JP2020029787A - Oil supply device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide an oil supply device which hardly causes oil supply shortage even if air suction occurs.SOLUTION: An oil supply device 210 comprises: a variable capacity type oil pump 10 which can control a discharge quantity per one rotation by changing a capacity of a control oil chamber 42; an oil control valve 100 for controlling the introduction of oil into the control oil chamber 42 and the discharge of the oil from the control oil chamber 42; a hydraulic pressure sensor 311 for detecting hydraulic pressure in a main gallery; and a control device 300 for performing discharge quantity reduction control for feedback-controlling the hydraulic pressure in the main gallery toward required hydraulic pressure. In the oil supply device 210, the control device 300 performs determination processing for determining the occurrence of air suction on the basis of an oil temperature, a rotational speed and the hydraulic pressure detected by the hydraulic pressure sensor 311, and stops the discharge quantity reduction control when the occurrence of the air suction is determined.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to an oil supply device.

  Patent Literature 1 discloses an oil supply device including a variable displacement oil pump having a control oil chamber and an oil control valve for controlling supply and discharge of oil in the control oil chamber. In this oil supply device, when the oil in the control oil chamber is supplied / discharged and the volume of the control oil chamber is changed, the discharge amount of oil per rotation of the oil pump changes.

  In this oil supply device, part of the oil discharged from the oil pump is introduced into a control oil chamber via an oil control valve. The oil control valve is operated by feedback control so that the oil pressure in the main gallery through which the oil discharged from the oil pump flows matches the required oil pressure. That is, when the rotation speed of the oil pump is high or the required oil pressure is low, this control reduces the amount of oil discharged per rotation to suppress the excessive energy consumption associated with driving the oil pump. This is a reduction control.

JP-A-2012-42323

  By the way, if so-called air suction occurs in which air is taken into the oil pump together with oil, the volume of the control oil chamber does not easily change even if the oil control valve is operated. Then, a deviation occurs in the control of the hydraulic pressure.

  In other words, if air is sucked and the oil contains air bubbles, the operation of the oil control valve will delay the change in the volume of the control oil chamber, the change in the discharge rate, and the change in the hydraulic pressure in the main gallery. Occurs. Then, hunting occurs in the discharge amount reduction control by the feedback control as described above, and it becomes impossible to converge the hydraulic pressure in the main gallery to the required hydraulic pressure. As a result, a state in which the hydraulic pressure is lower than the required hydraulic pressure occurs, and there is a possibility that the supply of oil may be insufficient.

Hereinafter, means for solving the above-described problems and the effects thereof will be described.
An oil supply device for solving the above-mentioned problem is a variable displacement oil pump capable of changing a discharge amount per rotation by changing a volume of a control oil chamber, and an oil pump for discharging oil discharged from the oil pump. An oil control valve for controlling the introduction into the control oil chamber and the discharge of oil from the control oil chamber; a hydraulic sensor for detecting oil pressure in a main gallery for distributing the oil to a demand part of the oil; and a hydraulic sensor for detecting the oil pressure. A control unit that controls the oil control valve based on the hydraulic pressure that has been supplied, and performs a discharge amount reduction control that performs feedback control of the hydraulic pressure in the main gallery toward a required hydraulic pressure. In this oil supply device, the control unit determines whether or not air has been sucked into the oil pump together with the oil based on the oil temperature, the rotation speed, and the oil pressure detected by the oil pressure sensor. Is performed, and when it is determined that air suction has occurred through the determination processing, the discharge amount reduction control is stopped.

  When the oil temperature is low, the viscosity of the oil is high, so that it is easy for air to be taken into the oil before it is supplied to the demand section and returned to the oil pump again. Further, when the rotation speed of the oil pump is high, the amount of oil remaining in the oil pan is reduced, so that the oil pump easily sucks air. That is, when the oil temperature is low or the rotation speed is high, it can be said that air suction is likely to occur.

  In addition, when air is sucked, the control of the hydraulic pressure is shifted. Therefore, if the deviation of the control of the hydraulic pressure is detected based on the hydraulic pressure detected by the hydraulic pressure sensor, it is possible to estimate the occurrence of air suction.

  Therefore, in the above configuration, it is estimated whether or not air suction is likely to occur based on the oil temperature and the rotation speed, and a deviation in hydraulic control is detected based on the detected hydraulic pressure, and these are combined. Thus, the occurrence of air suction is determined. In the above configuration, the discharge amount reduction control is stopped when the occurrence of air suction is determined.

  Therefore, according to the above configuration, when the discharge amount reduction control for performing the feedback control of the oil pressure is performed, when the hunting occurs and the air suction occurs in which the oil pressure falls below the required oil pressure, the discharge amount reduction control is stopped. As a result, the oil pump operates without reducing the discharge amount, so that it is possible to suppress an oil supply shortage.

The block diagram of an oil supply apparatus. FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram illustrating a state in which the discharge amount of an oil pump is reduced. 6 is a timing chart showing a change in hydraulic pressure when discharge amount reduction control is continued in a state where air suction occurs. 9 is a flowchart showing a processing procedure of a routine for switching whether or not to execute discharge amount reduction control. 9 is a flowchart illustrating a processing procedure of an air suction flag update routine. 6 is a timing chart showing a change in hydraulic pressure when the discharge amount reduction control is stopped.

Hereinafter, an embodiment of an oil supply device will be described with reference to FIGS. Note that this embodiment is an oil supply device that supplies oil to an engine.
The oil pump 10 of the oil supply device 210 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is a variable displacement pump that is attached to an engine, connected to a crankshaft of the engine, and operates with rotation of the crankshaft. .

  The oil pump 10 includes an input shaft 11 that rotates in synchronization with a crankshaft, and a casing member CS in which a housing space 40 is defined. The accommodation space 40 is provided with an inner rotor 50 that rotates integrally with the input shaft 11, an outer rotor 60 that is arranged on an outer peripheral side of the inner rotor 50, and a ring-shaped adjustment ring 70 that surrounds the outer rotor 60.

  The casing member CS is provided with a suction port 12 for sucking oil therein and a discharge port 13 for discharging the oil inside the casing member CS. The suction port 12 communicates with a suction oil passage leading to an oil pan of the engine. The discharge port 13 communicates with a discharge oil passage 13a that communicates with a main gallery of the engine. The main gallery is an oil passage inside the engine that distributes the oil to each device mounted on the engine, that is, the oil demand part.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a plurality of external teeth 51 are provided on the outer periphery of the inner rotor 50. A plurality of internal teeth 61 meshing with the external teeth 51 of the inner rotor 50 are provided on the inner periphery of the outer rotor 60. Note that the number of the internal teeth 61 is one more than the number of the external teeth 51. The outer rotor 60 is rotatably held by the adjustment ring 70.

  The rotation center of the outer rotor 60 is eccentric with respect to the rotation center of the inner rotor 50. The outer teeth 51 of the inner rotor 50 and the inner teeth 61 of the outer rotor 60 are in a state where a part thereof (the right part in FIG. 1) is meshed with each other. A working chamber 41 filled with oil is formed between the outer circumference of the inner rotor 50 and the inner circumference of the outer rotor 60.

  In the working chamber 41, from the position where the outer teeth 51 of the inner rotor 50 and the inner teeth 61 of the outer rotor 60 mesh with each other to a predetermined position in the rotation direction of the input shaft 11 indicated by an arrow in FIG. With the rotation, the gap between the outer teeth 51 of the inner rotor 50 and the inner teeth 61 of the outer rotor 60 gradually increases. A portion where the gap between the outer teeth 51 of the inner rotor 50 and the inner teeth 61 of the outer rotor 60 gradually becomes larger communicates with the suction port 12. On the other hand, in the working chamber 41, a portion where the gap between the outer teeth 51 of the inner rotor 50 and the inner teeth 61 of the outer rotor 60 gradually decreases with the rotation of the rotors 50 and 60 communicates with the discharge port 13. .

  When the oil pump 10 operates, the rotation of the input shaft 11 causes the rotors 50 and 60 to rotate while meshing with each other. Then, the oil stored in the oil pan is sucked into the working chamber 41 from the suction port 12 via the suction oil passage, and is discharged from the discharge port 13 to the discharge oil passage 13a.

  The adjustment ring 70 has a ring-shaped main body 71 that holds the outer rotor 60, and a protrusion 72 that protrudes from the outer periphery of the main body 71 in the radial direction of the rotors 50 and 60. The main body 71 of the adjustment ring 70 is provided with long holes 711 and 712. Guide pins 81 and 82 fixed to the casing member CS are inserted into these long holes 711 and 712. Thus, the adjustment ring 70 can be displaced in the direction in which the elongated holes 711 and 712 extend.

  A first seal member 83 is provided at a tip of the protrusion 72 of the adjustment ring 70, and a second seal member 84 is provided on the main body 71. The sealing members 83 and 84 abut against the side wall of the casing member CS, and the space between the side wall and the outer periphery of the adjusting ring 70 is sealed, so that the adjusting ring 70 and the sealing members 83 and The control oil chamber 42 is defined by 84.

  The control oil chamber 42 is provided with an opening 14 communicating with the control oil passage 111, and oil can be supplied from the oil control valve 100 to the control oil chamber 42 through the control oil passage 111 and the opening 14. I have. The housing space 40 is provided with a spring 15 that applies a biasing force to the protrusion 72 in a direction to reduce the volume of the control oil chamber 42. The spring 15 is disposed on the opposite side of the control oil chamber 42 across the protrusion 72.

  FIG. 1 shows a state in which the adjusting ring 70 is held at a position where the volume of the control oil chamber 42 is minimized by the urging force from the spring 15 because the hydraulic pressure PC in the control oil chamber 42 is low. I have. In this embodiment, the position of the adjustment ring 70 when the volume of the control oil chamber 42 is minimized, that is, the position of the adjustment ring 70 in FIG. 1 is referred to as an “initial position”.

  When oil is supplied to the control oil chamber 42 and the hydraulic pressure PC becomes high under the condition that the adjustment ring 70 is arranged at the initial position, the volume of the control oil chamber 42 is reduced by resisting the urging force from the spring 15. The adjustment ring 70 is displaced from the initial position in the direction to increase the size. That is, the adjustment ring 70 is displaced while rotating in the direction from the state shown in FIG. 1 to the state shown in FIG. 2 (counterclockwise direction in FIG. 1). On the other hand, when the oil is discharged from the control oil chamber 42 by the operation of the oil control valve 100, the hydraulic pressure PC becomes low, and the adjusting ring is moved in a direction to reduce the volume of the control oil chamber 42 by the urging force from the spring 15. 70 is displaced. That is, the adjustment ring 70 is displaced while rotating in the direction from the state shown in FIG. 2 to the state shown in FIG. 1 (clockwise direction in FIG. 2). That is, the position of the adjustment ring 70 is determined by the hydraulic PC and the biasing force from the spring 15. The relative position of the portion where the teeth 51 and 61 of the inner rotor 50 and the outer rotor 60 mesh with the respective openings of the suction port 12 and the discharge port 13 is changed by the change in the position of the adjustment ring 70. Therefore, the amount of oil discharged per one rotation of the input shaft 11 is changed by changing the position of the adjustment ring 70 by adjusting the hydraulic pressure PC.

  Specifically, in the oil pump 10, when the position of the adjustment ring 70 is at the “initial position” as shown in FIG. 1, the amount of oil discharged per one rotation of the input shaft 11 is maximized. As shown in FIG. 1, when the hydraulic pressure PC rises from a position where the oil discharge amount per rotation of the input shaft 11 is maximized, the adjusting ring 70 is attached by the spring 15 as the hydraulic pressure PC rises. It is displaced while rotating counterclockwise in FIG. 1 against the force. As a result, of the portion where the gap between the external teeth 51 and the internal teeth 61 gradually increases with the rotation of the rotors 50 and 60, the range overlapping with the suction port 12 decreases, and the external teeth 51 and the internal teeth A part of the portion where the gap between the suction port 61 and the suction port 61 gradually becomes smaller overlaps with the suction port 12. As a result, the amount of oil discharged per rotation of the input shaft 11 is reduced.

  Conversely, when the hydraulic pressure PC decreases, the adjusting ring 70 is displaced while rotating in the clockwise direction in FIG. The amount of oil discharged increases.

Next, the oil control valve 100 will be described.
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the oil control valve 100 includes a sleeve 100B, a spool 100C disposed inside the sleeve 100B, a valve spring 100D disposed inside the sleeve 100B, and an electromagnetically driven valve. Actuator 100A. The valve spring 100D applies an urging force to one side in the axial direction of the sleeve 100B (the right side in FIGS. 1 and 2) to the spool 100C. The actuator 100A is driven so as to apply a driving force to the spool 100C to displace the spool 100C to the other side in the axial direction (the left side in FIGS. 1 and 2) against the urging force from the valve spring 100D. Has become.

  The driving force transmitted to the spool 100C increases as the command current Iocv input to the actuator 100A increases. Therefore, the spool 100C is located on the other side in the axial direction (the left side in FIGS. 1 and 2) as the command current Iocv input to the actuator 100A is larger.

  The sleeve 100B has a control port 101 to which a control oil passage 111 is connected, a supply port 102 to which a supply oil passage 112 branched from a discharge oil passage 13a of the oil pump 10 is connected, and discharges oil into an oil pan. And a discharge port 103 to which a discharge oil passage 113 is connected. Further, an annular groove 105 communicating with the supply port 102 is formed on the entire outer circumference of the spool 100C.

  When the instruction current Iocv is not input to the actuator 100A, as shown in FIG. 1, the tip (the left end in FIG. 1) of the spool 100C is located on one side in the axial direction (the right side in FIG. 1) with respect to the control port 101. And the control port 101 is in communication with the discharge port 103. As a result, the oil that has flowed back from the control oil chamber 42 of the oil pump 10 to the control port 101 is discharged to the oil pan through the discharge port 103, so that the hydraulic pressure PC decreases. As a result, the adjustment ring 70 is located at the initial position shown in FIG. 1, and the amount of oil discharged per rotation of the input shaft 11 in the oil pump 10 is the largest discharge amount that can be realized at that time.

  On the other hand, when the command current Iocv input to the actuator 100A increases, the spool 100C is displaced from the position shown in FIG. 1 to the other side in the axial direction (the left side in FIGS. 1 and 2). Then, when the control port 101 is closed by a portion of the spool 100C on the tip side (left side in FIGS. 1 and 2) of the annular groove 105, the communication between the control port 101 and the discharge port 103 is released. Thus, the oil in the control oil chamber 42 of the oil pump 10 is not returned to the oil pan via the discharge port 103.

  When the command current Iocv further increases, the control port 101 communicates with the inside of the annular groove 105. Since the annular groove 105 communicates with the supply port 102, the control port 101 communicates with the supply port 102 via the annular groove 105 as shown in FIG. As a result, the oil flowing into the sleeve 100B via the supply port 102 is supplied to the control oil chamber 42 via the control port 101.

  When the annular groove 105 starts to communicate with the control port 101, as the designated current Iocv increases, the flow path cross-sectional area of the portion where the control port 101 communicates with the annular groove 105 gradually increases. Therefore, as the command current Iocv is larger, the amount of oil that can be supplied to the control oil chamber 42 via the control port 101 increases.

  When the spool 100C is arranged at the position shown in FIG. 1, communication between the discharge port 103 and the control port 101 is established, while communication between the control port 101 and the supply port 102 is interrupted. Therefore, no oil is supplied from the oil control valve 100 to the control oil chamber 42 of the oil pump 10 via the control oil passage 111. Hereinafter, the position shown in FIG. 1 is referred to as a “first position”.

  On the other hand, when the spool 100C is arranged at the position shown in FIG. 2, communication between the discharge port 103 and the control port 101 is cut off, while communication between the control port 101 and the supply port 102 is established. Therefore, oil is supplied from the oil control valve 100 to the control oil chamber 42 via the control oil passage 111. Hereinafter, the position illustrated in FIG. 2 is referred to as a “second position”.

  By the way, the oil in the control oil chamber 42 of the oil pump 10 leaks out of the control oil chamber 42 from the gap between the components of the oil pump 10. Therefore, in order not to lower the hydraulic pressure PC, it is necessary to continuously supply oil from the oil control valve 100 to the control oil chamber 42. Then, as the amount of oil supplied to the control oil chamber 42 via the control port 101 increases, the amount of oil supplied to the control oil chamber 42 and the leakage of oil from the control oil chamber 42 in a state where the hydraulic pressure PC is high. Amount and equilibrium. Therefore, in the present embodiment, as the command current Iocv increases, the adjustment ring 70 is displaced in a direction in which the volume of the control oil chamber 42 increases, and the oil discharge amount per one rotation of the input shaft 11 in the oil pump 10 is reduced. It gradually decreases.

Next, the control device 300 which is a control unit in the oil supply device 210 will be described.
As shown in FIG. 1, the oil supply device 210 includes a hydraulic pressure sensor 311, a temperature sensor 312, and a crank angle sensor 313. The hydraulic pressure sensor 311, the temperature sensor 312, and the crank angle sensor 313 are electrically connected to the control device 300.

  The hydraulic pressure sensor 311 detects a hydraulic pressure PS, which is a pressure of oil in the main gallery. Temperature sensor 312 detects oil temperature TMP, which is the temperature of oil supplied to oil pump 10. Further, the crank angle sensor 313 detects an engine rotation speed NE that is a rotation speed of the crankshaft. The control device 300 controls the operation of the oil pump 10 by controlling the command current Iocv for the actuator 100A of the oil control valve 100 based on the detected information.

  Basically, control device 300 controls oil control valve 100 based on oil pressure PS detected by oil pressure sensor 311 and performs feedback control of oil pressure PS in the main gallery toward required oil pressure PSt. That is, when the rotation speed of the oil pump is high or the required oil pressure PSt is low, this control reduces the amount of oil discharged per rotation to suppress excessive energy consumption due to driving of the oil pump. This is the amount reduction control. The required oil pressure PSt is calculated based on the operating state of the engine, the operating status of each device that is the oil demand part, and the like.

  Control device 300 may perform full discharge control for discharging oil from oil pump 10 in a state where instruction current Iocv for actuator 100A of oil control valve 100 is equal to “0”. For example, the control device 300 performs the full discharge control when it is determined that the oil pressure sensor 311 or the oil control valve 100 is abnormal.

  By the way, when so-called air suction occurs in which air is taken into the oil pump 10 together with oil, the volume of the control oil chamber 42 does not easily change even when the oil control valve 100 is operated. Then, a deviation occurs in the control of the hydraulic pressure PS.

  For example, as shown in FIG. 3, when the command current Iocv is increased at time t1 and the oil pressure PS is decreased toward the required oil pressure PSt, air suction occurs and the oil in the oil supply device 210 Contains air bubbles, there is a delay in the rise of the hydraulic pressure PC in the control oil chamber 42 with respect to the change in the command current Iocv. In FIG. 3, as a comparative example, changes in the hydraulic pressure PC and the hydraulic pressure PS when no air suction occurs are indicated by broken lines. The hydraulic pressure is indicated by a gauge pressure that makes the atmospheric pressure equivalent “0”.

  If the rise of the hydraulic pressure PC in the control oil chamber 42 is delayed, the decrease of the hydraulic pressure PS in the main gallery is also delayed. Then, with the elimination of the delay caused by the compression of the bubbles in the oil, the hydraulic pressure PS in the main gallery drops significantly, and an undershoot below the required hydraulic pressure PSt occurs. At this time, the oil pressure supplied to the oil control valve 100 through the supply oil passage 112 also decreases with an excessive decrease in the oil pressure PS in the main gallery. The hydraulic pressure PC inside is also reduced. When the oil pressure PC in the control oil chamber 42 decreases in this way, the oil pressure PS in the main gallery starts to increase, and this time the oil pressure PS exceeds the required oil pressure PSt and overshoots. Then, as the oil pressure PS in the main gallery excessively increases, the oil pressure supplied to the oil control valve 100 through the supply oil passage 112 also increases, so that the oil pressure PC in the control oil chamber 42 increases. When the hydraulic pressure PC in the control oil chamber 42 rises in this way, the hydraulic pressure PS in the main gallery starts to decrease, and again the hydraulic pressure PS falls below the required hydraulic pressure PSt and undershoots.

  As described above, when air is sucked and the oil contains bubbles, the volume of the control oil chamber 42 and the discharge amount change with respect to the operation of the oil control valve 100, and the hydraulic pressure PS in the main gallery. Is delayed. If the vertical movement of the hydraulic pressure PC in the control oil chamber 42 and the vertical movement of the hydraulic pressure PS in the main gallery are synchronized as shown in FIG. 3 due to the influence of this delay, hunting occurs in the discharge amount reduction control. As a result, the hydraulic pressure PS in the main gallery cannot be converged to the required hydraulic pressure PSt. As a result, a state in which the hydraulic pressure PS falls below the required hydraulic pressure PSt may occur, and there is a possibility that the supply of oil may become insufficient.

  Therefore, in the oil supply device 210, a determination process for determining that air suction has occurred is performed, and when it is determined that air suction has occurred, the discharge amount reduction control is stopped.

  FIG. 4 shows a processing procedure of a routine for switching whether or not to execute discharge amount reduction control for performing feedback control of the hydraulic pressure PS toward the required hydraulic pressure PSt. The processing of this routine is repeatedly executed by control device 300 when the engine is operating.

  When this routine is started, the control device 300 first determines whether or not a precondition for executing the discharge amount reduction control is satisfied in the process of step S100. The preconditions are, for example, the following (condition A), (condition B), and (condition C).

(Condition A) The start of the engine has been completed and the engine is in an autonomous operation state.
(Condition B) No failure of the oil control valve 100 is detected.
(Condition C) No failure of the oil pressure sensor 311 is detected.

In the process of step S100, when all of these conditions are satisfied, it is determined that the precondition is satisfied.
When it is determined that the precondition is satisfied in the process of step S100 (step S100: YES), control device 300 causes the process to proceed to step S110. Then, control device 300 determines whether or not the air suction flag has been cleared in the process of step S110. The air suction flag indicates that it is determined that air suction has occurred by being set, and that it is not determined that air suction has occurred by being cleared. It is a flag. Update of the air suction flag will be described later with reference to FIG.

  If it is determined in step S110 that the air suction flag has been cleared, that is, if the air suction flag has not been set (step S110: YES), control device 300 causes the process to proceed to step S120. Then, as the process of step S120, control device 300 executes the above-described discharge amount reduction control of performing feedback control toward requested hydraulic pressure PSt, and temporarily ends the routine.

  On the other hand, when it is determined that the air suction flag has not been cleared in the process of step S110, that is, that the air suction flag has been set (step S110: NO), the control device 300 executes the discharge amount reduction control. Instead, this routine is temporarily ended. Also, in the process of step S100, when it is determined that the precondition for executing the discharge amount reduction control is not satisfied (step S100: NO), control device 300 does not execute the discharge amount reduction control. This routine is once terminated. When the discharge amount reduction process is not performed, the control device 300 executes full discharge control for discharging oil from the oil pump 10 in a state where the instruction current Iocv is set to “0”.

  Next, an air intake flag update routine will be described with reference to FIG. The processing of this routine is repeatedly executed by control device 300 when the engine is operating.

  When this routine is started, the control device 300 first determines whether or not the engine is in a specific operation state based on the oil temperature TMP and the engine speed NE in the process of step S200. This determination is made in order to estimate whether or not the air suction is likely to occur.

  When the oil temperature TMP is low, since the viscosity of the oil is high, air is easily taken into the oil before it is supplied to the demand section and returns to the oil pump 10 again. When the engine speed NE is high and the rotation speed of the oil pump 10 is high, the amount of oil remaining in the oil pan is reduced, so that the oil pump 10 easily sucks air. That is, when the oil temperature TMP is low or when the engine speed NE is high, it can be said that air suction is likely to occur.

  Therefore, in the oil supply device 210, whether or not the engine is in the specific operation state is determined by using an operation map in which the oil temperature TMP and the engine speed NE are input and a value indicating whether or not the engine is in the specific operation state is output. Is determined. The state in which air suction is likely to occur is the specific operation state. This calculation map can be designed in such a manner that an experiment is performed in advance on an infinite number of combinations of the oil temperature TMP and the engine speed NE to confirm whether or not air suction has occurred.

  When it is determined in the process of step S200 that the vehicle is in the specific operation state (step S200: YES), control device 300 causes the process to proceed to step S210. Then, control device 300 determines whether or not the discharge amount reduction control is being executed in step S210.

  When it is determined that the discharge amount reduction control is being executed in the process of step S210 (step S210: YES), control device 300 causes the process to proceed to step S220. Then, control device 300 determines in step S220 whether hydraulic pressure PS in the main gallery is lower than lower limit hydraulic pressure PSmin. Note that the lower limit hydraulic pressure PSmin is a threshold value for determining that a deviation has occurred in the control of the hydraulic pressure PS by the discharge amount reduction control. Therefore, for example, when it is determined that the control of the hydraulic pressure PS has deviated when the hydraulic pressure PS falls below the required hydraulic pressure PSt and falls below 95% of the required hydraulic pressure PSt, the required hydraulic pressure PSt is reduced. The control device 300 may be designed so that the product obtained by multiplying the coefficient by “0.95” is the lower limit hydraulic pressure PSmin. Note that the magnitude of such a coefficient may be set by determining an appropriate magnitude that can determine the occurrence of air suction based on the hydraulic pressure PS through an experiment or the like.

  If it is determined in step S220 that the hydraulic pressure PS in the main gallery is lower than the lower limit hydraulic pressure PSmin (step S220: YES), control device 300 causes the process to proceed to step S230. Then, control device 300 increments counter CNT by one in the process of step S230.

  On the other hand, if it is determined in step S220 that the hydraulic pressure PS in the main gallery is equal to or greater than the lower limit hydraulic pressure PSmin (step S220: NO), control device 300 causes the process to proceed to step S235. Then, control device 300 resets counter CNT to “0” in the process of step S235. Also, when the control device 300 determines that the discharge amount reduction control is not being executed in the process of step S210 (step S210: NO), the process proceeds to step S235, and the counter CNT is reset to “0”. . That is, the counter CNT counts the number of times that it is continuously determined that the oil pressure PS has become lower than the lower oil pressure PSmin during execution of the discharge amount reduction control.

  After performing the process of step S230 or the process of step S235, control device 300 causes the process to proceed to step S240. Then, control device 300 determines whether or not counter CNT is equal to or greater than threshold value Cx in the process of step S240. It should be noted that the threshold value Cx is determined based on the number of times that the hydraulic pressure PS is continuously determined to be less than the lower limit hydraulic pressure PSmin during execution of the discharge amount reduction control to reach the number of times equal to the threshold value Cx. Is a threshold value for determining that an error has occurred. The magnitude of the threshold value Cx may be set to a magnitude that can suppress erroneous determination due to noise of the hydraulic pressure PS detected by the hydraulic pressure sensor 311, for example.

  If it is determined in step S240 that the counter CNT is equal to or greater than the threshold value Cx (step S240: YES), it is determined that air suction has occurred, and the control device 300 advances the process to step S250, and sets the air suction flag. Is set, and this routine is temporarily ended. If control device 300 determines in step S200 that the vehicle is not in the specific operation state (step S200: NO), control device 300 advances the process to step S255, clears the air suction flag, and temporarily ends the routine. .

  On the other hand, when it is determined that the counter CNT is smaller than the threshold value Cx in the process of step S240 (step S240: NO), this routine is temporarily ended as it is. That is, in this case, the control device 300 keeps the state of the air suction flag without changing it.

  By repeatedly executing the air suction flag updating routine, the control device 300 determines that air suction has occurred, and sets the air suction flag when it is determined that air suction has occurred. That is, in the oil supply device 210, the air suction flag updating routine corresponds to a determination process for determining that air suction has occurred.

  The operation of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 6 shows the oil supply device 210 with the oil pressure PS and the oil pressure PC when the command current Iocv is increased in a state where air is sucked and the oil contains bubbles as in the case of FIG. The change is shown.

  As shown in FIG. 6, when the command current Iocv is increased at the time t1 by performing the discharge amount reduction control, the change in the command current Iocv in the control oil chamber 42 in response to the change in the command current Iocv is performed similarly to the case of FIG. There is a delay in raising the hydraulic pressure PC. At this time, since the discharge amount reduction control is being executed, the precondition is satisfied (step S100: YES), and the air suction flag is cleared (step S110: YES). .

  If a delay occurs in raising the hydraulic pressure PC in the control oil chamber 42, a delay also occurs in lowering the hydraulic pressure PS in the main gallery. Then, with the elimination of the delay caused by the compression of the bubbles in the oil, the hydraulic pressure PS in the main gallery drops significantly, and an undershoot below the required hydraulic pressure PSt occurs. At this time, since the specific operation state in which air suction occurs (step S200: YES) and the discharge amount reduction control is being executed (step S210: YES), the hydraulic pressure PS is lower than the lower limit hydraulic pressure PSmin (step S220: YES). ), The counter CNT is counted up (step S230).

  Then, the state where the hydraulic pressure PS is lower than the lower limit hydraulic pressure PSmin (step S220: YES) continues, and when the counter CNT becomes equal to or more than the threshold value Cx at time t2 (step S240: YES), the air suction flag is set (step S250). .

  When the air suction flag is set at time t2 in this manner, even if the precondition is satisfied (step S100: YES), it is determined that the air suction flag is set (step S110: NO), thereby reducing the discharge amount. Control is stopped. That is, the command current Iocv is set to “0”, and the full discharge control is executed. When the full discharge control is performed, the hydraulic pressure PC in the control oil chamber 42 decreases to “0”, and the hydraulic pressure PS in the main gallery turns to increase and converges in a high state.

The effect of the present embodiment will be described.
(1) When the occurrence of air suction is determined, the discharge amount reduction control is stopped.

  Therefore, when the discharge amount reduction control for performing the feedback control of the hydraulic pressure PS is performed, when the hunting occurs and the air suction occurs in which the hydraulic pressure PS falls below the required hydraulic pressure PSt, the discharge amount reduction control is stopped. Accordingly, the oil pump 10 is operated by the full discharge control without reducing the discharge amount, so that it is possible to suppress a shortage of oil supply.

  (2) When determining that air suction has occurred, it is determined that the oil pressure PS is less than the lower limit oil pressure PSmin by using the counter CNT (step S220: YES) until the determination is repeated a plurality of times. The air suction flag is set in the condition. Therefore, erroneous determination due to noise of the hydraulic pressure PS detected by the hydraulic pressure sensor 311 can be suppressed.

  (3) When the air suction flag is set, during the specific operation state, the discharge amount reduction control is not executed (step S210: NO), and the hydraulic pressure PS is not less than the lower limit hydraulic pressure PSmin (step S220: NO). Even if it does, the state where the air suction flag is set is maintained (step S240: NO). As a result, when it is determined that the air suction has occurred and the discharge amount reduction control is stopped, the discharge amount reduction control is not performed thereafter during the specific operation state in which the air suction is likely to occur. Therefore, it is possible to suppress that the discharge amount reduction control is restarted immediately after the discharge amount reduction control is stopped and air suction is caused again.

  (4) When the air suction determination flag is no longer in the specific operation state (step S200: NO), it is cleared (step S255). For this reason, it is possible to prevent the state in which the discharge amount reduction control cannot be executed from continuing, and to prevent the benefit of the discharge amount reduction control of suppressing excessive energy consumption accompanying the driving of the oil pump.

This embodiment can be implemented with the following modifications. The present embodiment and the following modified examples can be implemented in combination with each other within a technically consistent range.
It is not always necessary to determine that the state in which the oil pressure PS is lower than the lower oil pressure PSmin (step S220: YES) is continued using the counter CNT. For example, the time during which the state in which the hydraulic pressure PS is lower than the lower limit hydraulic pressure PSmin (step S220: YES) is measured, and the air suction flag may be set based on that time reaching a predetermined time. Good.

  When setting the air suction flag, it is not essential that the condition that the oil pressure PS is lower than the lower oil pressure PSmin (step S220: YES) is continued. That is, when it is determined that the hydraulic pressure PS is lower than the lower limit hydraulic pressure PSmin (step S220: YES), the air suction flag may be set immediately.

  -The conditions for clearing the air suction flag may be changed. For example, the state of the air suction flag may be maintained until the operation of the engine is stopped, and the air suction flag may be cleared when the operation of the engine is stopped.

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 ... Oil pump, 11 ... Input shaft, 12 ... Suction port, 13 ... Discharge port, 13a ... Discharge oil path, 14 ... Opening, 15 ... Spring, 40 ... Housing space, 41 ... Working chamber, 42 ... Control oil chamber Reference numeral 50, inner rotor, 51, outer teeth, 60, outer rotor, 61, inner teeth, 70, adjusting ring, 71, main body, 72, projecting portion, 81, guide pin, 82, guide pin, 83, first seal member , 84: second seal member, 100: oil control valve, 100A: actuator, 100B: sleeve, 100C: spool, 100D: valve spring, 101: control port, 102: supply port, 103: discharge port, 105: annular groove Reference numeral 111: control oil passage 112: supply oil passage 113: discharge oil passage 210: oil supply device 300: control device 311: oil pressure sensor 312 ... temperature sensor, 313 ... Crank angle sensor, 711 ... elongated hole, 712 ... long hole.

Claims (1)

A variable displacement oil pump capable of changing the discharge amount per rotation by changing the volume of the control oil chamber,
An oil control valve that controls introduction of oil discharged from the oil pump to the control oil chamber and discharge of oil from the control oil chamber;
An oil pressure sensor that detects oil pressure in a main gallery that distributes oil to a demand part of the oil,
A control unit that controls the oil control valve based on the oil pressure detected by the oil pressure sensor, and performs a discharge amount reduction control that performs feedback control on the oil pressure in the main gallery toward a required oil pressure. And
The control unit executes a determination process of determining that air has been sucked into the oil pump together with the oil based on the oil temperature, the rotation speed, and the oil pressure detected by the oil pressure sensor. An oil supply device that stops the discharge amount reduction control when it is determined that air suction has occurred through processing.