JP2019199098A - Control device of hybrid vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

To solve the problem that in a hybrid vehicle it is necessary to secure a torque margin for cranking of an engine all the time in preparation for a situation in which driving of an engine is necessary in the future so that an electricity travelling area is restricted and improvement of fuel consumption is limited.SOLUTION: A control device of a hybrid vehicle that can travel either by an EV mode or by an HEV mode includes: a peripheral environment information acquisition unit for acquiring peripheral environment information on a user's vehicle; an engine start prediction unit for predicting necessity of starting an engine for switching from the EV mode to the HEV mode in a travel section to next deceleration or stop on the basis of the peripheral environment information; and a torque margin adjusting unit for, when the engine start prediction unit predicts that starting the engine is not necessary, reducing a torque margin for engine cranking secured for starting the engine by a motor, and increasing normal travelling use torque for driving wheels.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

  The present invention relates to a control device for a hybrid vehicle that includes an engine and a motor and can be driven or regenerated by the motor.

  The hybrid vehicle travels by selecting any one of engine traveling that travels using only the engine, hybrid traveling that travels using the engine and motor (HEV mode), and electric traveling that travels using only the motor (EV mode). Is. Of these, electric driving (EV mode) is selected mainly in the low vehicle speed range and improves fuel economy at low vehicle speeds. However, the acceleration torque margin required for acceleration is required to realize the driver's acceleration demand. (Hereinafter referred to as “acceleration margin Tmag-a”) is required to carry out electric traveling. In addition, when the battery is insufficiently charged, the engine is started with a motor and switched from electric travel (EV mode) to hybrid travel (HEV mode). Therefore, an engine cranking torque margin (hereinafter referred to as “ It is necessary to carry out electric travel with a cranking margin Tmag-c ”) secured. Since such a margin must be ensured, the normal driving available torque Tdr that can be used during normal driving is greatly suppressed, the electric driving range of the hybrid vehicle is extremely limited, and the fuel consumption by electric driving (EV mode) is reduced. It was difficult to improve.

  As a related art related to this, there is one disclosed in Patent Document 1. For example, in the abstract, if “no acceleration request is estimated in S11”, an acceleration torque margin Tac is set to an initial value (S13 in S13). Lower than the maximum value) by ΔTac. When there is no acceleration request, the electric running motor torque is increased by the amount of decrease in the acceleration torque margin Tac (ΔTac), and the electric running area can be expanded to a higher vehicle speed by using only the motor torque. Can be improved. Is described.

  That is, in Patent Document 1, when it is estimated that there is no acceleration request, the acceleration margin is reduced, the normal running motor torque is increased, and the electric running area is expanded to improve fuel efficiency. Yes.

JP 2012-240566 A

  In the above-mentioned Patent Document 1, when it is estimated that “no acceleration request”, the normal driving motor torque is increased by diverting the acceleration margin, and the electric driving area is expanded.

  However, in this document, the presence or absence of acceleration is estimated using current or past information, and it is difficult to estimate the possibility of future acceleration. Therefore, in preparation for switching from the EV mode to the HEV mode in the future. Therefore, it is necessary to always ensure a cranking margin Tmag-c larger than the acceleration margin Tmag-a. As a result, even if the acceleration margin Tmag-a is diverted to the torque Tdr that can be used during normal driving, the expansion range is small, limiting the expansion of the electric driving range of the hybrid vehicle, and improving fuel efficiency is limited. There is a problem.

  Therefore, the present invention accurately determines whether or not it is necessary to switch from the EV mode to the HEV mode, and when it is determined that the engine guidance is unnecessary, the torque margin is reduced to reduce the electric travel range of the hybrid vehicle. An object of the present invention is to provide a control device for a hybrid vehicle that can be greatly expanded and further improve fuel efficiency.

  In order to achieve the above object, a control device for a hybrid vehicle of the present invention comprises a power transmission path in the order of arrangement of an engine, a clutch, a motor, and wheels, and only the motor is used as a power source by fastening or releasing the clutch. A hybrid vehicle control device capable of traveling in either the EV mode or the HEV mode using both the engine and the motor as a power source, and a surrounding environment information acquisition unit for acquiring surrounding environment information of the own vehicle; An engine start prediction unit that predicts whether or not the engine is required to switch from the EV mode to the HEV mode in a travel section until the next deceleration or stop based on the surrounding environment information; and the engine start The engine secured for starting the engine with the motor when the prediction unit predicts that the engine is not required to start. Reducing the torque margin for cranking, the normal running time torque margin adjustment unit to increase the available torque for driving the wheels, and as a provided.

  With this configuration, it is possible to determine whether or not it is necessary to switch from the EV mode to the HEV mode, that is, to start the engine, by estimating the necessity of acceleration from the relationship between the current speed and the distance to stop / deceleration. it can.

  Then, when it is not necessary to start the engine, by reducing the torque margin, it is possible to expand the available torque during normal travel, expand the electric travel range, and improve fuel efficiency.

1 is a system configuration diagram of a parallel hybrid vehicle according to an embodiment. FIG. Explanatory drawing of the normal time (at the time of the suppression of the normal driving torque) of the torque margin of a motor. Explanatory drawing at the time of suppression of the torque margin of a motor (at the time of expansion of the normal driving torque). The control flowchart of the torque margin of the motor of one Example. The time chart of control of the hybrid vehicle of one Example.

  Hereinafter, the configuration of the power train (power transmission path) and the operation of the control device of the hybrid vehicle according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a hybrid vehicle (hereinafter referred to as “vehicle 1”) according to the present embodiment, and shows a power train of the vehicle 1 together with its control device.

  As shown here, a vehicle 1 includes an engine 2 that is a first power source, a motor 4 that is a second power source, and a transmission 6 that transmits a driving force from these power sources at a desired gear ratio. A differential mechanism 8 that transmits the driving force from the transmission 6 to the wheels 9, a brake 7 that brakes the wheels 9, and a first clutch (CL1) 3 that connects the engine 2 and the motor 4, A second clutch (CL2) 5 for connecting the motor 4 and the transmission 6 is provided.

  The vehicle 1 also includes an engine controller 10 that controls the driving force of the engine 2, an inverter 11 that converts DC power of the high-voltage battery 12 into AC power, and a motor controller that controls the driving force of the motor 4 via the inverter 11. 13 and a transmission controller 14 for controlling the transmission ratio of the transmission 6 and the power transmission of both clutches.

  Further, the vehicle 1 includes a front recognition sensor 15 such as a camera that detects a front object and a traffic light, a hybrid controller 16 that instructs each controller (the engine controller 10, the motor controller 13, and the transmission controller 14), and the vehicle 1 Based on the vehicle speed sensor 17 that detects the vehicle speed, the communication device 18 that communicates with the external data center 21 and other infrastructures, the GPS sensor 20 that detects the position information of the vehicle 1, and the output signal of the GPS sensor 20 A navigation device 19 is provided that identifies the position and can refer to the speed limit of the route, the curve passing speed, and the like together with the surrounding map information.

  In the vehicle 1 having such a configuration, when starting from a stopped state, or at a low load / low vehicle speed, electric travel (EV mode) is selected, and the first clutch 3 is released and the second clutch 5 is engaged at the same time. To do. In this state, since only the driving force of the motor 4 is transmitted to the transmission 6, the wheel 9 is driven only by the driving force of the motor 4.

  On the other hand, at the time of high speed traveling or high load traveling, hybrid traveling (HEV mode) is selected, and both the first clutch 3 and the second clutch 5 are engaged. In this state, since both the driving force of the engine 2 and the motor 4 are transmitted to the transmission 6, the wheel 9 is driven by the driving force of both the engine 2 and the motor 4.

  Note that if the engine 2 is operated at the optimum fuel consumption during hybrid travel, energy may be surplus. In such a case, regenerative power generation can be performed by using the motor 4 as a generator, and surplus energy can be stored in the high-voltage battery 12 to improve fuel efficiency.

  Here, the selection of the EV mode or the HEV mode is performed, for example, by the following method. Select EV mode when vehicle speed is below threshold, accelerator opening is below threshold, motor speed is below threshold, engine coolant temperature is above threshold, and storage state SOC of high voltage battery 12 is above threshold In other cases, the HEV mode is selected.

  Next, a control system for the power train (engine 2, motor 4, first clutch 3, second clutch 5) of the vehicle 1 will be described with reference to FIG.

  The hybrid controller 16 outputs each of the target engine torque tTe, the target motor torque tTm, the target engagement capacity tTc1 of the first clutch 3, and the target engagement capacity tTc2 of the second clutch 5 so that a desired powertrain output tT is obtained. Stipulate. Specifically, a preceding vehicle detection signal and a traffic light color detection signal output from the front recognition sensor 15, a vehicle speed signal output from the vehicle speed sensor 17, an own vehicle position signal output from the GPS sensor 20, and peripheral information obtained from the data center 21 Based on the above, the target driving force is calculated. Then, an operation mode (EV mode, HEV mode, engine mode) capable of realizing the target driving force is selected, and target engine torque tTe, target motor torque tTm, first clutch target engagement capacity tTc1, and second clutch target engagement are selected. Calculate the capacitance tTc2.

  The target engine torque tTe is input to the engine controller 10, and the engine controller 10 calculates the throttle opening and the fuel injection amount for realizing the target engine torque tTe based on the current engine speed, and the engine torque Te The engine 2 is controlled so that becomes the target engine torque tTe.

  The target motor torque tTm is input to the motor controller 13, and the motor controller 13 controls the motor 4 via the inverter 11 so that the motor torque Tm becomes the target motor torque tTm. When the target motor torque tTm requires regenerative braking action, the motor controller 13 sets the power generation load to the motor 4 that is a generator within a range that does not cause overcharging, based on the storage state SOC of the high-voltage battery 12. The electric power generated by the regenerative braking is AC-DC converted by the inverter 11 and then stored in the high voltage battery 12.

Further, the first clutch target engagement capacity tTc1 and the second clutch target engagement capacity tTc2 are input to the transmission controller 14, and are compared with the clutch engagement pressure command value corresponding to each and the clutch engagement pressure detected by the sensor. The clutch engagement pressure is controlled by controlling the clutch engagement pressure so that the clutch engagement pressure becomes the clutch engagement pressure command value. The transmission controller 14 obtains a gear ratio suitable for the current driving state from the traveling speed of the vehicle 1 and the target rotational speed signal output from the hybrid controller 16 based on the gear shift map, and this speed ratio is calculated from the current gear ratio. Shifting to a suitable gear ratio is performed. When the transmission is a continuously variable transmission, the gear ratio can be set continuously continuously. When the transmission is a stepped transmission, the gear ratio is selected from a predetermined gear ratio.
<Torque margin Tmag control in EV mode>
Next, a method for setting the available torque Tdr and the torque margin Tmag during normal travel in the EV mode will be outlined with reference to FIGS. 2A to 3.

  In general, the rotational speed of the motor 4 and the maximum torque Tmax have a relationship shown by a broken line in FIG. 2A. However, during traveling in the EV mode, there is a scene where the motor torque Tm must be suddenly increased by a sudden command from the hybrid controller 16, so the maximum torque Tmax can be used as it is to maintain the speed during normal traveling. The normal torque available torque Tdr, which is the upper limit value of the normal torque, cannot be set, and it is necessary to set the remaining secured reserve (margin) as the normal torque available torque Tdr.

  For example, an acceleration margin Tmag-a is necessary in preparation for sudden acceleration requests, and a cranking margin Tmag-c is required to start the engine 2 in preparation for sudden switching to HEV mode. Therefore, the torque Tdr that can be used during normal driving is the sum of the acceleration margin Tmag-a and the cranking margin Tmag-c (torque margin Tmag) from the maximum torque Tmax, as shown by the one-dot chain line in FIG. 2A. Will be reduced.

  Thus, when the available torque Tdr during normal driving becomes small, even when the vehicle speed is relatively low, it is likely that the EV mode cannot be continued due to insufficient torque, and the mode must be switched to the HEV mode. The number of scenes that must be increased. This means that the travel time in the EV mode with good fuel is shortened, and the fuel efficiency is deteriorated.

  Therefore, in the present embodiment, the torque margin Tmag is suppressed according to the situation (the torque Tdr that can be used during normal driving is increased), and the electric driving area is expanded, thereby simultaneously extending the driving time in the EV mode, Fuel consumption can be improved by shortening the running time in HEV mode.

  The flowchart of FIG. 3 specifically shows this control method, and the hybrid controller 16 increases the torque Tdr that can be used during normal driving under a predetermined condition by suppressing the torque margin Tmag in the EV mode. It is something that can be done. Note that the surrounding environment information acquisition unit, the deceleration stop position calculation unit, the engine start prediction unit, and the torque margin adjustment unit shown in FIG. 3 are realized by an arithmetic device included in the hybrid controller 16 executing a predetermined program. It is a function, and the hardware corresponding to each part does not necessarily exist independently.

  Step S <b> 1 is processing corresponding to the function of the peripheral information acquisition unit, and acquires a signal necessary for determination of deceleration / stop from any one of the front recognition sensor 15, the navigation device 19, and the communication device 18.

  Step S2 is a process corresponding to the function of the deceleration stop position calculation unit. The preceding vehicle detection signal or red signal detection signal output from the front recognition sensor 15, the vehicle speed signal output from the vehicle speed sensor 17, and the GPS sensor 20 Based on the position signal to be output and the surrounding environment information obtained from the data center 21 via the communication device 18, the deceleration stop position of the vehicle 1 is estimated, and the distance to that position and the necessary deceleration control are calculated.

  As described above, the control device according to the present embodiment includes the deceleration stop position calculation unit that calculates the distance to the deceleration stop position where the vehicle 1 decelerates or stops in the future based on the surrounding environment information and the own vehicle position information.

This deceleration / stop position calculation unit estimates the estimated deceleration / stop distance by combining the following methods (1) to (3) alone or in combination.
(1) When the color of the traffic light is detected by the front recognition sensor 15 and it is determined that the traffic light is red, there is a possibility that the traffic light will stop. Therefore, the stop line immediately before the traffic light is estimated as the stop position and the stop A predetermined section leading to the line is estimated as a deceleration section.

As described above, when the surrounding environment information acquisition unit according to the present embodiment acquires the surrounding environment information from the front recognition sensor 15, and the deceleration stop position calculation unit detects the red signal based on the surrounding environment information, the red signal Is estimated as the stop position.
(2) When the front recognition sensor 15 detects the vehicle ahead and determines that the vehicle ahead is stopped or extremely low speed (for example, 10 km / h or less), the current position of the vehicle ahead is estimated as the stop position and the stop A predetermined section leading to the line is estimated as a deceleration section.

As described above, the surrounding environment information acquisition unit according to the present embodiment acquires the surrounding environment information from the front recognition sensor 15, and the deceleration stop position calculation unit detects a front vehicle that is stopped or extremely slow based on the surrounding environment information. In this case, the position of the preceding vehicle is estimated as the stop position.
(3) When the navigation device 19 detects a right or left turn point, a destination, a temporary stop position, or a plurality of points where the speed limit decreases, the left turn point is estimated as a deceleration stop position, and the A predetermined section leading to a left turn point or the like is estimated as a deceleration section.

  As described above, the surrounding environment information acquisition unit according to the present embodiment acquires the surrounding environment information from the navigation device 19, and the deceleration stop position calculation unit is able to approach a point that needs to be decelerated or stopped based on the surrounding environment information. If it is determined that there is, the point is set as a deceleration position or a stop position. The point that needs to be decelerated or stopped is any one of a right / left turn point, a destination, a temporary stop position, and a point where the speed limit decreases.

  Steps S3 and S4 are processes corresponding to the function of the engine start prediction unit, step S3 corresponds to an electric travelable distance calculation unit, and step S4 is an inertia travelable distance calculation unit which is a kind of acceleration necessity determination unit. It corresponds to.

  In step S3, it is determined whether the distance that can travel while maintaining the current speed with the amount of power stored in the high-voltage battery 12 is greater than the distance to the deceleration / stop position estimated in step S2. Specifically, based on the SOC information indicating the distance to the stop position, the vehicle speed detected by the vehicle speed sensor 17, and the storage state of the high-voltage battery 12, the torque necessary for maintaining the speed in the section to the deceleration / stop position The amount of power consumed when the motor is driven at Tm (EV mode) is compared with the amount of power that can be used by the high voltage battery 12 obtained from the SOC information. If the latter is large, the high voltage battery 12 is sufficiently It is estimated that switching from the EV mode to the HEV mode is unnecessary.

  As described above, the control device according to the present embodiment includes the electric travelable distance calculation unit that calculates the electric travelable distance at the current speed, and the engine start prediction unit calculates the electric travel calculated by the electric travelable distance calculation unit. When the possible distance is larger than the remaining travel distance to the deceleration stop position, it is predicted that the engine 2 is not required to be started.

  Further, in step S4, it is determined whether or not acceleration during traveling to the deceleration stop position is necessary. Here, an example will be described in which an acceleration determination unit is provided that determines whether or not acceleration is necessary based on whether the travel distance when the vehicle travels inertial is greater than the distance to the stop position estimated in step S2. Specifically, the distance to the deceleration / stop position is compared with the deceleration that is caused by the effect of regenerative power generation and running resistance. In this case, it is estimated that the distance is relatively short and does not require strong acceleration, and it is estimated that switching from the EV mode to the HEV mode is unnecessary.

  As described above, the engine start prediction unit of the present embodiment includes an acceleration necessity determination unit that determines the possibility of acceleration from the current speed during traveling to the next deceleration stop position, and the acceleration necessity determination unit includes: When it is determined that acceleration is not necessary, the engine start prediction unit predicts that the start of the engine 2 is unnecessary. Further, the acceleration necessity determination unit according to the present embodiment estimates that the acceleration is not required when the travel distance to the stop calculated by the deceleration stop position calculation unit is smaller than a predetermined distance calculated based on the current speed. To do. Furthermore, the acceleration necessity determination unit according to the present embodiment estimates that acceleration is not required when the distance that can travel inertially against current resistance from the current speed is greater than the remaining travel distance to the deceleration stop position. To do.

  Other criteria may be used for determining whether or not to accelerate in step S4. For example, the acceleration necessity determination unit according to the present embodiment determines that acceleration is not required when the speed difference between the information on the speed limit of the running road acquired by the surrounding environment information acquisition unit and the current host vehicle speed is a predetermined value or less. It may be estimated.

  If it is determined in both step S3 and step S4 that the vehicle can travel in the EV mode, it can be determined that switching to the HEV mode is unnecessary for both the electric travelable distance and the inertial travelable distance. Therefore, it can be determined that it is not necessary to secure the cranking margin Tmag-c necessary for starting the engine. 3 shows an example in which the determination in step S4 is performed after the determination in step S3, but the determination in step S3 may be performed after the determination in step S4.

  Steps S5 and S6 are processes corresponding to the function of the torque margin adjustment unit.

When it is determined that switching to the HEV mode is unnecessary, in step S5, the torque margin Tmag is changed from the initial value (Tmag-a + Tmag-c) shown in FIG. 2A to the suppression value (Tmag-a) shown in FIG. 2B. Reduce. As a result, the available torque Tdr during normal driving can be greatly increased and the electric driving range can be greatly increased. Therefore, the motor controller 13 which is also a torque control unit for controlling the torque of the motor 4 is set in this way. Torque Tdr available for normal driving
By controlling the torque of the motor 4 within the range, the fuel efficiency can be greatly improved. Note that not all of the cranking margin Tmag-c needs to be diverted to the normal travel available torque Tdr, and a part thereof may be diverted to the normal travel available torque Tdr.

  As described above, the control device according to the present embodiment configures a power transmission path in the order of arrangement of the engine 2, the clutch 3, the motor 4, and the wheels 9, and uses only the motor 4 as a power source when the clutch 3 is engaged or released. A hybrid vehicle control device capable of traveling in either the mode or the HEV mode using both the engine 2 and the motor 4 as a power source, and a peripheral environment information acquisition unit for acquiring peripheral environment information of the vehicle 1; An engine start predicting unit for predicting whether or not the engine needs to be started for switching from the EV mode to the HEV mode in a travel section until the next deceleration or stop based on environmental information, and an engine start predicting unit When it is predicted that starting 2 is unnecessary, the torque margin Tmag-c for engine cranking secured for starting the engine 2 with the motor 4 is reduced. A torque margin adjustment unit to increase the normal running time available torque Tdr for driving the wheels 9, was provided.

  In addition, the control device of the present embodiment configures a power transmission path in the order of arrangement of the engine 2, the clutch 3, the motor 4, and the wheels 9, and when the clutch 3 is engaged or released, only the motor 4 is used as a power source. This is a control device that controls a hybrid vehicle that can run in either the HEV mode that uses both the engine 2 and the motor 4 as power sources. From the EV mode to the HEV mode in the running section until the next deceleration or stop. When it is not necessary to start the engine 2 for switching the engine, a torque corresponding to the torque required for engine cranking when the engine 2 is started by the motor 4 or an arbitrary torque smaller than this is added. A torque control unit (motor controller 13) for increasing the torque for driving the wheel 9.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S3 or step S4 that there is a possibility of switching to the HEV mode, the process proceeds to step S6, where the torque margin Tmag is set to the initial value (Tmag-a + Tmag-) shown in FIG. 2A. Set to c). Therefore, even when an acceleration request or a switch to the HEV mode due to insufficient power storage is commanded in the section to the stop position estimated in step S2, the motor 4 can be started in response to these commands.

  Next, torque margin control in the present embodiment will be specifically described with reference to the time chart of FIG.

  FIG. 4A shows the vehicle speed measured by the vehicle speed sensor 17. The period from time t2 to time t4 to t5 is a normal traveling period during which the vehicle travels at a substantially constant speed with some acceleration and deceleration, and the period from time t2 to t3 and time t5 to t6 is deceleration from the start of deceleration to the stop. The period, the period from time t3 to t4, is an acceleration period from stop to normal travel.

  FIG. 4B shows the distance to the stop position calculated by the deceleration stop position calculator in FIG. In this example, time t1 is a timing when a red signal is detected, and time t4 is a timing when a stop line at an intersection is detected. Here, a state in which the “distance to stop” calculated by the deceleration stop position calculation unit gradually decreases until the vehicle 1 reaches the stop position is illustrated.

  FIG. 4C shows the “electric travelable distance” calculated by the engine start prediction unit of FIG. 3, and decreases during forward rotation (generating driving force) of the motor 4 and during reverse rotation (regenerative power generation). Will increase. The “electric travelable distance” calculated here is calculated based on the SOC information indicating the current storage state of the high-voltage battery 12 and the power consumption at the time of torque generation necessary to maintain the vehicle speed against the traveling resistance. it can. Note that time t2 and time ta in FIG. 4C are timings when the “electric travelable distance” indicated by the solid line is greater than the “distance to stop” indicated by the alternate long and short dash line, and in step S3 of FIG. This corresponds to the timing when “YES” is determined.

  FIG. 4 (d) shows the inertial travelable distance calculated by the engine start prediction unit in FIG. 3, and is generally similar to the “own vehicle speed” in FIG. 4 (a) if the travel resistance is constant. is there. Note that time tb and time t5 in FIG. 4D are timings when the “inertial travelable distance” indicated by the solid line is greater than the “distance to stop” indicated by the alternate long and short dash line, and in step S4 of FIG. This corresponds to the timing when “YES” is determined.

  FIG. 4 (e) shows a prediction result of the engine start prediction unit of FIG. 3, and when “YES” is detected in both FIG. 4 (c) and FIG. This is an engine start unnecessary flag that becomes Low when 1 stops. That is, the period during which this flag is high indicates that switching from the EV mode to the HEV mode is unnecessary.

  FIG. 4 (f) shows the time change of the torque of the motor 4 controlled by the torque margin adjustment unit, the one-dot chain line shows the maximum torque Tmax in the positive direction, and the solid line shows the motor torque Tm actually output. It is. As described in FIGS. 2A and 2B, the maximum torque Tmax changes according to the rotation speed of the motor 4, and is a period in which the vehicle speed is slow and the rotation speed of the motor 4 is low (for example, a period from t2 to t3). , T5 to t6), and tends to be small during periods where the vehicle speed is high and the rotation speed of the motor 4 is high (other periods).

  Next, various events and control contents that occur in FIG. 4 will be described in time series.

  First, when the surrounding environment information acquisition unit detects a red signal in front of the host vehicle via the front recognition sensor 15 or the communication device 18 at time t1, the deceleration stop position calculation unit calculates the deceleration stop position. The distance to (the stop line immediately before the red signal) is calculated from the GPS sensor 20 and the navigation device 19 (step S2), and the result is reflected as “distance to stop” in FIG. 4B.

  At the timing of time ta shown in FIG. 4 (d), the “inertial travelable distance” exceeds the “distance to stop” (YES in step S4), and at the time of time t2, “electrically travelable distance” is It exceeds the “distance to stop” (YES in step S3).

  As described above, the engine start unnecessary flag is output at the timing of time t2 when YES is determined in both steps S4 and S3 (FIG. 4E), and the maximum torque Tmax is set to ΔTmag (= Tmag-c). The torque Tdr that can be used during normal driving is increased accordingly (FIG. 2A → FIG. 2B). Thereby, after time t2, the electric travel area until the vehicle 1 stops can be expanded, and the fuel consumption can be improved.

  After that, after the deceleration period from time t2 to t3, when the vehicle reaches the stop position at time t3, Tmag is initialized (FIG. 2B → FIG. 2A), and torque considering the cranking margin Tmag-c again. Since the margin Tmag is set, the EV mode can be switched to the HEV mode.

  Further, when the stop line information is detected from the navigation device 19 to the next intersection at time t4 after the vehicle 1 starts, the deceleration stop position calculation unit calculates the distance to the stop position (stop line before the intersection) by using a GPS sensor. 20 and the navigation device 19 (step S2), and the result is reflected in FIG.

  At the timing of time tb shown in FIG. 4C, the “electric travelable distance” exceeds the “distance to stop” (YES in step S3), and further, at the timing of time t5, “inertial travelable distance” is It exceeds the “distance to stop” (YES in step S4).

  In this way, at the time t5 when YES is determined in both steps S3 and S4, the engine start unnecessary flag is output (FIG. 4E), and the maximum torque Tmax is set to ΔTmag (= Tmag-c). The torque Tdr that can be used during normal driving is increased accordingly (FIG. 2A → FIG. 2B). Thereby, after the time t5, the electric travel area until the vehicle 1 stops can be expanded, and fuel consumption can be improved.

  After that, after the deceleration period from time t5 to t6, when the host vehicle reaches the stop position at time t6, Tmag is initialized (FIG. 2B → FIG. 2A), and torque considering the cranking margin Tmag-c again. Since the margin Tmag is set, the EV mode can be switched to the HEV mode.

  As described above, in this embodiment, when the engine is not required to start, by reducing the torque margin, the available torque during normal driving is expanded, the electric traveling area is expanded, and the fuel efficiency is increased. Can be improved.

  The control of the present embodiment described above may be executed only in the auto cruise control mode in which the speed is automatically adjusted. As a result, electric driving can be performed without causing the driver to feel as uncomfortable as possible. Further, only in the auto cruise control mode, when there is no change in the estimated stop position, the EV mode traveling may be maintained until the stop position, and acceleration that can be realized by the motor may be performed.

  As described above, the torque margin adjustment unit of the present embodiment reduces the torque margin only in the auto cruise control mode.

  Also, if the torque margin Tmag is being reduced and it is unavoidable that the engine needs to be started (such as when the stop position has moved forward as a result of the movement of the preceding vehicle temporarily determined as the stop position), Since it becomes impossible to crank the engine using the starter generator, switching to the HEV mode can be realized by starting the engine 2 using the engine starter that directly starts the engine 2. Therefore, it becomes possible to prevent a decrease in drivability.

  As described above, the control device of the present embodiment uses the engine starter when starting the engine 2 during the EV mode traveling with the torque margin reduced.

1 vehicle,
2 engines,
3 First clutch,
4 motor,
5 Second clutch,
6 Transmission,
7 Brake,
8 differential mechanism,
9 wheels,
10 engine controller,
11 Inverter,
12 high voltage battery,
13 Motor controller,
14 Transmission controller,
15 forward recognition sensor,
16 Hybrid controller
17 Vehicle speed sensor,
18 communication device,
19 navigation devices,
20 GPS sensor,
21 Data center,
SOC storage state,
Tdr Torque available during normal driving,
Te engine torque,
Tm motor torque,
Tmax maximum torque,
Tmag torque margin,
Tmag-a acceleration margin,
Tmag-c Cranking margin,
tTe target engine torque,
tTm Target motor torque,
tTcl1, tTcl2 Target fastening capacity,

Claims (13)

A power transmission path is configured in the order of arrangement of the engine, clutch, motor, and wheels, and an EV mode that uses only the motor as a power source by fastening or releasing the clutch, and an HEV that uses both the engine and the motor as power sources A hybrid vehicle control device capable of traveling in any of the modes,
A surrounding environment information acquisition unit that acquires surrounding environment information of the vehicle;
An engine start prediction unit that predicts whether or not to start the engine for switching from the EV mode to the HEV mode in a travel section until the next deceleration or stop based on the surrounding environment information;
When the engine start prediction unit predicts that the engine is not required to start, the engine cranking torque margin secured for starting the engine by the motor is reduced, and the vehicle travels normally. A torque margin adjustment unit for increasing the available torque at the time,
A control apparatus for a hybrid vehicle, comprising: The control device according to claim 1,
The hybrid vehicle control device further includes a deceleration stop position calculation unit that calculates a distance to a deceleration stop position where the host vehicle decelerates or stops in the future based on the surrounding environment information and the host vehicle position information. . The control device according to claim 2,
Furthermore, an electric travelable distance calculation unit that calculates the electric travelable distance at the current speed is provided,
The engine start prediction unit predicts that starting of the engine is unnecessary when the electric travelable distance calculated by the electric travelable distance calculation unit is larger than the remaining travel distance to the deceleration stop position. A control device for a hybrid vehicle. The control device according to claim 2,
The engine start prediction unit includes an acceleration necessity determination unit that determines the possibility of accelerating from the current speed during traveling to the next deceleration stop position,
The hybrid vehicle control device according to claim 1, wherein the engine start prediction unit predicts that the engine start is unnecessary when the acceleration necessity determination unit determines that the acceleration is not required. The control device according to claim 4,
The acceleration necessity determination unit determines that the acceleration is not necessary when the speed difference between the information on the speed limit of the running road acquired by the surrounding environment information acquisition unit and the current host vehicle speed is equal to or less than a predetermined value. A control device for a hybrid vehicle. The control device according to claim 4,
The acceleration necessity determination unit determines that acceleration is unnecessary when the distance that can travel inertially against current resistance from a current speed is greater than the remaining travel distance to the deceleration stop position. Control device for hybrid vehicle. In the control device according to any one of claims 2 to 6,
The surrounding environment information acquisition unit acquires the surrounding environment information from a front recognition sensor,
When the deceleration stop position calculation unit detects a red signal based on the ambient environment information, the deceleration stop position calculation unit estimates the position of the red signal as a stop position. In the control device according to any one of claims 2 to 6,
The surrounding environment information acquisition unit acquires the surrounding environment information from a front recognition sensor,
When the deceleration stop position calculation unit detects a stopped or extremely low speed forward vehicle based on the surrounding environment information, the hybrid vehicle control apparatus estimates the position of the forward vehicle as a stop position. In the control device according to any one of claims 2 to 6,
The surrounding environment information acquisition unit acquires the surrounding environment information from a navigation device,
When the deceleration stop position calculation unit determines that there is an approach to a point that requires deceleration or stop based on the surrounding environment information, the deceleration stop position calculation unit sets the point as a deceleration position or a stop position. Control device. The control device according to claim 9,
The point where deceleration or stop is required is any of a right / left turn point, a destination, a temporary stop position, and a point where the speed limit decreases. In the control device according to any one of claims 1 to 10,
The torque margin adjustment unit reduces the torque margin only in an auto cruise control mode. The control device according to any one of claims 1 to 11,
A hybrid vehicle control apparatus using an engine starter when starting the engine during EV mode traveling with the torque margin reduced. A power transmission path is configured in the order of arrangement of the engine, clutch, motor, and wheels, and an EV mode that uses only the motor as a power source by fastening or releasing the clutch, and an HEV that uses both the engine and the motor as power sources A control device that controls a hybrid vehicle that can run in any of the modes,
Necessary for engine cranking when starting the engine with the motor when it is not necessary to start the engine for switching from the EV mode to the HEV mode in the travel section until the next deceleration or stop A torque control unit that increases the torque that drives the wheel by applying a torque corresponding to a torque that is smaller or an arbitrary torque smaller than this,
A control apparatus for a hybrid vehicle, comprising:

Images