JP2015028366A - Vehicle control device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a vehicle control device that can secure high mileage while avoiding deterioration in drivability due to noise inside a cabin.SOLUTION: An electronic control unit (ECU) as the vehicle control device changes a change gear ratio to a high gear side so that the change gear ratio is controlled to be a predetermined change gear ratio when it is determined not only that a drive state is established where changing the change gear ratio of a continuously variable transmission (CVT) as an automatic transmission to the high gear side can provide the predetermined change gear ratio where a fuel economy ratio is improved but also that a noise level detected inside the cabin is equal to or higher than a predetermined level.

Description

  The present invention relates to a control device for a vehicle including an automatic transmission.

  Conventionally, for the purpose of improving the drivability of a vehicle, there has been disclosed a technique for reducing noise by changing the number of revolutions of an internal combustion engine when the level of indoor noise by a power system exceeds a predetermined level ( For example, see Patent Document 1). According to this document, when the magnitude of the so-called “boom sound” in the vehicle, which is said to be easily stimulated by human hearing, exceeds a predetermined level, the operation speed of the internal combustion engine is increased by increasing the rotational speed of the internal combustion engine. By moving the sound frequency away from the frequency band recognized as the “boom sound”, the output of the operation sound of the internal combustion engine itself is not reduced, but the operation sound is less likely to be stimulated by human hearing. Is to secure

  However, the rotational speed at which the “buzzing noise” is generated is in a low rotational speed range, and is a rotational speed at which low fuel consumption traveling can be realized. That is, if the number of revolutions of the internal combustion engine is increased to avoid “buzzing noise”, the cost of fuel consumption is deteriorated as a price. The influence of the operation sound called “boom sound” on the hearing of the driver varies depending on the indoor environment. Specifically, the noise in the room is not only due to the power system, but also the operating noise of the blower fan of the air conditioner, the noise from outside the vehicle that enters the room when the side window is opened, and the volume of the car audio. Thus, there are situations where it is difficult for the driver to recognize the operating sound of the power system. In other words, since the operating sound of the power system is masked in such a situation, there is a case where an increase in the rotational speed of the internal combustion engine as described above does not lead to an improvement in drivability.

JP 2008-57569 A

  The present invention pays attention to such inconveniences, and an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle control device that can ensure low fuel consumption while avoiding a decrease in drivability due to in-vehicle noise.

  In order to achieve such an object, the present invention takes the following measures.

  That is, the vehicle control device according to the present invention is a vehicle control device for controlling a vehicle equipped with an automatic transmission, and the gear ratio that improves the fuel efficiency by changing the gear ratio of the automatic transmission. The gear ratio is changed so that the gear ratio becomes a better fuel efficiency when it is determined that the noise level detected from the inside of the vehicle is greater than or equal to a predetermined level.

  Here, “the noise level is greater than or equal to the predetermined level” is not only the case where the volume of the noise level is higher than the predetermined level, but also the case where some of the requirements that are likely to increase the noise level are met. Or a case where a predetermined requirement is satisfied for the value of the volume. In other words, various conditions that allow the driver to feel noise can be set.

  In such a case, it is possible to effectively reduce the driving time at a gear ratio with a good fuel efficiency during driving while effectively suppressing the noise of the power system from being recognized as an unpleasant sound by the occupant. Fuel consumption can be realized. That is, according to the present invention, it is possible to provide a vehicle control device that can ensure low fuel consumption while avoiding a decrease in drivability due to in-vehicle noise.

  In order to avoid frequent changes in the gear ratio and to effectively avoid fuel consumption deterioration caused by the change in the gear ratio itself, when the noise level in the vehicle is greater than or equal to a predetermined value, It is desirable that the gear ratio is not changed to a gear ratio that improves the fuel efficiency when the frequency changes frequently.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the vehicle control apparatus which can ensure low fuel consumption can be provided, avoiding the fall of drivability by vehicle interior noise.

The figure which shows schematic structure of the internal combustion engine in one Embodiment of this invention. The figure which shows the structure of the drive system in the embodiment. The shift diagram of the continuously variable transmission in the same embodiment. The figure which shows the structure of the air conditioner in the embodiment. FIG. 3 is a circuit diagram showing a magnet clutch, a fan motor, an energization circuit to a defogger, and a control device in the embodiment. The flowchart which shows the example of a procedure of the process which the control apparatus of the embodiment performs according to a program.

  An embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 shows an outline of an internal combustion engine for a vehicle in the present embodiment. The internal combustion engine is, for example, a spark ignition type 4-stroke gasoline engine, and includes a plurality of cylinders 1 (one of which is shown in FIG. 1). In the vicinity of the intake port of each cylinder 1, an injector 11 for injecting fuel is provided. A spark plug 12 is attached to the ceiling of the combustion chamber of each cylinder 1. The spark plug 12 receives spark voltage generated by the ignition coil and causes spark discharge between the center electrode and the ground electrode. The ignition coil is integrally incorporated in a coil case together with an igniter that is a semiconductor switching element.

  The intake passage 3 for supplying intake air takes in air from the outside and guides it to the intake port of each cylinder 1. On the intake passage 3, an air cleaner 31, an electronic throttle valve 32, a surge tank 33, and an intake manifold 34 are arranged in this order from the upstream.

  The exhaust passage 4 for discharging the exhaust guides the exhaust generated as a result of burning the fuel in the cylinder 1 from the exhaust port of each cylinder 1 to the outside. An exhaust manifold 42 and an exhaust purification three-way catalyst 41 are disposed on the exhaust passage 4.

  FIG. 2 shows an example of a drive system provided in the vehicle. This drive system includes a torque converter 7 and automatic transmissions 8 and 9. In the present embodiment, a forward / reverse switching device 8 using a planetary gear mechanism and a belt-type CVT (Continuously Variable Transmission) 9 which is a type of continuously variable transmission are adopted as components of the automatic transmissions 8 and 9. Yes.

  The rotational torque output from the internal combustion engine is input from the crankshaft of the internal combustion engine to the pump impeller 71 on the input side of the torque converter 7 and transmitted to the turbine runner 72 on the output side. The rotation of the turbine runner 72 is transmitted to the drive shaft 94 of the CVT 9 via the forward / reverse switching device 8 and rotates the driven shaft 95 through a shift in the CVT 9. The rotation of the driven shaft 95 is transmitted to the output gear 101. The output gear 101 meshes with the ring gear 102 of the differential device, and rotates the axle 103 and the drive wheel (not shown) via the differential device.

  The torque converter 7 includes a lockup mechanism. The lock-up mechanism is known in this field, and a lock-up clutch 73 that fastens the input side and the output side of the torque converter 7 so as not to rotate relative to each other, and an operation for switching the connection of the lock-up clutch 73. A lock-up solenoid valve (not shown) for controlling the hydraulic pressure (hydraulic pressure) is used as an element. The lockup solenoid valve is a flow rate control valve that receives a control signal l and changes its opening.

  In a vehicle equipped with CVT 9, when the vehicle speed is a predetermined value (for example, 10 km / h) or more, the torque converter 7 is almost always locked up. When the vehicle speed is equal to or lower than the predetermined value, the lockup of the torque converter 7 is released. During lockup, the lockup clutch 73 is pressed against the torque converter cover 74 and rotates together with the torque converter cover 74. The engine torque input to the input side (drive plate) of the torque converter 7 at the time of lock-up is output from the torque converter cover 74 via the lock-up clutch 73 and thus to the forward / reverse switching device 8. Communicated directly to. At the time of lockup, the speed ratio, which is the ratio of the output side rotational speed of the torque converter 7 to the input side rotational speed, is 1.

  In turn, the lock-up clutch 73 is separated from the torque converter cover 74 at the time of non-lock-up. At the time of non-lock-up, the engine torque input to the input side of the torque converter 7 is transmitted from the torque converter cover 74 to the pump impeller 71 and the turbine 72 and is transmitted to the forward / reverse switching device 8. At the time of non-lock-up, the speed ratio of the torque converter 7 becomes smaller or larger than 1 depending on the driving state.

  In the forward / reverse switching device 8, the sun gear 81 communicates with the turbine runner 72, and the ring gear 82 communicates with the drive shaft 94. Between the planetary carrier 83 that supports the planetary gear 831 and the transmission case, a forward brake 84 that is a hydraulic clutch that can be connected and disconnected is interposed. In addition, a reverse clutch 85, which is a hydraulic clutch capable of switching connection / disconnection, is interposed between the planetary carrier 83 and the sun gear 81 (or the output side of the torque converter 7).

  In the D range of the traveling range, the forward brake 84 is engaged and the reverse clutch 85 is disconnected. As a result, the rotation of the output shaft of the torque converter 7 is reversed and decelerated and transmitted to the drive shaft 94 for forward travel. In turn, in the R range, the reverse clutch 85 is engaged and the forward brake 84 is disconnected. As a result, the sun gear 81 and the planetary carrier 83 rotate integrally, and the output shaft of the torque converter 7 and the drive shaft 94 are directly connected to perform reverse travel. A solenoid valve (not shown) that controls the hydraulic pressure for driving the forward brake 84 or the reverse clutch 85 to connect / disconnect is a flow rate control valve that receives a control signal m and changes its opening.

  In the N range and P range, which are non-traveling ranges, both the forward brake 84 and the reverse clutch 85 are disconnected.

  The CVT 9 includes a driving pulley 91 and a driven pulley 92, and a belt 93 wound around the pulleys 91 and 92 as elements. The drive pulley 91 is disposed behind the movable sheave 912, a fixed sheave 911 fixed to the drive shaft 94, a movable sheave 912 supported on the drive shaft 91 via a roller spline so as to be displaceable in the axial direction. A hydraulic servo 913 is provided, and the gear ratio (reduction ratio) can be changed steplessly by operating the hydraulic servo 913 and displacing the movable sheave 912. The driven pulley 92 is disposed on the back of the movable sheave 922, a fixed sheave 921 fixed to the driven shaft 95, a movable sheave 922 supported on the driven shaft 95 via a roller spline so as to be axially displaceable. A hydraulic servo 923 is provided, and a belt thrust necessary for torque transmission is applied by operating the hydraulic servo 923 and displacing the movable sheave 922.

  A hydraulic pump (hydraulic fluid) supplied to the forward brake 84 or the reverse clutch 85 to operate the travel range, and a hydraulic pump (discharge fluid) supplied to the hydraulic servos 913 and 923 to operate the gear ratio. (Not shown) is a known mechanical type (non-electric type) that operates by receiving torque transmitted from the crankshaft of the internal combustion engine. This hydraulic fluid is common to the fluid used for the torque converter 7.

  FIG. 3 shows a shift diagram when the ECU 0 controls the CVT 9. The shift diagram represents the target input rotation speed (rotation speed of the turbine 72) corresponding to the vehicle speed and the accelerator opening, and defines the transmission ratio of the CVT 9 corresponding to the vehicle speed and the accelerator opening. In FIG. 3, the shift line when the accelerator opening is 100% is drawn with a thick broken line, the shift line when 50% is drawn with a thick solid line, and the shift line when 0% is drawn with a thick chain line. . The gear ratio takes a value between the limit L on the low gear side and the limit H on the high gear side that the CVT 9 can implement in hardware. Assuming that the accelerator opening is constant, the reduction ratio value embodied by the CVT 9 increases as the vehicle speed decreases. Of course, even if the vehicle speed is the same, by using the gear ratio on the higher gear side, it is possible to run while suppressing the rotational speed of the internal combustion engine, contributing to low fuel consumption running.

  FIG. 4 shows a configuration of an air conditioner 5 that performs air conditioning in the vehicle interior. The air conditioner 5 includes a compressor 51 that compresses the refrigerant, a capacitor 52 that radiates and liquefies the compressed refrigerant, a capacitor fan 53 that forcibly cools the capacitor 52, and a gaseous refrigerant that has not been liquefied. A receiver 54 for separating the refrigerant from the liquefied refrigerant, an expansion valve 55 for jetting the liquefied refrigerant, an evaporator 56 for receiving the jetted and vaporized refrigerant and exchanging heat with the air in the room, and cooling water for the high-temperature internal combustion engine A heater core 59 that exchanges heat with the air in the receiving room, a blower fan 57 that sucks and discharges the indoor air toward the evaporator 56, and sends the air into the room again. The air that is discharged from the blower fan 57 and passes through the evaporator 56 Air mixer to adjust how much air is blown to the heater core 59 And the path 50 to the element. The compressor 51, the condenser 52, the receiver 54, the expansion valve 55, and the evaporator 56 are connected by a refrigerant flow path that loops.

  The compressor 51 rotates upon receiving a driving force transmitted from the crankshaft of the internal combustion engine. Between the crankshaft and the compressor 51, there is a magnet clutch 58 capable of switching between connection and disconnection.

  The condenser 52 is disposed at a portion where the traveling wind hits in the engine room of the vehicle, and is cooled by the traveling wind blown into the engine room during traveling of the vehicle regardless of whether the condenser fan 53 is rotated. Behind the condenser 52 is a radiator R that radiates the cooling water of the internal combustion engine. The radiator R is also cooled by the traveling wind.

  The condenser fan 53 also serves as a radiator fan for forcibly cooling the radiator R with air. The condenser fan 53 is located behind the radiator R, and cools both the condenser 52 and the radiator R by sucking air from the front and discharging it to the rear.

  When the air discharged from the blower fan 57 passes through the evaporator 56, it obtains cold heat from the refrigerant (heat is taken away by the refrigerant) and decreases in temperature. At the same time, the water vapor contained in the air condenses and adheres to the evaporator 56, and the humidity decreases. The evaporator 56 plays a role not only for cooling the room temperature in the summer but also for reducing the fog on the window glass of the vehicle by reducing the room humidity in the winter.

  The air conditioner 5 of this embodiment is a manual type. The manual car air-conditioning system does not perform feedback control with reference to the current indoor temperature. Therefore, the vehicle of this embodiment is not provided with a sensor for actually measuring the room temperature.

  The air mix damper 50 adjusts the ratio of the amount of air that passes through the heater core 59 and goes into the room, and the amount of air that goes around the heater core 59 and goes into the room among the air that has passed through the evaporator 56. The air mix damper 50 can adjust the temperature of the air blown into the room.

  A defogger (defroster) D is laid on the window of the vehicle, particularly on the rear window. The defogger D heats the heating wire and thus the window glass by energizing the heating wire, and removes fogging of the window.

  In addition, a wiper (not shown) for wiping the windows of the vehicle, particularly the front window and the rear window, is provided.

  FIG. 5 shows the magnetic circuit 58, the fan motor 531 that drives the condenser fan 53, the fan motor 571 that drives the blower fan 57, and the electric circuit 6 that energizes the defogger D. The power source is an in-vehicle battery 61 and / or an alternator 62 that generates power by rotating by receiving a driving force transmitted from a crankshaft of an internal combustion engine.

  When the relay switch 63 on the circuit 6 is turned ON, the magnet clutch 58 is energized and fastened, and the compressor 51 rotates to enter an operating state in which the refrigerant is compressed. When the relay switch 64 is turned on, the fan motor 531 is energized and the condenser fan 53 rotates. When the relay switch 65 is turned on, the fan motor 571 is energized and the blower fan 57 is rotated. When the relay switch 66 is turned on, the heating wire constituting the defogger D is energized and the heating wire is heated. Incidentally, the relays 63, 64, 65, 66 may be replaced with semiconductor switching elements such as power transistors and MOSFETs.

  In operating the air conditioner 5, the ECU 0 turns on the relay switch 65 to rotate the blower fan 57. In addition, the relay switch 63 is turned on to engage the magnet clutch 58, and the compressor 51 is operated to circulate the refrigerant. Further, if necessary, the relay switch 64 is turned on to rotate the condenser fan 53. The condenser fan 53 enhances cooling of the refrigerant in the condenser 52.

  The ECU 0 alternately switches between operation and stop of the compressor 51 based on the temperature signal f of the evaporator 56 during operation of the air conditioner 5. That is, if the temperature of the evaporator 56 falls below a lower limit value (for example, 1 ° C.) while the compressor 51 is being driven, the magnet clutch 58 is released and the compressor 51 is stopped.

  When the temperature of the evaporator 56 rises to an upper limit value (for example, 3 ° C., the upper limit value is higher than the lower limit value) while the compressor 51 is stopped, the magnet clutch 58 is reengaged and the compressor 51 is driven. As a result, the compressor 51 is intermittently operated during the operation of the air conditioner 5. Such switching between operation and stop is also intended to suppress freezing (frost) of condensation (condensed water) adhering to the evaporator 56 due to the cold heat of the refrigerant.

  An ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 0 serving as a vehicle control device according to the present embodiment is a microcomputer system having a processor, a memory, an input interface, an output interface, and the like.

  The input interface includes a vehicle speed signal a output from a vehicle speed sensor that detects the actual vehicle speed of the vehicle, a crank angle signal b output from an engine rotation sensor that detects the rotation angle and engine speed of the crankshaft, and depression of an accelerator pedal. The accelerator opening signal c output from a sensor that detects the amount or the opening of the throttle valve 32 as an accelerator opening (so-called required load), the intake air temperature and the intake pressure in the intake passage 3 (particularly, the surge tank 33). The intake air temperature / intake pressure signal d output from the temperature / pressure sensor to be detected, the coolant temperature signal e output from the water temperature sensor to detect the coolant temperature of the internal combustion engine, the temperature of the evaporator 56 of the air conditioner 5 or its downstream portion The evaporator temperature signal f output from the temperature sensor for detecting the temperature, from the temperature sensor for detecting the temperature of the outside air The outside air temperature signal g to be applied, the operation signal p output from the switch operated for the purpose of instructing the defogger D to operate, and the occupant having the intention to operate the wiper A user's hand including an operation signal q output from a switch operated for the purpose of instructing a driver, and a driver in a ride who desires to operate an illumination lamp, a heater, each side window, an audio device, a car navigation system, etc. A signal r or the like is input from an operation input device (operation switch, button, touch panel, etc.) operated by.

  From the output interface, an ignition signal i for the igniter of the spark plug 12, a fuel injection signal j for the injector 11, an opening operation signal k for the throttle valve 32, and a lock for connection / disconnection switching of the lockup clutch 73. Opening control signal l for up solenoid valve, opening control signal m for solenoid valve for switching connection / disconnection of forward brake 84 or reverse clutch 85, transmission ratio control signal n for CVT9, relay switch 63 On the other hand, an ON (energization) signal o, an ON signal s to the relay switch 64, an ON signal t to the relay switch 65, an ON signal u to the relay switch 66, and the like are output.

  The processor of the ECU 0 interprets and executes a program stored in the memory in advance, calculates operation parameters, and controls the operation of the internal combustion engine. The ECU 0 acquires various information a, b, c, d, e, f, g, p, q, and r necessary for operation control of the internal combustion engine through the input interface, and knows the engine speed and the cylinder 1 Estimate the amount of intake air to be filled. Based on the engine speed, the intake air amount, and the like, various operating parameters such as required fuel injection amount, fuel injection timing (including the number of times of fuel injection for one combustion), fuel injection pressure, and ignition timing are determined. As the operation parameter determination method itself, a known method can be adopted. The ECU 0 applies various control signals i, j, k, l, m, n, o, s, t, u via an output interface.

  In the vehicle according to the present embodiment, when the noise in the vehicle is not detected to be large, the operation sound of the internal combustion engine is not perceived by human hearing so that it does not fall within a predetermined low rotation range that is a frequency band near 1 kHz. The gear ratio is set. In other words, even if the gear ratio is set to the high gear side so that the fuel efficiency can be improved, the gear ratio is such that the rotational speed for realizing the desired vehicle speed is within the predetermined low speed range. If so, the gear ratio is changed to the low gear side and the rotational speed is set to the high rotation side so that the operation sound of the internal combustion engine is controlled not to be around 1 kHz.

  Here, the ECU 0 according to the present embodiment is in an operating state that can be set to a predetermined speed ratio that is a speed ratio that improves the fuel efficiency by changing the speed ratio of the CVT 9 that is an automatic transmission to the high gear side. The gear ratio is changed to the high gear side so that the predetermined gear ratio is obtained when it is determined that the magnitude of the noise detected from the engine is greater than or equal to a predetermined value.

  In the present embodiment, various requirements can be applied to the requirement for determining that the magnitude of noise detected from the inside of the vehicle is greater than or equal to a predetermined value. For example, it may be a requirement that the volume of the car audio is large. At this time, the sound actually output from the speaker may be detected without being limited to the requirement that the volume is set to be large. That is, in a movie with few lines, even if the volume of the car audio is set large, the vehicle interior noise may not be large. Further, when the air volume of the blower fan 57 of the air conditioner 5 is equal to or greater than a predetermined volume, the noise level may be determined to be greater than or equal to a predetermined volume. Further, the noise level may be determined to be greater than or equal to a predetermined level when the side window is open. In this case, the degree of opening of each side window and the vehicle speed may be taken into consideration in the determination.

  Hereinafter, a control procedure according to the present embodiment will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG.

  First, when the driving state is not set to the predetermined gear ratio with the highest fuel efficiency to achieve the desired vehicle speed but is set to the high gear side, and accordingly the rotational speed of the internal combustion engine is set to a higher speed range (Step S1) When the noise in the vehicle is not less than a predetermined value, it is determined according to the above criteria (Step S2), and the state is maintained for a certain time, for example, x seconds, that is, when x seconds have passed (Step S1). S3), changing the gear ratio to the high gear side to obtain a predetermined gear ratio (step S4). At this time, the rotational speed of the internal combustion engine corresponding to the predetermined transmission, that is, the rotational speed is corrected to a lower rotational speed side (step S5). Thereby, low fuel consumption driving | running | working is attained.

  Here, in step S3, when the state of step S2 in which the noise level is greater than or equal to a predetermined value does not continue for x seconds or more, the case where the noise level in the vehicle is equal to or higher than the predetermined value is frequently determined. It is determined that the vehicle is in a changing state, and the gear ratio is not changed to a gear ratio that improves the fuel consumption rate, that is, a predetermined gear ratio.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, when the vehicle interior noise is high, the noise of the power system, that is, the internal combustion engine is masked. In other words, it is difficult for the driver and other users to feel. Therefore, it is possible to realize low fuel consumption driving by effectively increasing the driving time at a gear ratio with a good fuel consumption rate while driving while effectively suppressing noise from being recognized as an unpleasant sound by the driver and other users. ing. That is, according to this embodiment, the aspect which can ensure low fuel consumption is achieved, avoiding the fall of drivability by vehicle interior noise.

  In addition, in this embodiment, in order to avoid excessively changing the gear ratio and effectively avoiding deterioration in fuel consumption required for hydraulic pressure control due to the change of the gear ratio itself, the magnitude of in-vehicle noise is predetermined. When the above time and the time lower than the predetermined value change frequently, the gear ratio is not changed to the predetermined gear ratio. This not only avoids fuel consumption loss due to frequent gear ratio changes, but also effectively reduces the so-called busy feeling, in other words, troublesomeness, that frequent gear ratio changes give the driver. It also contributes to improvement.

  Although the embodiment of the present invention has been described above, the specific configuration of each unit is not limited to the above-described embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

  For example, in the above-described embodiment, a plurality of modes for determining that the noise level is greater than or equal to a predetermined value are disclosed. Of course, the above-described modes may be combined to execute the determination. The specific aspect of the control of the transmission ratio of the automatic transmission and the rotational speed of the internal combustion engine is not limited to that of the above embodiment, and various aspects including the existing one can be applied. it can.

  In addition, the specific configuration of each part is not limited to the above embodiment, and various modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

  The present invention can be used as a control device for a vehicle having an automatic transmission.

0 ... Vehicle control unit (ECU)
9 ... Automatic transmission (CVT)
k: Opening operation signal n: Gear ratio control signal

Claims (2)

A vehicle control device for controlling a vehicle equipped with an automatic transmission,
When it is determined that the gear ratio can be improved by changing the gear ratio of the automatic transmission, the fuel ratio can be improved, and when it is determined that the amount of noise detected from the inside of the vehicle is greater than or equal to a predetermined value, the fuel efficiency is more A control apparatus for a vehicle, wherein the speed ratio is changed so that the speed ratio becomes better. 2. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein when the magnitude of the in-vehicle noise is frequently changed from a predetermined value to a lower value than the predetermined value, the speed ratio is not changed to a speed ratio that improves the fuel efficiency.

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