force to a wheel rotatably supported by the vehicle body of the hybrid vehicle 2 by generating a predetermined friction force (friction resistance force) between friction elements such as a brake pad and a brake disk, for example. To do. Thereby, the brake device 8 can generate a braking force on the ground contact surface with the road surface of the wheel of the hybrid vehicle 2 to brake the hybrid vehicle 2. The brake device 8 is controlled by the ECU 50 with a brake actuator or the like electrically connected to the ECU 50.

  The battery 9 is a power storage device capable of storing power (power storage) and discharging the stored power. The battery 9 is electrically connected to the ECU 50 and outputs signals related to various information to the ECU 50. The battery 9 according to the present embodiment detects a state of charge (hereinafter referred to as SOC) and outputs the detected result to the ECU 50. In the present invention, the SOC means a value that is displayed as a percentage by multiplying a value obtained by dividing the remaining capacity of the battery 9 by the full charge capacity of the battery 9 by 100. That is, SOC = ((remaining capacity of the battery 9) / (full charge capacity of the battery 9)) × 100.

  The battery 9 is connected to the MG 6 via an inverter (not shown). Further, the battery 9 is connected to a connector 15 connected to an external power source 16 such as a household power source via an inverter. The battery 9 is supplied with power from an external power source 16 such as a household power source via a connector 15 and an inverter. For this reason, the battery 9 can be charged with electric power from the external power supply 16 by connecting the external power supply 16 to the connector 15. The external power source 16 in the present invention refers to a power source that can charge the battery 9 via the connector 15 or the like.

  When the MG 6 functions as an electric motor, the electric power stored in the battery 9 is supplied via an inverter, and the supplied electric power is converted into a driving force for driving the hybrid vehicle 2 and output. Moreover, when MG6 functions as a generator, it generates electric power with the input driving force and charges the battery 9 with the generated electric power via an inverter. At this time, the MG 6 can brake the rotation of the rotor (regenerative braking) by the rotational resistance generated in the rotor. As a result, during regenerative braking, the MG 6 can generate a motor regenerative torque, which is a negative motor torque, in the rotor by regenerating electric power. As a result, the MG 6 can apply a braking force to the drive wheels of the hybrid vehicle 2. it can. That is, in the hybrid vehicle 2, mechanical power is input from the drive wheels to the MG 6, and the MG 6 generates electric power by regeneration, whereby the kinetic energy of the hybrid vehicle 2 can be recovered as electric energy. And the hybrid vehicle 2 can perform regenerative braking by MG6 by transmitting the mechanical power (negative motor torque) which arises in the rotor of MG6 in connection with this to a driving wheel. In this case, in the hybrid vehicle 2, when the regeneration amount (power generation amount) by the MG 6 is relatively small, the generated braking force is relatively small, and the deceleration acting on the hybrid vehicle 2 is relatively small. Become. On the other hand, in the hybrid vehicle 2, when the regeneration amount (power generation amount) by the MG 6 is relatively increased, the generated braking force is relatively increased, and the deceleration acting on the hybrid vehicle 2 is relatively increased. . Further, the MG 6 outputs information indicating the generated traveling driving force and motor regeneration torque to the ECU 50.

  The vehicle speed sensor 10, the accelerator sensor 11, the brake sensor 12, the yaw rate sensor 13, and the acceleration sensor 14 are input to the hybrid vehicle 2 by the driving state of the hybrid vehicle 2 (driver input), that is, to the hybrid vehicle 2 by the driver. It is a state detection device that detects state quantities and physical quantities related to actual operations. The vehicle speed sensor 10 detects the vehicle speed of the hybrid vehicle 2 (hereinafter sometimes referred to as “vehicle speed”). The accelerator sensor 11 detects an accelerator opening that is an operation amount (depression amount) of an accelerator pedal by a driver. The brake sensor 12 detects an operation amount (depression amount) of the brake pedal by the driver, for example, a master cylinder pressure. The yaw rate sensor 13 detects the yaw rate of the hybrid vehicle 2. The acceleration sensor 14 detects the longitudinal acceleration of the hybrid vehicle 2. The vehicle speed sensor 10, the accelerator sensor 11, the brake sensor 12, the yaw rate sensor 13, and the acceleration sensor 14 are electrically connected to the ECU 50 and output detection signals to the ECU 50.

  The navigation device 20 detects the current position and determines the position of the hybrid vehicle 2 in the map information stored in advance, calculates the travel route to the destination, and travels to the position of the hybrid vehicle 2 and the destination. It is a device that displays routes and the like. The navigation device 20 is an on-vehicle device mounted in the hybrid vehicle 2, and as shown in FIG. 2, a GPS (Global Positioning System) device (hereinafter referred to as “GPS”) 21, a database 22. , Destination setting unit 23, travel route setting unit 24, display device 25, input device 26, and the like.

  The GPS device 21 is a device that detects the current position of the hybrid vehicle 2. The GPS device 21 receives a GPS signal output from a GPS satellite, and measures and calculates GPS information (X coordinate; X, Y coordinate; Y) as position information of the hybrid vehicle 2 based on the received GPS signal. . The GPS device 21 is electrically connected to the ECU 50 and outputs a signal related to GPS information to the ECU 50.

  The database 22 stores various information. The database 22 is obtained by map information including road information, in particular, a plurality of nodes as arbitrary points specified by the map information, links connecting the nodes specified by the map information, and actual traveling of the hybrid vehicle 2. It stores various information and learning information. For example, the road information includes road gradient information, road surface state information, road shape information, restricted vehicle speed information, road curvature (curve) information, temporary stop information, stop line position information, and the like. Information stored in the database 22 is appropriately referred to by the ECU 50, and necessary information is read out. The database 22 is illustrated here as being mounted on the hybrid vehicle 2, but is not limited thereto, and is provided in an information center or the like outside the hybrid vehicle 2, via wireless communication or the like (not shown), A configuration may be employed in which necessary information is read by appropriately referring to the ECU 50.

  The destination setting unit 23 receives information indicating the location of the destination of the hybrid vehicle 2 from an occupant or the like via the input device 26. The destination setting unit 23 reads information indicating the position of the destination by appropriately referring to the ECU 50. The information indicating the position of the destination input to the destination setting unit 23 is, for example, the information from the GPS device 21 when a predetermined time has elapsed since the input of the information indicating the position of the destination from the input device 26. Based on this, it is deleted when the destination input from the input device 26 is reached.

  The travel route setting unit 24 uses GPS information (X coordinates; X, Y coordinates; Y), which is current position information of the hybrid vehicle 2 measured and calculated by the GPS device 21, and map information stored in the database 22. Based on this, the travel route to the destination is calculated and stored. In the travel route setting unit 24, information indicating the travel route set according to the destination is appropriately referred to and read by the ECU 50.

  The display device 25 includes a display device (visual information display device), a speaker (sound output device), and the like provided in the passenger compartment of the hybrid vehicle 2. The display device 25 displays the position, destination, and travel route of the hybrid vehicle 2 together with map information and the like. The input device 26 has operation buttons and the like provided in the passenger compartment of the hybrid vehicle 2. The input device 26 is used for inputting a destination and the like.

  The ECU 50 is a control unit that performs overall control of the hybrid vehicle 2 and is configured as an electronic circuit mainly including a known microcomputer including a CPU, a ROM, a RAM, and an interface, for example. The ECU 50 includes information indicating travel driving force and motor regeneration torque from the engine 5 and the MG 6, information indicating transmission state of the travel driving force from the transmission 7, information indicating SOC from the battery 9, a vehicle speed sensor 10, and an accelerator sensor 11. , The detection results detected by the brake sensor 12, the yaw rate sensor 13, and the acceleration sensor 14, the GPS information acquired by the GPS device 21, various information stored in the database 22, the drive signals of the respective parts, the electric signals corresponding to the control commands, etc. A signal is input. The ECU 50 controls the engine 5, the MG 6, the transmission 7, the brake device 8, the battery 9, and the like according to these input electric signals. For example, the ECU 50 executes drive control of the engine 5, drive control of the MG 6, shift control of the transmission 7, brake control of the brake device 8, and the like based on the accelerator opening, the vehicle speed, and the like. Further, the ECU 50 realizes the EV mode, the HV mode, or the like by using the engine 5 and the MG 6 together or selectively depending on the driving state.

  Further, for example, the ECU 50 can detect ON / OFF of an accelerator operation, which is an acceleration request operation for the hybrid vehicle 2 by the driver, and an accelerator opening based on a detection result by the accelerator sensor 11. Similarly, the ECU 50 can detect ON / OFF of a brake operation, which is a brake request operation for the hybrid vehicle 2 by the driver, based on a detection result by the brake sensor 12, for example. The state where the accelerator operation by the driver is OFF is a state where the driver cancels the acceleration request operation for the hybrid vehicle 2, and the state where the accelerator operation by the driver is ON is the state where the driver is the hybrid vehicle. This is a state in which an acceleration requesting operation for 2 is being performed. Similarly, the state where the brake operation by the driver is OFF is a state where the driver releases the braking request operation for the hybrid vehicle 2, and the state where the brake operation by the driver is ON is the state where the driver is hybrid. This is a state in which a braking request operation for the vehicle 2 is being performed. Further, the ECU 50 detects the driver request power based on the accelerator opening.

  In the present embodiment, the travel control device 1 is configured by the ECU 50 described above. In the present invention, the travel control device 1 may include a navigation device 20, various sensors for detecting the vehicle state, and various information acquisition units for supplying surrounding information, in addition to the ECU 50. The traveling control device 1 can further reduce the running cost of the hybrid vehicle 2 as a whole by selecting the EV mode and the HV mode according to the situation.

  Schematically, when a destination is set in the destination setting unit 23, the ECU 50 sets a travel route (hereinafter simply referred to as a travel route) set according to the destination calculated by the travel route setting unit 24. Extract multiple sections. Then, the ECU 50 estimates the travel load of each section (for example, the curvature of the travel path and the slope of the travel path) and the reliability of the travel load of each section, and the reliability is equal to or higher than a predetermined threshold. In the high interval, the HV mode and the EV mode are selected as appropriate, and in the interval lower than the high interval in which the reliability is less than a predetermined threshold, the selection of the EV mode is prohibited and only the HV mode is selected.

  Hereinafter, an example of the configuration of the ECU 50 will be described with reference to FIG. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the ECU 50 includes a storage unit 51, a collection unit 52, a calculation unit 53, a determination unit 54, and a drive switching unit 55.

  The storage unit 51 refers to the information of the navigation device 20, and links between nodes (hereinafter referred to as sections) read from the map information stored in the database 22 and default values of the hybrid vehicle 2 for each section. The driving load of is memorized. That is, the section refers to a link connecting nodes as an arbitrary point specified by map information stored in the database 22 of the navigation device 20 or the like. In addition, the storage unit 51 classifies and stores the travel loads collected by the collection unit 52 when the hybrid vehicle 2 actually travels in each section for each section. The storage unit 51 appropriately accumulates and stores one or more traveling loads for each section of the road information stored in the database 22. Specifically, the storage unit 51 travels as a default value stored in advance in the section A between the position where the X coordinate is xa1 and the Y coordinate is ya1 and the position where the X coordinate is xb1 and the Y coordinate is yb1. The load A0 and the travel loads A1, A2,... An collected by the collecting unit 52 in the past, the position where the X coordinate is xa2, the Y coordinate is ya2, and the position where the X coordinate is xb2 and the Y coordinate is yb2. When the travel load B0 as the default value stored in advance in the section B and the travel loads B1, B2,... Bn collected by the collecting unit 52 in the past, the section A and the travel loads A0, A1, A2,. An is stored in association with each other, and section B and travel loads B0, B1, B2,... Bn are stored in association with each other.

  The collection unit 52 sequentially collects the travel load (referred to as the curvature of the travel path and the gradient of the travel path) for each section stored in the storage unit 51 when the hybrid vehicle 2 travels, and writes it in the storage unit 51. Specifically, when collecting the curvature as the traveling load, the collecting unit 52 sequentially calculates the curvature (Ry / V) based on the yaw rate (Ry) and the vehicle speed (V) detected sequentially, The measured values of the curvature (Ry / V) are written into the storage unit 51 by classification for each section. Further, when collecting the gradient as the travel load, the collecting unit 52 transmits the travel drive force and the motor regeneration torque from the engine 5 and the MG 6 that are sequentially detected and the travel drive force from the transmission 7. Driving from the engine 5 and the MG 6 based on the relationship (reference acceleration map) obtained in advance and stored between the information indicating the state, the vehicle speed (V), and the reference acceleration (Gk) to be generated when traveling on a flat road The reference acceleration (Gk) is sequentially calculated based on the information indicating the driving force and the motor regeneration torque, the information indicating the transmission state of the traveling driving force from the transmission 7, and the vehicle speed (V). Then, the collection unit 52 calculates an acceleration difference (Gk−G) between the reference acceleration (Gk) and the longitudinal acceleration (G) of the hybrid vehicle 2 sequentially detected, and the absolute value of the acceleration difference (Gk−G) is calculated. Based on the acceleration difference (Gk-G), the gradient of the traveling road is sequentially calculated based on the acceleration difference (Gk-G), and the absolute value of the gradient increases as the value increases. Then, the measured value of the gradient is written in the storage unit 51.

  The calculation unit 53 estimates the travel load of each section stored in the storage unit 51 of the travel route set in the travel route setting unit 24. Specifically, the calculation unit 53 calculates an average value of one or more traveling loads corresponding to each section stored in the storage unit 51, and estimates the traveling load of each section. For example, when the travel load in the section A is A0, A1, A2... An, the calculation unit 53 estimates the travel load in the section A as ((A0 + A1 + A2 +... An) / (n + 1)). When the travel load in section B is B0, B1, B2,... Bn, the travel load in section B is estimated as ((B0 + B1 + B2 +... Bn) / (n + 1)).

  In addition, the calculation unit 53 estimates the reliability of the travel load of each section stored in the travel route storage unit 51 set in the travel route setting unit 24. The degree of reliability is said to be higher as the variation in travel load stored for each section is smaller or converges to a certain value. Specifically, the calculation unit 53 estimates the travel load reliability of each section based on the variation of one or more travel loads of each section stored in the storage unit 51. In the present embodiment, for example, when the traveling load in the section A is A0, A1, A2,... An, the calculation unit 53 calculates the standard deviation as variations of A0, A1, A2,. Then, when the reciprocal of the standard deviation is estimated as the reliability AR, and the traveling load in the section B is B0, B1, B2,... Bn, the standard as the variation of B0, B1, B2,. The deviation is calculated, and the reciprocal of the standard deviation is estimated as the reliability BR. Further, in the present invention, dispersion may be used as variation instead of standard deviation.

  The determination unit 54 determines whether or not the reliability of the travel load in each section of the travel route estimated by the calculation unit 53 is less than a predetermined threshold. The determination unit 54 classifies the determination result of the reliability of the traveling load for each section and writes it in the storage unit 51. For example, the determination unit determines whether or not the travel load reliability AR in the section A is less than the threshold, determines whether or not the travel load reliability BR in the section B is less than the threshold, and the determination result Are associated with each of the section A and the section B and written in the storage unit 51. Note that the threshold value can be appropriately determined within a range in which the object of the present invention can be achieved. In the present invention, the threshold value may be common to all the sections, or the threshold value may be different for each section or for each characteristic of the section.

  In the section in which the determination unit 54 determines that the reliability is equal to or higher than the threshold, the drive switching unit 55 is in a state where the SOC is lower than a first predetermined value, and the traveling load that is sequentially collected by the collection unit 52 is It is determined in advance whether it corresponds to any one of a high load state that requires a relatively large driving torque such as high speed traveling and climbing traveling exceeding a second predetermined value, Select HV mode. Then, the drive switching unit 55 drives the engine 5 when the determination unit 54 determines that the reliability is equal to or higher than the threshold and the SOC falls below either the first predetermined value or the high load state. Then, the hybrid vehicle 2 is caused to travel by at least the traveling driving force of the engine 5. Further, the drive switching unit 55 determines that the SOC does not correspond to either the state where the SOC is lower than the first predetermined value or the high load state even if the determination unit 54 determines that the reliability is equal to or higher than the threshold value. Then, the EV mode is selected, and the engine 5 is stopped or maintained in a stopped state, and only the MG 6 is driven. As described above, the drive switching unit 55 can select the HV mode when the travel load reliability is equal to or higher than the threshold and select the HV mode when it is in a high load state, and select the EV mode when it is a low load state that is not a high load state. is there. Further, the drive switching unit 55 selects only the HV mode and drives the engine 5 in the section in which the determination unit 54 determines that the reliability is less than the threshold, and drives the hybrid vehicle 2 by at least the travel driving force of the engine 5. Let it run. In this way, the drive switching unit 55 prohibits the EV mode selection and selects only the HV mode in a section where the reliability of the traveling load is less than the threshold.

  Next, with reference to FIG. 3, an example of the processing of the ECU of the travel control device of the present embodiment will be described. FIG. 3 is a flowchart for selecting the HV mode and the EV mode of the ECU of the travel control apparatus according to the embodiment.

  After a predetermined time has elapsed since the hybrid vehicle 2 was activated, the determination unit 54 of the ECU 50 of the travel control device 1 refers to the information from the navigation device 20 in step ST1 of FIG. It is determined whether information indicating the position of the ground is input. That is, the determination unit 54 of the ECU 50 of the travel control device 1 determines whether or not the destination is set. If it is determined that the destination is set, the process proceeds to step ST2 and the destination is not set. If it determines, it will progress to step ST10. The hybrid vehicle 2 activated in the present invention refers to a state in which the hybrid vehicle 2 can immediately travel by turning on the power of the hybrid vehicle 2 and operating the accelerator pedal. Further, the hybrid vehicle 2 may start running within a predetermined time or may remain stopped.

  In step ST <b> 2, the ECU 50 of the travel control device 1 reads the travel route to the destination calculated by the travel route setting unit 24, and the calculation unit 53 includes information on each section of the travel route read from the travel route setting unit 24. Is extracted from the storage unit 51, and the process proceeds to step ST3. In step ST3, the calculation unit 53 estimates the extracted travel load of each section, estimates the reliability of the travel load of each section, and proceeds to step ST4.

  In step ST4, the determination unit 54 of the ECU 50 of the travel control device 1 sets N = 1, and among the travel loads estimated by the calculation unit 53, is the reliability of the travel load in the Nth section less than the threshold value? Determine whether or not. When the determination unit 54 of the ECU 50 of the traveling control device 1 determines that the reliability of the N-th section traveling load is less than the threshold, the process proceeds to step ST5, where the reliability of the N-th section traveling load is less than the threshold. If not, that is, if it is determined that the threshold value is exceeded, the process proceeds to step ST6.

  In step ST <b> 5, the determination unit 54 of the ECU 50 of the travel control device 1 sets the Nth section as a section that travels only in the HV mode without selecting the section to select the HV mode and the EV mode, and stores the determination result. The data is written in the unit 51 and the process proceeds to step ST7. In step ST6, the determination unit 54 of the ECU 50 of the travel control device 1 sets the Nth section as a selection target section for selecting the HV mode and the EV mode, writes the determination result in the storage unit 51, and proceeds to step ST7. .

  In step ST7, the determination part 54 of ECU50 of the traveling control apparatus 1 determines whether the reliability of all the traveling loads of the some area extracted in step ST2 was determined. When the determination unit 54 of the ECU 50 of the travel control device 1 determines that the reliability of the travel load of all the sections has been determined, the process proceeds to step ST8 and determines that the reliability of the travel load of all the sections has not been determined. If so, the process proceeds to step ST9. And the determination part 54 of ECU50 of the traveling control apparatus 1 sets N = N + 1 in step ST9, and returns to step ST4. Thus, the determination part 54 of ECU50 of the traveling control apparatus 1 repeats step ST4-ST7 until it determines the reliability of all the traveling loads of the some area extracted in step ST2.

  In step ST8, the drive switching unit 55 of the ECU 50 of the travel control device 1 sets the SOC to a first predetermined value in a selection target section in which the reliability of the travel load is equal to or greater than a threshold among a plurality of sections of the travel route to the destination. The HV mode is selected when the vehicle load falls below any one of the following conditions and the high load state in which the traveling load sequentially collected by the collecting unit 52 exceeds the second predetermined value. Further, the drive switching unit 55 of the ECU 50 of the travel control device 1 has a state in which the SOC is lower than the first predetermined value in a section where the reliability of the travel load is greater than or equal to a threshold among a plurality of sections of the travel route to the destination. The EV mode is selected when none of the high load conditions is satisfied. As described above, the drive switching unit 55 of the ECU 50 of the travel control device 1 selects the HV mode in the selection target section where the reliability of the travel load is equal to or higher than the threshold, and the collection unit 52 sequentially collects the HV mode. The EV mode can be selected when the running load is in a low load state equal to or less than the second predetermined value. Further, the drive switching unit 55 of the ECU 50 of the travel control device 1 prohibits selection of the EV mode and prohibits only the HV mode in a section where the reliability of the travel load is less than the threshold among a plurality of sections of the travel route to the destination. Select. Then, the drive switching unit 55 of the ECU 50 of the travel control device 1 causes the hybrid vehicle 2 to travel in the selected travel mode in each section of the travel route to the destination.

  In step ST <b> 8, the collection unit 52 of the ECU 50 of the travel control device 1 sequentially collects the travel load for each section of the travel route to the destination and sequentially writes it in the storage unit 51.

  In step ST10, the drive switching unit 55 of the ECU 50 of the traveling control device 1 is in a high load state where the SOC is below the first predetermined value and the traveling load that the collecting unit 52 sequentially collects exceeds the second predetermined value. And HV mode is selected if any of the above is true. Further, the drive switching unit 55 of the ECU 50 of the travel control device 1 selects the EV mode when the SOC does not correspond to either the state below the first predetermined value or the high load state. Then, the drive switching unit 55 of the ECU 50 of the travel control device 1 causes the hybrid vehicle 2 to travel in the selected travel mode.

  The travel control device 1 of the present embodiment selects the HV mode and the EV mode according to the travel load in a section where the estimated travel load reliability is high, and in the section where the estimated travel load reliability is low, The EV mode selection is prohibited and only the HV mode is selected. For this reason, the traveling control device 1 prohibits selection of the EV mode and selects only the HV mode in the section where the reliability of the estimated traveling load is low, so that the SOC hardly changes. Moreover, since the traveling control apparatus 1 selects the HV mode only when the estimated driving load is in a high load state in a section where the reliability of the estimated driving load is low and in a section where the reliability of the estimated driving load is high, the HV mode is selected. The opportunity to do it will be suppressed as much as possible. Therefore, since the travel control device 1 selects the EV mode as much as possible, the SOC can be brought close to zero as much as possible when the destination is reached, and the running cost of the hybrid vehicle 2 as a whole can be further reduced. .

  In addition, the travel control device 1 suppresses an unintended decrease in the SOC in the section where the estimated reliability of the traveling load is low in order to prohibit the selection of the EV mode in the section where the reliability of the estimated traveling load is low. Can do. Therefore, the traveling control device 1 can suppress a shortage of SOC before reaching the destination.

  Furthermore, since the traveling control apparatus 1 estimates the reliability of the traveling load based on the standard deviation as the variation of the traveling load in each section, the traveling load reliability can be estimated more accurately, and the HV mode And EV mode can be selected accurately. Therefore, the traveling control apparatus 1 can further reduce the running cost of the hybrid vehicle 2 as a whole.

  The travel control device 1 according to the above-described embodiment of the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. For example, in the embodiment, in step ST8 and step ST10, it is determined whether or not a high load state is present depending on whether or not the traveling load that the collecting unit 52 sequentially collects exceeds a second predetermined value. However, in the present invention, in particular, in step ST8, the high load state is determined by whether or not the traveling load estimated by the calculation unit 53 exceeds the second predetermined value instead of the traveling load that the collecting unit 52 sequentially collects. It may be determined whether or not. In the embodiment, the travel mode of each section is selected based on whether or not the reliability of the travel load of each section is less than the threshold. However, in the present invention, the reliability of the travel load of each section is equal to or less than the threshold. Depending on whether or not, the travel mode of each section may be selected. In short, the present invention only needs to determine whether the reliability of the traveling load in each section is absolutely higher or lower than the threshold and to allow selection of the traveling mode, that is, selection of the HV mode.

  Moreover, in embodiment mentioned above, although MG6 which has a power running function and a regeneration function was used as a motor, this invention is not limited to this, For example, a motor provided with a power running function and a regeneration function are provided. And a generator.

1 travel control device 2 hybrid vehicle 5 engine (internal combustion engine)
6 MG (motor)
9 Battery 16 External power supply

Claims (2)

An EV that travels only by the travel driving force of the motor of a hybrid vehicle including a battery that can be charged, a motor that generates a travel driving force by electric power of the battery, and an engine that generates the travel driving force. A travel control device that selects a mode and an HV mode that travels by at least the travel driving force of the engine,
Estimating the travel load of each section of the travel route set according to the destination of the hybrid vehicle and the reliability of the travel load;
In a section where the reliability of the estimated traveling load is equal to or higher than a threshold, the HV mode can be selected when the load is high, and the EV mode can be selected when the load is low.
The travel control device, wherein the EV mode selection is prohibited in a section where the estimated reliability of the travel load is less than the threshold. Store one or more travel loads for each section,
The travel control device according to claim 1, wherein the reliability of the travel load in each section is estimated based on a variation in one or more travel loads in each section.

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