JP2018123719A - Environment estimation device for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To estimate an unusual environment of a vehicle for example a water-damaged state with a simple configuration at low cost.SOLUTION: An environment estimation device 10 for a vehicle includes: a yaw rate/acceleration sensor 13 serving as a traveling surface gradient detection section for detecting a gradient of a traveling surface on which the vehicle travels; each sensor used by an engine ECU 31 as a vehicle state change detection section for detecting a change of traveling resistance during traveling on the basis of accelerator operation of the vehicle; and a brake ECU 11 and a memory 16 serving as environment estimation sections for estimating that the vehicle is placed in an unusual environment by referring to detection amount detected by the vehicle state change detection section and a predetermined reference amount and determining whether or not a gradient angle detected by the traveling surface gradient detection section is within a predetermined range.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle environment estimation device that estimates an external environment in which a vehicle such as an automobile travels.

  For the purpose of reducing fuel consumption and exhaust gas in vehicles such as automobiles, there is a technology related to the so-called idling stop function that automatically stops the engine when it is not necessary, such as when the vehicle is stopped, while waiting for traffic lights or other conditions Proposed.

  On the other hand, even under conditions such as when the vehicle should stop idling normally, in order to prevent water from entering the engine exhaust system from the outside when the vehicle is flooded, It is necessary to prohibit idling stop.

  As an example of such a technique, Patent Document 1 discloses a front environment recognition unit that acquires the front environment information of the host vehicle based on an image captured by a camera, and a road surface based on the environment information recognized by the front environment recognition unit. It includes road surface submersion detection means for detecting submergence, and idling stop prohibition means for prohibiting automatic stop of the engine by the idling stop execution means when road submersion is detected by the road surface submersion detection means. A configuration to control is disclosed.

JP 2012-112357 A

  The above conventional techniques have the following problems. In other words, the detection of the submergence condition subject to idling stop prohibition control requires imaging by the camera and acquisition of forward environment information based on the captured image, but it requires the addition of dedicated hardware and complicates the configuration. The cost was increased.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and provides a vehicle environment estimation device capable of estimating a specific environment of a vehicle exemplified in a flooded state with a simple configuration and low cost. With the goal.

  In order to achieve the above object, a first aspect of the present invention provides a traveling surface gradient detection unit that detects a gradient of a traveling surface on which a vehicle travels, and a change in travel resistance during traveling based on an accelerator operation of the vehicle. The vehicle state change detection unit for detecting the vehicle state, the detection amount detected by the vehicle state change detection unit and a predetermined reference amount, and the gradient angle detected by the traveling surface gradient detection unit are within a predetermined range. An environment estimation device for a vehicle, comprising: an environment estimation unit that estimates that the vehicle is placed in a specific environment by determining whether or not the vehicle exists.

  According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a traveling surface gradient detecting unit that detects a gradient of a traveling surface on which the vehicle travels, and a vehicle state change detection that detects a change in deceleration during traveling based on a brake operation of the vehicle. And a reference amount detected by the vehicle state change detection unit and a predetermined reference amount, and determining whether the gradient angle detected by the traveling surface gradient detection unit is within a predetermined range. Thus, the vehicle environment estimation apparatus includes an environment estimation unit that estimates that the vehicle is placed in a specific environment.

  The present invention includes, as another aspect, an engine operation control unit that stops the idling stop function of the vehicle based on the estimation result of the environment estimation device for a vehicle according to the first or second aspect of the present invention. It may be a vehicle engine control device.

  Furthermore, as another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vehicle that includes a notification unit that notifies the state of the transmission of the vehicle based on the estimation result of the environment estimation device for a vehicle according to the first or second aspect of the present invention. It may be a transmission monitoring device.

  The present invention as described above has an effect that it is possible to estimate the specific environment of the vehicle exemplified in the flooded state with a simple configuration and low cost.

The block diagram which shows the structure of the environment estimation apparatus of the vehicle which concerns on embodiment of this invention. The figure which shows the flowchart of operation | movement of the environment estimation apparatus of the vehicle which concerns on embodiment of this invention. The figure which shows the graph of the operation example of the environment estimation apparatus of the vehicle which concerns on embodiment of this invention The figure which shows the graph of the operation example of the environment estimation apparatus of the vehicle which concerns on embodiment of this invention The figure which shows the graph of the operation example of the environment estimation apparatus of the vehicle which concerns on embodiment of this invention

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an idling stop control system 1 having a vehicle environment estimation device 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the idling stop control system 1 is implemented by software on a vehicle stability control control system (VSC, ESC) of an automobile, and includes a brake ECU 11, a vehicle speed sensor 12, a yaw rate / acceleration sensor 13. , An environment estimation device 10 including a master cylinder pressure sensor 14, a master cylinder stroke amount sensor 15, and a memory 16, a brake actuator 21 and a brake master cylinder 22 for a vehicle brake, and an engine ECU 31 and an idling stop control unit 32 for the vehicle. It has a configuration that works together.

  The brake ECU 11 controls the brake actuator 21 and outputs a control signal to the engine ECU 31 based on the detected amounts acquired from the vehicle speed sensor 12, the yaw rate / acceleration sensor 13, the master cylinder pressure sensor 14, and the master cylinder stroke amount sensor 15. Thus, it is a means for preventing skidding and other vehicle stability.

  The vehicle speed sensor 12 is means for detecting the speed of the vehicle based on the number of rotations of the wheels of the vehicle. The yaw rate / acceleration sensor 13 is a means for detecting the rotational angular velocity of the vehicle and the acceleration / deceleration in the front-rear and left-right directions. The master cylinder pressure sensor 14 is a means for detecting the pressure applied to the master cylinder of the brake, and the master cylinder pressure sensor 14 is a means for detecting the pressure applied to the master cylinder of the brake. The memory 16 is means for storing data processed by the brake ECU 11, but may be incorporated in the brake ECU 11 or may be shared with an engine ECU 31 described later.

  The engine ECU 31 is means for controlling the throttle opening of the engine, the fuel injection amount, and the like based on parameters acquired from sensors provided in an engine (not shown). Furthermore, the engine ECU 31 executes idling stop of the engine when the vehicle is stopped based on the control of the idling stop control unit 32. The idling stop control unit 32 is a means for causing the engine ECU 31 to stop the engine when the vehicle speed becomes a predetermined value or less (eg, when the vehicle is stopped) based on the vehicle speed detected from the vehicle speed sensor 12. .

  In the above configuration, the vehicle environment estimation device 10 corresponds to the vehicle environment estimation device of the present invention, and the yaw rate / acceleration sensor 13 is added to the traveling surface gradient detection unit of the present invention, the vehicle speed sensor 12 and the yaw rate / acceleration sensor 13. The master cylinder pressure sensor 14, the master cylinder stroke amount sensor 15 and the sensors used by the engine ECU 31 correspond to the vehicle state change detection unit of the present invention, and the brake ECU 11 and the memory 16 correspond to the environment estimation unit of the present invention.

  The operation of the idling stop control system 1 having the vehicle environment estimation apparatus 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention having such a configuration will be described with reference to the flowchart of FIG. As an initial state, the brake ECU 11 determines the traveling state of the vehicle on a traveling surface such as a road based on the vehicle speed detected by the vehicle speed sensor 12 (S10). Here, the traveling state of the vehicle is (a) (the vehicle is accelerated or traveling at a substantially constant speed based on the accelerator operation) (b) (the vehicle is decelerated based on the brake operation) (c) It is divided into (a state where the vehicle is stopped), and a determination mode for a change in the vehicle state is determined according to the traveling states of (a) to (c) (S11).

  Next, the brake ECU 11 detects a change in the vehicle state corresponding to the determination mode for the change in the vehicle state determined in S11 (S12). Here, the change in the vehicle state differs for each of the determination modes (a) to (c) described above. In (a), the acceleration or the increase in running resistance during running is reduced in (b). If the change in speed is in (c), the change in the posture of the vehicle is the detection target.

  Hereinafter, detection of a change in the vehicle state for each determination mode will be described.

(A) (The vehicle is accelerating or traveling at a substantially constant speed based on the accelerator operation)
Specifically, the increase in running resistance during acceleration or running is obtained from the change (acceleration) in the vehicle speed detected by the vehicle speed sensor 12, the change (increase) in the accelerator opening obtained from the engine ECU 31 side, and the increase from the engine ECU 31 side. By selectively or a combination of engine load factors (increase) calculated by the engine ECU 31 based on the detected change (increase) in the intake pipe pressure, the detected crank angle, intake air amount, etc. Detected.

  As an example, FIG. 3 shows a graph in which the correspondence between the change in vehicle speed and the engine load factor is plotted. For example, when the vehicle speed is accelerated from 5 km / h to 20 km / h, if the engine load factor becomes larger than a certain reference value, it is considered that the running resistance has increased.

  Next, when the vehicle is running normally, that is, without depending on the environment outside the vehicle, it is the weight of the vehicle that causes an increase in running resistance, and the weight of the vehicle is the weight of the vehicle and the number of passengers. And based on the total weight of the load. Based on this, as the reference value, the correspondence relationship between the change in vehicle speed and the engine load factor when the vehicle weight is maximum is determined in advance as the maximum load running curve L1max and stored in the memory 16. The brake ECU 11 estimates that the range of increase in running resistance depends on the environment outside the vehicle as an abnormal range when an engine load factor exceeding the maximum load running curve L1max is detected in a predetermined speed range.

  As another detection example of the running resistance, it can be obtained from the relationship between the product of the accelerator opening and the engine load factor and the vehicle speed. That is, a product that is a reference value corresponding to a predetermined minimum vehicle speed is compared with a product that is an actual measurement value, and if the actual measurement value is larger than the reference value, it is considered that the running resistance has increased. Alternatively, when the product that is a predetermined reference value is satisfied and the actually measured speed is equal to or less than the speed corresponding to the product of the reference value, it is assumed that the running resistance is increased. Also good.

(B) (State in which the vehicle is decelerating based on the brake operation)
Specifically, the change in the deceleration is determined by selectively using either the master cylinder pressure detected by the master cylinder pressure sensor 14 and the stroke amount of the master cylinder detected by the master cylinder stroke amount sensor 15 or by combining the both. Detected.

  As an example, FIG. 4 shows a graph in which the deceleration of the vehicle is evaluated and plotted using the master cylinder pressure. The change in the deceleration is detected based on the relationship between the time required for the vehicle speed to decelerate by a predetermined change amount (hereinafter referred to as a required deceleration time) and the master cylinder pressure, and the master cylinder pressure corresponding to the required deceleration time is determined. If it is smaller than a certain reference value, it is considered that the deceleration has increased.

  Further, as in the case of (a) above, when the vehicle runs normally, that is, without depending on the environment outside the vehicle, and the brake is applied, the increase / decrease in the deceleration depends on the weight of the vehicle, and the weight of the vehicle increases. The larger the value, the lower the deceleration. Accordingly, as the reference value, when the vehicle weight is minimum, that is, when the occupant is only the driver and there is no other load, the correspondence between the deceleration required time and the master cylinder pressure is previously set as the minimum deceleration curve L2min. Is stored in the memory 16, and the brake ECU 11 estimates that the increase range of the deceleration depends on the environment outside the vehicle as an abnormal range when a deceleration change less than the minimum deceleration curve L2min is detected. .

(C) (Vehicle stopped)
The change in the posture of the vehicle while the vehicle is stopped is specifically selected from any of the temporal changes of the rotational angular velocity of the vehicle, the acceleration in the front-rear direction, and the acceleration in the left-right direction detected by the yaw rate / acceleration sensor 13 , Or a combination thereof.

  As an example, FIG. 5 shows a graph in which changes in angular velocity or acceleration are converted into voltage displacement amounts in the yaw rate / acceleration sensor 13 and plotted as changes over time. For example, when the amount of voltage displacement is greater than a certain reference value, it is considered that the posture change of the vehicle occurs frequently.

  Further, as in the cases (a) and (b) above, when the vehicle is normally stopped, the magnitude of the posture change depends on the weight as the inertia of the vehicle, and the posture change occurs as the vehicle weight increases. Hateful. Therefore, as the reference value, the displacement amount of the voltage when the vehicle weight becomes maximum is previously determined as the maximum potential difference line L3max and stored in the memory 16, and the brake ECU 11 determines the displacement amount of the voltage exceeding the maximum potential difference line L3max. If it is detected, it is assumed that the posture change of the vehicle occurs frequently as an abnormal range, and it is estimated that the cause of the posture change depends on the environment outside the vehicle.

  Next, the brake ECU 11 detects the gradient of the road and other traveling surfaces of the vehicle based on the vehicle speed and the rotational angular velocity and acceleration acquired from the vehicle speed sensor 12 and the yaw rate / acceleration sensor 13 (S13). Next, if the detected gradient angle is out of the predetermined range, the environment outside the vehicle is a slope, and the change in the vehicle state is caused by the vehicle traveling on the slope. Inferring (S15), further control operation is stopped, the idling stop control unit 32 is maintained in the previous state, and the idling stop function is turned on (S16).

  On the other hand, when the gradient angle is within the predetermined range, it is estimated that the vehicle is in the horizontal range and the vehicle body is placed in a specific environment that is not a normal environment (S17), and the idling stop control is performed. Control to stop the unit 32 is performed, and the idling stop function is turned OFF (S18). Here, as the specific environment, in the case of (a), it is an environment that generates a running resistance in the vehicle body, and in the case of (b), an environment that generates a resistance that increases the deceleration of the vehicle. In the case of (c) above, a flooded state, which is an environment that frequently causes changes in the posture of the vehicle, is exemplified.

  In the above flow, in S13, if the slope of the running surface is not detected due to malfunction or failure of the device, or if the detected value shows an abnormal value, it is considered that there is a high possibility of being in a unique environment, and S18 is performed. It is preferable to shift and turn off the idling stop function. As a result, the idling stop function can be prevented from operating inadvertently, and the engine can be protected.

  As described above, according to the idling stop control system 1 having the vehicle environment estimation device 10 of the present embodiment, the state changes at the time of acceleration of the vehicle, traveling at a substantially constant speed, deceleration, stop, etc. By detecting the gradient of the traveling surface on which the vehicle travels or stops, and determining whether the change in state may be due to the state of the traveling surface on which the vehicle travels, the vehicle is exemplified in a flooded state. The idling stop function is controlled based on the estimation.

  Further, in the above configuration, the yaw rate / acceleration sensor 13, the vehicle speed sensor 12, the yaw rate / acceleration sensor 13, the master cylinder pressure sensor 14, and the master cylinder stroke amount used for estimation of a change in the state of the vehicle and detection of the gradient of the traveling surface. Each sensor used by the sensor 15 and the engine ECU 31 is realized by hardware used in an existing vehicle stability control control system and engine control system of an automobile, and determination by the brake ECU 11 is executed by software.

  This makes it possible to estimate the singular environment of the vehicle including the submerged condition with a simple configuration and low cost without adding new hardware or other systems to the existing vehicle configuration, and to control the idling stop based on this. It becomes possible to do.

  However, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment. In the above description, the brake ECU 11 is based on the vehicle speed detected by the vehicle speed sensor 12 and the vehicle running state (a) on the running surface such as a road (the vehicle is accelerated or driven at a substantially constant speed based on the accelerator operation). (B) (state where the vehicle is decelerated based on the brake operation) (c) (state where the vehicle is stopped) Corresponding to each determination mode, the change of the vehicle state is detected and the specific environment is estimated. However, the present invention is directed to any one or two of the above-described vehicle running states (a) to (c). It is good also as what estimates a peculiar environment corresponding to only.

  Furthermore, in the above description, the detection of the change in the vehicle state in S12 is based on the comparison with the detected value using the maximum load running curve L1max as the reference amount of the present invention stored in the memory 16 as the reference value. However, the state estimation unit of the present invention only needs to refer to the detection amount detected by the vehicle state change detection unit and the predetermined reference amount, and is not limited by the specific method. Therefore, an arbitrary algorithm such as determination based on a range may be used. Further, the step of detecting the change in the vehicle state in S12 and the step of detecting the gradient of the traveling surface in S13 may be performed in the reverse order. In this case, the maximum load travel curve L1max and the like are corrected based on the detected gradient angle, and it becomes possible to accurately estimate the specific environment, which is preferable.

  Further, in the above description, the vehicle state change is estimated by the brake ECU 11 and the memory 16 on the vehicle stability control system side, but may be performed by the engine ECU 31 on the engine control system side.

  Furthermore, in the above description, the vehicle environment estimation device 10 has been described as being incorporated in the engine idling stop control system 1, but may be incorporated in any system that uses the estimation result. As an example, it may be incorporated into a system that detects that a transmission of an automobile is in a flooded state. Furthermore, it is good also as what implements the environment estimation apparatus 10 single-piece | unit.

  As described above, the present invention is an environment estimation device for a vehicle, and includes a travel surface gradient detection unit that detects a gradient of a travel surface on which the vehicle travels, and a change in travel resistance during travel based on an accelerator operation of the vehicle. The vehicle state change detection unit for detecting the vehicle state, the detection amount detected by the vehicle state change detection unit and a predetermined reference amount, and the gradient angle detected by the traveling surface gradient detection unit are within a predetermined range. What is necessary is just to be provided with the environment estimation part which estimates that the said vehicle was put in the peculiar environment by determining whether there exists, It is limited by the other specific objective, a use, and a structure is not.

  The present invention is also an environment estimation device for a vehicle, and detects a change in deceleration during traveling based on a traveling surface gradient detection unit that detects a gradient of a traveling surface on which the vehicle travels and a brake operation of the vehicle. Reference is made to the vehicle state change detection unit, the detection amount detected by the vehicle state change detection unit, and a predetermined reference amount, and whether the gradient angle detected by the traveling surface gradient detection unit is within a predetermined range. It is only necessary to include an environment estimation unit that estimates that the vehicle has been placed in a specific environment by determining the above, and is not limited by any other specific purpose, application, or configuration.

  Therefore, the present invention may be implemented by adding various modifications to the above embodiment, including those described above, as long as they do not depart from the spirit of the present invention.

  The present invention as described above has an effect that it is possible to estimate a specific environment of a vehicle exemplified in a submerged state with a simple configuration and low cost, and is useful in application to a vehicle such as an automobile, for example. It is.

1 idling stop control system 10 environment estimation device 11 brake ECU
12 Vehicle speed sensor 13 Yaw rate / acceleration sensor 14 Master cylinder pressure sensor 15 Master cylinder stroke amount sensor 16 Memory 21 Brake actuator 22 Brake master cylinder 31 Engine ECU
32 Idling stop control unit

Claims (2)

A traveling surface gradient detecting unit for detecting a gradient of a traveling surface on which the vehicle travels;
A vehicle state change detection unit that detects a change in travel resistance during travel based on an accelerator operation of the vehicle;
By referring to the detection amount detected by the vehicle state change detection unit and a predetermined reference amount, and determining whether the gradient angle detected by the traveling surface gradient detection unit is within a predetermined range, An environment estimation unit that estimates that the vehicle has been placed in a specific environment,
Vehicle environment estimation device. A traveling surface gradient detecting unit for detecting a gradient of a traveling surface on which the vehicle travels;
A vehicle state change detection unit for detecting a change in deceleration during traveling based on a brake operation of the vehicle;
By referring to the detection amount detected by the vehicle state change detection unit and a predetermined reference amount, and determining whether the gradient angle detected by the traveling surface gradient detection unit is within a predetermined range, An environment estimation unit that estimates that the vehicle has been placed in a specific environment,
Vehicle environment estimation device.

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