JP2015040477A - Vehicle control device - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide vehicle control devices (3 and 4) for performing automatic restart control when an engine 1 is stalled, and avoid loads caused by the automatic restart control to an engine starter (2) or parts of the engine 1.SOLUTION: If an engine 1 is detected to be stalled, automatic restart control of the engine 1 is performed under a condition where both a history of the engine 1 driven at the predetermined engine speed or higher before the engine stall and a history of a vehicle run at the predetermined speed or higher are stored, and the histories are cleared after the automatic restart control is complete.

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle control device that performs automatic restart control when it is detected that an engine has stalled.

  Conventionally, there is one that automatically restarts the engine when the engine stalls (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

  In Patent Document 1, in a configuration in which power transmission from the engine to the transmission is intermittently performed by a clutch and in a configuration in which the engine is automatically stopped (idle stop) and automatically restarted during idle operation of the vehicle, an erroneous operation of the driver is detected. If the engine stalls due to the cause and the driver recognizes that the engine has stopped due to idle stop, for example, the driver does not perform the restart operation, so the acceleration at the time of start is different, for example. Considering that driving performance is impaired, such as giving the driver a sense of incongruity, the engine is restarted if the clutch pedal is depressed, and the engine is restarted if the brake pedal is not depressed. .

  Moreover, in the conventional example which concerns on patent document 1, when an engine stalls during driving | running | working of a vehicle, it is said that a deceleration fuel cut is continuing (a vehicle speed is 3 km / h or more and an engine speed is 250 rpm or more), and it is braked off. When the condition is met, the engine is automatically restarted.

JP 2001-055941 A

  In the conventional example according to Patent Document 1 described above, when the engine is stalled while the vehicle is running, the engine is automatically restarted when the condition that the deceleration fuel cut is continued and the brake is off is satisfied. In situations where engine stalls occur frequently, it is conceivable to repeat the automatic restart. In such a case, a burden is placed on each part of the starter motor or engine.

  In view of such circumstances, the present invention provides a vehicle control device that performs automatic restart control when it is detected that the engine has stalled, and is caused by the automatic restart control after the engine stalls. The purpose is to avoid the burden on the company.

  By the way, the inventors of the present application have considered permitting automatic restart control after an engine stall on the condition that there is a history that the engine rotation speed has become a certain level or higher before the engine stall. In that case, in a situation where the engine is likely to stall due to malfunction, if the engine rotation speed exceeds a certain level when the engine is automatically restarted after the engine stalls, the engine is automatically restarted each time the engine is stalled again. The start will be repeated. In such a case, the possibility of inducing a failure of each part of the starter motor or engine is increased as described above.

  Therefore, the inventors of the present application further considered that the history that the engine rotation speed became a certain level or more was deleted when the ignition switch was turned off. By doing so, even if the first engine start after turning on the ignition switch fails, there is no history that the engine rotation speed has become more than a certain value, so that the automatic restart control is prohibited. Therefore, repeating the automatic restart as described above can be avoided.

  However, even in this case, if the engine start is successful after the ignition switch is turned on and the engine rotation speed exceeds a certain level, and then the engine stalls again due to a malfunction, the engine rotation speed becomes a certain level or more. Therefore, automatic restart control is permitted, and after that, the automatic restart control is repeated every time the engine stalls in the period (trip) until the ignition switch is turned off. It is done.

  For these reasons, the inventors of the present application have come up with the present invention by conducting further research.

  The present invention is a vehicle control device that performs automatic restart control when it is detected that an engine has stalled, and when it is detected that the engine has stalled, the engine is at a predetermined rotational speed or more before the engine stalls. After performing the automatic restart control of the engine on the condition that both the history of driving and the history of the vehicle traveling at a predetermined speed or more are stored, and after completing the execution of the automatic restart control The history is erased.

  By the way, the fact that the history that the engine was driven at a predetermined speed or higher and the history that the vehicle was driven at a predetermined speed or higher are stored before the engine stall. It would have been. Therefore, checking that the two histories are stored means checking whether the vehicle was running before the engine stall.

  In this configuration, when the engine is automatically restarted after the engine is stalled, whether the engine stall has occurred before the vehicle travels or whether the engine stall has occurred after the vehicle travels is checked based on the presence or absence of the history. In this case, automatic engine restart control is executed.

  As a result, if the engine stall occurs before the vehicle travels, the automatic restart control of the engine is prohibited. Therefore, if the engine is likely to stall due to malfunction, the conventional example is used. In addition, the automatic restart control of the engine can be eliminated repeatedly.

  As a result, due to the automatic restart control of the engine, there is an extra burden on the engine starter (starter motor in the case of a vehicle using only the engine or motor generator in the case of a hybrid vehicle) or each part of the engine. Therefore, those faults are less likely to be induced.

  In addition, since the history is erased after the execution of the automatic restart control, the history referred to in the past can be prevented from being referred to many times when the execution condition of the automatic restart control is examined. Therefore, even if the engine is likely to stall due to malfunction, it is possible to avoid repeatedly executing the automatic restart control.

  Preferably, in the vehicle control device, the execution condition of the automatic restart control is that an engine rotation sensor for detecting the engine rotation speed and a vehicle speed sensor for detecting the vehicle speed are both normal. It may be further included.

  In this configuration, an engine rotation sensor necessary for creating a history that the engine has been driven at a predetermined speed or higher, and a vehicle speed sensor necessary for creating a history that the vehicle has been driven at a predetermined speed or higher. Thus, the reliability of the execution condition determination of the automatic restart control is improved.

  Preferably, the vehicle control device can be configured to delete both of the histories when the ignition switch is turned off.

  In this configuration, when the engine is started for the first time after the ignition switch is turned on, if the engine stalls without being driven at the predetermined rotation speed or higher, the engine is rotated at the predetermined rotation speed before the engine stall. Since there is no history of driving as described above, automatic engine restart control is not executed.

  For this reason, even if the engine is in a malfunction and easily stalled, it is not necessary to repeatedly execute the automatic restart control, so that the engine starting device or each part of the engine is not burdened.

  On the other hand, when the engine is started for the first time after the ignition switch is turned on, if the engine is driven at the predetermined rotational speed or higher and the vehicle is driven at the predetermined speed or higher, the engine is stopped before the engine stalls. Since there is a history that the vehicle has been driven at a predetermined speed or higher and a history that the vehicle has been driven at a predetermined speed or higher, automatic engine restart control is performed. As a result, the driver does not have to worry.

  However, as described above, if the automatic restart control is executed even once, the automatic restart control is not executed even if the engine stalls thereafter, so that a load is not applied to the engine starting device or each part of the engine.

  Preferably, the vehicle control device automatically stops the engine when a predetermined execution condition is satisfied during idling operation, and automatically restarts the engine when the predetermined execution condition is satisfied in the automatic stop state. When the engine stall is detected in a state in which the eco-run control is not executed. Can be configured.

  In this configuration, when an engine stall is detected, it is possible to identify whether the engine stall has occurred due to the automatic engine stop by the eco-run control or has occurred regardless of the eco-run control. In particular, when an engine stall occurs due to the engine automatic stop by the eco-run control, it is not necessary to execute the automatic restart control, and it is not preferable to execute the automatic restart control. On the other hand, when an engine stall occurs regardless of the eco-run control, it is necessary to execute automatic restart control. For this reason, when the identification is performed, it becomes more practical.

  The vehicle control device according to the present invention can avoid a burden on the engine starting device or each part of the engine due to the automatic restart control after the engine stall.

It is a schematic structure figure showing one embodiment of the vehicle control device concerning the present invention. It is a flowchart used for operation | movement description by the vehicle control apparatus of FIG. It is a schematic block diagram which shows other embodiment of the vehicle control apparatus which concerns on this invention.

  BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, the best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  1 and 2 show an embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, 1 is an engine (internal combustion engine), 2 is a starter motor as a starting device of the engine 1, 3 is an engine control device, and 4 is a starter control device.

The engine 1 is a known driving force generation device that outputs power by burning fuel such as a gasoline engine or a diesel engine. Although not shown, fuel injected from an injector (fuel injection valve) and an intake manifold By burning the air-fuel mixture with the air sucked from the inside of the combustion chamber, the piston is reciprocated in the cylinder bore, and the reciprocating motion is converted into the rotational motion of the crankshaft through the connecting rod. Output.

  Although not shown in the figure, an automatic transmission is connected to the engine 1 via a torque converter, and rotational power is transmitted to the wheels via the automatic transmission.

  The starter motor 2 is used to start the engine 1 by inputting a rotational driving force to a flywheel (not shown) attached to a crankshaft (not shown) of the engine 1. Is turned on or when an execution condition for automatic restart control of the engine 1 is satisfied.

  Although not shown, the engine control device 3 and the starter control device 4 are generally known ECUs (Electronic Control Units), which are respectively a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory), A RAM (Random Access Memory) and a backup RAM are provided.

  The ROM stores various control programs, maps that are referred to when the various control programs are executed, and the like. The CPU executes arithmetic processing based on various control programs and maps stored in the ROM. The RAM is a memory for temporarily storing calculation results in the CPU, data input from each sensor, and the like. The backup RAM is a non-volatile memory for storing data to be saved when the engine 1 is stopped. is there.

  The engine control device 3 drives the engine 1 by controlling the air-fuel mixture supplied to the engine 1 and the combustion timing according to the traveling state of the vehicle.

  The engine control device 3 is connected to at least an engine rotation sensor 5 and a vehicle speed sensor 6, recognizes the engine rotation speed based on an output signal from the engine rotation sensor 5, and outputs an output signal from the vehicle speed sensor 6. Based on this, the vehicle traveling speed is recognized.

  In this embodiment, the engine rotation sensor 5 is a crank angle sensor for detecting the rotation angle (crank angle CA) of the crankshaft (not shown) of the engine 1, and the vehicle speed sensor 6 includes four wheels ( The wheel speed sensor detects the individual rotational speeds (not shown).

  The starter control device 4 controls the starter motor 2 and the like, and is connected to at least an ignition switch 7 and a start switch 8. The starter control device 4 turns on a power supply (not shown) when the ignition switch 7 is turned on to bring the engine 1 into a standby state where the engine 1 can be started, and when the start switch 8 is turned on or the engine 1 The starter motor 2 and the like are controlled when the automatic restart control execution condition is satisfied.

  When the ignition switch 7 is turned on, a power supply (not shown) is turned on to input a signal for setting the engine 1 into a standby state in which the engine 1 can be started. Is input to the starter control device 4. The start switch 8 inputs an engine start request signal to the starter control device 4 when being turned on, and inputs an engine stop request signal to the starter control device 4 when being turned off.

  The engine control device 3 and the starter control device 4 cooperate with each other to execute eco-run control described below, automatic restart control after engine stall other than eco-run control described below, and other vehicle-related controls. Therefore, the engine control device 3 and the starter control device 4 are connected so that necessary information can be transmitted and received.

  For this reason, the configuration including the engine control device 3 and the starter control device 4 corresponds to the vehicle control device according to the present invention. However, although not shown, when the functions of the engine control device 3 and the starter control device 4 are provided in a single overall control device, this overall control device corresponds to the vehicle control device of the present invention. Become a thing.

  In the eco-run control, the engine 1 is automatically stopped when a predetermined execution condition is satisfied during idling operation, and the engine 1 is automatically restarted when the predetermined execution condition is satisfied in the automatic stop state. Such economy driving.

  As an execution condition of the automatic stop in the eco-run control, for example, a vehicle speed is a predetermined value (for example, 3 km / h) or less, a brake pedal (not shown) is depressed, an accelerator pedal (not shown) This includes items such as not being depressed.

  The execution conditions of the automatic restart in the eco-run control include, for example, a state in which an automatic stop by the eco-run control is being executed, a release operation of a brake pedal (not shown), an accelerator (not shown) This includes items such as the pedal being depressed.

  In addition, in the automatic restart control after the engine stall other than the eco-run control, in short, when it is detected that the engine 1 is stalled, the history that the engine 1 was driven at a predetermined rotational speed or more before the engine stall. A process for determining whether or not an execution condition that the vehicle has traveled at a predetermined speed or more (referred to as a first history) and a history that the vehicle has traveled at a predetermined speed (referred to as a second history) is satisfied, When it is determined that the execution condition is satisfied, a process for operating the starter motor 2 (engine starting device) and a process for deleting the first and second histories after the starter motor 2 has been operated are performed. ing.

  Concretely, it demonstrates in detail with reference to the flowchart of FIG. The flowchart shown in FIG. 2 is executed by the starter control device 4 and is entered every predetermined cycle (several msec) after the ignition switch 7 is turned on.

  First, in step 1 (S1 in the figure), it is determined whether or not the engine 1 has stalled in a state where the eco-run control is not being executed. Here, for example, the engine control device 3 determines whether or not the engine rotation speed has become zero (engine rotation speed is 0 rpm) based on the output from the engine rotation sensor 5, and the determination result is sent from the engine control device 3 to the starter. It is input to the control device 4.

  If an affirmative determination is made in step 1, that is, if an engine stall has occurred, the process proceeds to the subsequent step 2 (S2 in the figure). On the other hand, if a negative determination is made in step 1, that is, if an engine stall has not occurred, the process proceeds to step 6 (S6 in the figure).

  In step 2, it is determined whether or not there is a history (referred to as a first history) that the engine speed has become a predetermined threshold or more after the starter motor 2 is operated. About the said threshold value, it sets suitably by experiment or simulation. The first history is stored in an internal memory (for example, a backup RAM) (not shown) of the engine control device 3. Therefore, the presence or absence of the first history is checked by the starter control device 4 accessing the internal memory of the engine control device 3.

  Here, if an affirmative determination is made in step 2, that is, if the first history exists, the process proceeds to the subsequent step 3 (S3 in the figure). On the other hand, if a negative determination is made in step 2, that is, if the first history does not exist, the process proceeds to step 6 below.

  In step 3, it is determined whether or not there is a history that the vehicle speed has exceeded a predetermined threshold after the starter motor 2 is operated (referred to as a second history). About the said threshold value, it sets suitably by experiment or simulation. The second history is stored in the internal memory of the engine control device 3. Therefore, the presence / absence of the second history is checked by the starter control device 4 accessing the internal memory of the engine control device 3.

  Here, if an affirmative determination is made in step 3, that is, if the second history exists, the process proceeds to the subsequent step 4 (S4 in the figure). On the other hand, if a negative determination is made in step 3, that is, if the second history does not exist, the process proceeds to step 6 below.

  In Step 4, it is determined whether or not other automatic restart control execution conditions are satisfied. The execution conditions of the other automatic restart control are that both the engine rotation sensor 5 necessary for creating the first history and the vehicle speed sensor 6 necessary for creating the second history have failed. Not going to be.

  Therefore, in step 4, it is determined whether or not both the engine rotation sensor 5 and the vehicle speed sensor 6 have failed. Also for this determination, the starter control device 4 accesses the internal memory of the engine control device 3 to check the presence or absence of the failure history. Further, by performing the determination process in step 4, the reliability of the determination process performed in steps 1 to 3 is improved.

  Here, when an affirmative determination is made in step 4, that is, when the execution conditions for the other automatic restart control are satisfied, the routine proceeds to step 5 (S5 in the figure) to execute automatic restart control. The starter motor 2 is operated. At this time, the engine 1 is restarted by performing fuel injection control and ignition control. Thereafter, the process proceeds to step 6 below. On the other hand, if a negative determination is made in step 4, that is, if the other automatic restart control execution conditions are not satisfied, the routine proceeds to step 6 below.

  In step 6, it is determined whether or not the ignition switch 7 is turned off. If an affirmative determination is made in step 6, that is, if the ignition switch 7 is turned off, the first history is erased in step 7 (S7 in the figure) and step 8 (S8 in the figure). ), The second history is deleted, and then this flowchart is terminated. On the other hand, if a negative determination is made in step 6, that is, if the ignition switch 7 is not turned off, the process proceeds to step 9 (S9 in the figure).

  In Step 9, it is determined whether or not the starter motor 2 operated in Step 5 has been operated. In this determination, for example, it is determined whether or not the starter motor 2 has been stopped after the start of the operation in Step 5.

  Here, when an affirmative determination is made in Step 9, that is, when the starter motor 2 has completed its operation (when automatic restart control is executed), the routine proceeds to Step 7. On the other hand, if the determination in step 9 is negative, that is, if the starter motor 2 has not completed its operation (if the automatic restart control has not been completed), this flowchart ends.

  As described above, in the embodiment to which the present invention is applied, the execution condition of the automatic restart control after the engine 1 is stalled other than the eco-run control is optimized, and the engine 1 malfunctions and the stall frequently occurs. In such a situation, the automatic restart control is not repeatedly performed.

  Thereby, due to the automatic restart control of the engine 1, no extra burden is applied to each part of the starter motor 2 (engine starting device) or the engine 1.

  In particular, in this embodiment, even when the ignition switch 7 is turned off, the first and second histories are reset so that the engine 1 is first started after the ignition switch 7 is turned on. In such a case, the first history (the engine 1 was driven at a predetermined rotational speed or more before the engine stall) and the second history (before the engine stall) referred to in the past when examining the execution conditions of the automatic restart control. It is possible not to repeatedly refer to the fact that the vehicle has traveled at a predetermined speed or more.

  Therefore, for example, when the engine 1 is started for the first time after the ignition switch 7 is turned on, if the engine 1 is not driven at the predetermined rotational speed or more and is stalled, the first history is stored in the engine control device. 3, the automatic restart control of the engine 1 is not executed.

  Therefore, even if the engine 1 is in trouble and easily stalled, it is not necessary to repeatedly execute the automatic restart control, so that no burden is placed on the starter motor 2 or each part of the engine 1.

  On the other hand, when the engine 1 is started for the first time after the ignition switch 7 is turned on, if the engine 1 is driven at the predetermined rotational speed or higher and the vehicle is driven at the predetermined speed or higher, the first history And the second history are both stored in the internal memory of the engine control device 3, so that when the engine 1 is subsequently stalled, the automatic restart control of the engine 1 can be executed. As a result, the driver does not have to worry.

  However, as described above, if the automatic restart control is executed even once, the automatic restart control is not executed even if the engine stalls thereafter, so that no load is applied to each part of the starter motor 2 or the engine 1.

  In addition, this invention is not limited only to the said embodiment, It can change suitably in the range equivalent to the claim and the said range.

  (1) In the above embodiment, a power train in which an automatic transmission (not shown) is connected to the engine 1 via a torque converter (not shown) is taken as an example, but the present invention is limited to this. Instead, for example, although not shown in the figure, a power train in which a clutch and a manual transmission are connected can be used.

  (2) In the above embodiment, an example in which the presence or absence of engine stall is determined in the state where the eco-run control is not executed in Step 1 of FIG. 2 is given, but the present invention is not limited to this. It is not something. For example, when the present invention is applied to a vehicle that does not execute the eco-run control, it is possible to eliminate the premise that the eco-run control is not executed in step 1 of FIG.

  (3) In the above embodiment, the other automatic restart control execution conditions in Step 4 of FIG. 2 (necessary for creating the engine rotation sensor 5 and the second history necessary for creating the first history) In this example, it is determined whether or not the vehicle speed sensor 6 is not broken down), but the present invention is not limited to this example. For example, step 4 in FIG. 2 is eliminated. It is possible.

  (4) In the above embodiment, a conventional vehicle (a vehicle equipped with only an engine as a driving force source) is exemplified as an application target of the present invention, but the present invention is not limited to this. As an application target of the present invention, for example, a hybrid vehicle (a vehicle equipped with an engine and an electric motor as a driving force source) can be used.

  An example of a power train of a hybrid vehicle will be briefly described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 shows an FF (front engine, front drive) type hybrid vehicle. The hybrid vehicle shown in FIG. 3 does not use the starter motor 2 shown in FIG.

  In this hybrid vehicle, the crankshaft 1a is rotationally driven with the operation of the engine 1, and the wheels 51L and 51R are driven forward or backward via the transaxle 50.

  The transaxle 50 includes a motor generator MG1, a motor generator MG2, a power split mechanism 52, a reduction mechanism 53, a speed reduction mechanism 54, a differential 55, and the like.

  Each component and operation of the transaxle 50 are basically known and will be described briefly. The output of the engine 1 is transmitted to the input shaft 56 of the transaxle 50 via the crankshaft 1a and the damper 57. Motor generator MG1 mainly functions as a generator, and also functions as an electric motor depending on the situation. Motor generator MG2 mainly functions as an electric motor, and also functions as a generator depending on the situation. The power split mechanism 52 divides the output of the engine 1 into power for driving the left and right wheels 51L and 51R and power for driving the motor generator MG1 for power generation, and is a planetary gear, for example. The reduction mechanism 53 decelerates the rotation of the motor generator MG2 and amplifies the drive torque. For example, the reduction mechanism 53 is a planetary gear. The speed reduction mechanism 54 decelerates the power output from the power split mechanism 52 with an appropriate reduction ratio and transmits it to the differential 55. The differential 55 transmits the power input from the speed reduction mechanism 54 to the left and right wheels 51L and 51R as necessary.

  In the hybrid vehicle having such a configuration, when the engine 1 is started, the engine 1 is cranked by driving the motor generator MG1 with electric power supplied from an in-vehicle battery (not shown). That is, motor generator MG1 is used as a starter motor when engine 1 is started. Therefore, this motor generator MG1 corresponds to “engine starting device”.

  Also in this hybrid vehicle, the automatic restart control after the engine stall is basically the same as in the above embodiment, and the same operations and effects as in the above embodiment can be obtained.

  The present invention can be suitably used for a vehicle control device that performs automatic restart control when it is detected that an engine has stalled.

1 engine
2 Starter motor (engine starting device)
3 Engine control device
4 Starter controller
5 Engine rotation sensor
6 Vehicle speed sensor
7 Ignition switch
8 Start switch

Claims (4)

A vehicle control device that performs automatic restart control when detecting that the engine has stalled,
When it is detected that the engine has stalled, both the history that the engine has been driven at a predetermined speed or higher and the history that the vehicle has been driven at a predetermined speed or higher are stored before the engine is stalled. A vehicle control apparatus characterized by executing automatic restart control of the engine as a condition, and erasing the history after completing execution of the automatic restart control. The vehicle control device according to claim 1,
The execution condition of the automatic restart control further includes an item that both an engine rotation sensor for detecting the engine rotation speed and a vehicle speed sensor for detecting the vehicle speed are normal. Vehicle control device. The vehicle control device according to claim 1 or 2,
A vehicle control device characterized in that when the ignition switch is turned off, both of the histories are erased. The vehicle control device according to any one of claims 1 to 3,
The engine is automatically stopped when a predetermined execution condition is satisfied during the idling operation, and eco-run control is executed to automatically restart the engine when the predetermined execution condition is satisfied in the automatic stop state. ,
Vehicle control, wherein the entry condition when executing the process for determining whether or not the automatic restart control execution condition is satisfied is when the engine stall is detected in a state where the eco-run control is not being executed apparatus.

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