JP2021069154A - Control device - Google Patents

Abstract

To improve comfort inside a vehicle.SOLUTION: A control device 100 includes a control section for controlling a carrier frequency of an inverter 22 capable of controlling power to be supplied to a motor 21 mounted on a vehicle 1 by a pulse width modulation method in accordance with in-vehicle sound being sound generated inside the vehicle 1. The control section controls the carrier frequency to be a representative frequency of the in-vehicle sound or to be a frequency of an integer multiple of the representative frequency, or controls the carrier frequency to be a frequency of sound which forms a chord together with the representative frequency of the in-vehicle sound.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a control device.

In a vehicle, in order to control the operation of the motor, an inverter capable of controlling the electric power supplied to the motor by a pulse width modulation (PWM) method is used. For example, in a vehicle (for example, a hybrid vehicle) provided with a drive motor that outputs power for driving wheels as a drive source, the drive motor and the battery are connected via an inverter as disclosed in Patent Document 1. The power supplied to the drive motor is controlled by the PWM method.

Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2016-155439

By the way, in the PWM method, a PWM control signal is generated by comparing a voltage command and a carrier signal (for example, a triangular wave), and an inverter is driven based on the PWM control signal. Here, when the inverter is driven by the PWM method, the frequency of the output voltage of the inverter is controlled by the carrier frequency (that is, the frequency of the carrier signal), so that the sound is mainly composed of the carrier frequency. Inverter noise is generated. The inverter sound generated in this way may be perceived as an unpleasant sound by the occupant in the vehicle, and may be a factor of impairing comfort.

Therefore, in view of such a problem, an object of the present invention is to provide a control device capable of improving comfort in a vehicle.

In order to solve the above problems, the control device of the present invention sets the carrier frequency of the inverter capable of controlling the electric power supplied to the motor mounted on the vehicle by the pulse width modulation method, which is the sound generated in the vehicle. It is provided with a control unit that controls according to the above.

The control unit may control the carrier frequency to a representative frequency of the vehicle interior sound or a frequency that is an integral multiple of the representative frequency.

The control unit may control the carrier frequency to the frequency of the sound forming a chord together with the sound of the representative frequency of the vehicle interior sound.

The chord may be a major chord.

The control unit may preferentially determine a frequency having a high intensity among the frequencies included in the vehicle interior sound as a representative frequency.

The control unit may control the carrier frequency so that the efficiency of the inverter is high.

The in-vehicle sound may include a sound reproduced by an audio device in the vehicle.

The in-vehicle sound may include a sound detected by a microphone in the vehicle.

The control unit may control the carrier frequency according to the speed of the vehicle.

The control unit may increase the carrier frequency as the speed of the vehicle increases while the vehicle is accelerating.

According to the present invention, it is possible to improve the comfort in the vehicle.

It is a schematic diagram which shows the schematic structure of the vehicle which mounts the control device which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram which shows an example of the functional structure of the control device which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the flow of the process concerning the control of the carrier frequency of the inverter performed by the control device which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows an example of the frequency characteristic of the car interior sound which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a schematic diagram which shows an example of the sound of the representative frequency of the car interior sound which concerns on embodiment of this invention, and the 2nd harmonic overtone with respect to the said sound. It is a schematic diagram which shows an example of the sound of the representative frequency of the car interior sound which concerns on embodiment of this invention, and the sound which forms a chord together with the sound.

Preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. The dimensions, materials, other specific numerical values, etc. shown in the embodiment are merely examples for facilitating the understanding of the invention, and do not limit the present invention unless otherwise specified. In the present specification and drawings, elements having substantially the same function and configuration are designated by the same reference numerals to omit duplicate description, and elements not directly related to the present invention are not shown. To do.

<Vehicle configuration>
The configuration of the vehicle 1 on which the control device 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention is mounted will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.

The vehicle 1 described below is only an example of a vehicle equipped with the control device according to the embodiment of the present invention, and the vehicle equipped with the control device according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described later. , The vehicle 1 is not particularly limited.

Further, in the following, an example in which the carrier frequency of the inverter 22 that controls the electric power supplied to the motor 21 which is a drive motor for outputting the power for driving the drive wheels 52 is controlled by the control device 100 will be described. The device 100 may control the carrier frequency of the inverter that controls the electric power supplied to the motor for purposes other than the drive motor in the same manner as in the example described later.

FIG. 1 is a schematic view showing a schematic configuration of a vehicle 1 on which the control device 100 is mounted.

As shown in FIG. 1, the vehicle 1 is a hybrid vehicle including an engine 11 and a motor 21 as drive sources. The driving modes of the vehicle 1 are, for example, an HV driving mode in which the vehicle 1 is driven by using the power output from both the engine 11 and the motor 21, and a vehicle using the power output from the motor 21 by stopping the engine 11. It is possible to switch between the EV driving mode in which 1 is driven.

Specifically, the vehicle 1 includes an engine 11, a motor 21, an inverter 22, a battery 23, an audio device 31, a power transmission system 51, a drive wheel 52, a microphone 91, a vehicle speed sensor 92, and the like. It includes a control device 100.

The vehicle 1 may be appropriately provided with components other than the components shown in FIG. 1 (for example, between the engine 11 and the power transmission system 51, a clutch, a forward / backward switching mechanism, or a power generation device). A power split mechanism connected to the motor, etc. may be provided), but these figures are omitted for ease of understanding.

The engine 11 is an internal combustion engine that generates power using gasoline or the like as fuel. The crankshaft, which is the output shaft of the engine 11, is connected to the input side of the power transmission system 51, and the power output from the engine 11 is transmitted to the drive wheels 52 via the power transmission system 51.

The motor 21 is, for example, a three-phase AC motor, and is connected to the battery 23 via an inverter 22. The motor 21 is driven by using the electric power of the battery 23 to output power. The output shaft of the motor 21 is connected to the input side of the power transmission system 51, and the power output from the motor 21 is transmitted to the drive wheels 52 via the power transmission system 51.

The motor 21 may be a motor generator that is regeneratively driven when the vehicle 1 is decelerated and can generate electricity by using the kinetic energy of the drive wheels 52. In this case, the electric power generated by the motor 21 is supplied to the battery 23 via the inverter 22. As a result, the battery 23 is charged by the electric power generated by the motor 21.

The battery 23 is a battery capable of charging and discharging electric power. As the battery 23, for example, a lithium ion battery, a lithium ion polymer battery, a nickel hydrogen battery, a nickel cadmium battery or a lead storage battery is used, but batteries other than these may be used. The battery 23 stores the electric power supplied to the motor 21.

The inverter 22 is a power conversion device that performs bidirectional power conversion. For example, the inverter 22 includes a three-phase bridge circuit. The inverter 22 can convert the DC power supplied from the battery 23 into AC power and supply it to the motor 21. Further, the inverter 22 can convert the AC power generated by the motor 21 into DC power and supply it to the battery 23.

Specifically, the conversion of electric power by the inverter 22 is performed by controlling the operation of the switching element provided in the inverter 22. Here, the inverter 22 can control the electric power supplied to the motor 21 by a PWM method (that is, a pulse width modulation method). The details of power supply control by the PWM method will be described later.

The output side of the power transmission system 51 is connected to the axle of the drive wheel 52, and the power output from the engine 11 or the motor 21 is transmitted to the drive wheel 52 via the power transmission system 51 and the axle. Specifically, the power transmission system 51 includes a transmission such as a CVT (Continuously Variable Transmission), and the power output from the engine 11 or the motor 21 is changed by the power transmission system 51 and transmitted to the drive wheels 52.

In the vehicle 1, the drive wheels 52 to which the power output from the drive source (that is, the engine 11 or the motor 21) is transmitted may be front wheels or rear wheels. Further, the power output from the output side of the power transmission system 51 may be transmitted to both the front wheels and the rear wheels via a propeller shaft (not shown).

The audio device 31 is a device that reproduces sound in the vehicle 1. Specifically, the audio device 31 includes a speaker and reproduces a sound such as a musical piece selected by the occupant from the speaker. The sound source data of the sound reproduced by the audio device 31 can be stored in, for example, a storage medium (for example, a compact disc) read by the audio device 31 or a terminal (for example, a smartphone) that communicates with the audio device 31. Here, the sound reproduced by the audio device 31 in the vehicle 1 corresponds to an example of the sound in the vehicle, which is the sound generated in the vehicle 1.

The microphone 91 detects the sound generated in the vehicle 1 and outputs the detection result to the control device 100. Here, the sound detected by the microphone 91 in the vehicle 1 corresponds to an example of the in-vehicle sound which is the sound generated in the vehicle 1.

The vehicle speed sensor 92 detects the vehicle speed, which is the speed of the vehicle 1, and outputs the detection result to the control device 100.

The control device 100 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit) which is an arithmetic processing unit, a ROM (Read Only Memory) which is a storage element for storing programs and arithmetic parameters used by the CPU, and parameters which are appropriately changed in the execution of the CPU. A RAM (Random Access Memory) or the like, which is a storage element for temporarily storing the above, is included.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of the control device 100. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the control device 100 has an acquisition unit 110 and a control unit 120.

The acquisition unit 110 acquires various information used in the processing performed by the control unit 120. Further, the acquisition unit 110 outputs the acquired information to the control unit 120. For example, the acquisition unit 110 acquires various information output from the microphone 91 and the vehicle speed sensor 92.

The control unit 120 controls the operation of each device in the vehicle 1. For example, the control unit 120 includes an engine control unit 121, a motor control unit 122, and an audio control unit 123.

The engine control unit 121 controls the operation of the engine 11. Specifically, the engine control unit 121 controls the throttle opening degree, the ignition timing, the fuel injection amount, and the like by controlling the operation of each device in the engine 11. Thereby, the engine control unit 121 can control the output of the engine 11.

The motor control unit 122 controls the operation of the motor 21. Specifically, the motor control unit 122 controls the supply of electric power between the battery 23 and the motor 21 by controlling the operation of the switching element of the inverter 22. Thereby, the motor control unit 122 can control the generation of power and the power generation by the motor 21.

Here, the inverter 22 is driven based on the PWM control signal output from the motor control unit 122. Specifically, the motor control unit 122 generates a voltage command and a carrier signal, respectively, and generates a PWM control signal by comparing the voltage command and the carrier signal. In this way, since the inverter 22 is driven by the PWM method, the frequency of the output voltage of the inverter 22 is controlled by the carrier frequency (that is, the frequency of the carrier signal). As a result, an inverter sound having a carrier frequency as a main component is generated from the inverter 22.

As described above, in the vehicle 1, the traveling mode is switched between, for example, the HEV traveling mode and the EV traveling mode. For example, the control unit 120 switches the traveling mode of the vehicle 1 based on the required driving force (that is, the required value of the power transmitted to the driving wheels 52). Specifically, the control unit 120 switches the traveling mode of the vehicle 1 to the HEV traveling mode when the required driving force is larger than the reference driving force. On the other hand, when the required driving force is equal to or less than the reference driving force, the control unit 120 switches the traveling mode of the vehicle 1 to the EV traveling mode. The reference driving force is set to a value smaller than the maximum value of the power that can be transmitted from the motor 21 to the drive wheels 52, and is set according to the specifications of the motor 21 from the viewpoint of improving the electricity cost, for example. The control unit 120 can specify the required driving force based on, for example, the accelerator opening degree and the vehicle speed.

The audio control unit 123 controls the operation of the audio device 31. Specifically, the audio control unit 123 controls the reproduction of sound by the audio device 31.

As described above, the control device 100 communicates with each device mounted on the vehicle 1. Communication between the control device 100 and each device is realized by using, for example, CAN (Control Area Network) communication.

The function of the control device 100 according to the present embodiment may be partially divided by a plurality of control devices, or the plurality of functions may be realized by one control device. When the function of the control device 100 is partially divided by a plurality of control devices, the plurality of control devices may be connected to each other via a communication bus such as CAN.

As described above, the control unit 120 (specifically, the motor control unit 122) of the control device 100 controls the operation of the inverter 22. Here, in the present embodiment, the control unit 120 controls the carrier frequency of the inverter 22 according to the sound inside the vehicle, which is the sound generated in the vehicle 1. As a result, it is possible to suppress the discomfort given to the occupant due to the inverter sound, and thus it is possible to improve the comfort in the vehicle 1. The details of such processing related to the control of the carrier frequency of the inverter 22 performed by the control unit 120 of the control device 100 will be described later.

<Operation of control device>
Subsequently, the operation of the control device 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 6.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of a processing flow related to control of the carrier frequency of the inverter 22 performed by the control device 100. Specifically, the control flow shown in FIG. 3 is repeatedly executed by the control unit 120 at set time intervals.

When the control flow shown in FIG. 3 is started, first, in step S501, the control unit 120 determines a representative frequency of the sound inside the vehicle.

As will be described later, in the control flow shown in FIG. 3, by controlling the carrier frequency based on the representative frequency, the inverter sound whose main component is the carrier frequency can be harmonized with the sound inside the vehicle. As a result, it is possible to prevent the occupant from being discomforted by the inverter sound. Here, specifically, the inverter sound is adjusted so as to be in harmony with the sound of the representative frequency among the various frequencies included in the vehicle interior sound. From the viewpoint of appropriately harmonizing the inverter sound with the sound inside the vehicle, the representative frequency is preferably a frequency that is particularly strongly felt by the occupant among various frequencies included in the sound inside the vehicle.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram showing an example of the frequency characteristics of the sound inside the vehicle. Specifically, in FIG. 4, each intensity (specifically, sound pressure level) [dB] of the frequency [Hz] mainly included in the sound inside the vehicle is shown.

In FIG. 4, the frequency characteristics of the sounds detected by the microphone 91 among the sounds in the vehicle are shown by solid lines, and the frequency characteristics of the sounds reproduced by the audio device 31 are shown by broken lines. Specifically, the sound detected by the microphone 91 mainly includes frequencies F11, F12, and F13. On the other hand, the sound reproduced by the audio device 31 mainly includes frequencies F21 and F22. These frequencies increase in the order of frequencies F11, F21, F12, F22, and F13. Further, the intensities of these frequencies increase in the order of frequencies F21, F13, F11, F12, and F22.

In the example shown in FIG. 4, the control unit 120 determines a representative frequency from, for example, frequencies F11, F12, F13, F21, and F22. Here, from the viewpoint of appropriately harmonizing the inverter sound with the sound inside the vehicle, as described above, the representative frequency is preferably a frequency that is particularly strongly felt by the occupant among various frequencies included in the sound inside the vehicle. Therefore, it is preferable that the control unit 120 preferentially determines a frequency having a high intensity among the frequencies included in the vehicle interior sound as a representative frequency. For example, in the example shown in FIG. 4, the control unit 120 determines the frequency having the highest intensity among the frequencies F11, F12, F13, F21, and F22 (that is, the frequency F22 included in the sound reproduced by the audio device 31). Determined as a representative frequency.

Next, in step S503, the control unit 120 controls the carrier frequency based on the representative frequency determined in step S501, and the control flow shown in FIG. 3 ends.

In the control of the carrier frequency based on the representative frequency of the vehicle interior sound, the carrier frequency may be controlled so that the inverter sound is in harmony with the sound of the representative frequency, and various controls may be included. Hereinafter, as an example of controlling the carrier frequency based on the representative frequency of the vehicle interior sound, the first example and the second example will be described in this order with reference to FIGS. 5 and 6.

[First example]
In the first example, the control unit 120 controls the carrier frequency of the inverter 22 to a representative frequency of the sound inside the vehicle or a frequency that is an integral multiple of the representative frequency.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram showing an example of a sound N1 having a representative frequency of a vehicle interior sound and a double harmonic overtone N2 (that is, a sound having a frequency twice the representative frequency) with respect to the sound N1.

The example shown in FIG. 5 is an example when the representative frequency is approximately 440 Hz. In this case, the sound N1 of the representative frequency is the sound of La (that is, the sound of A in Japanese notation or the sound of A in German notation) as shown in FIG. Further, since the frequency twice the representative frequency is approximately 880 Hz, the second overtone N2 is a la sound one octave higher than the sound N1 as shown in FIG.

In the example shown in FIG. 5, the control unit 120 may control the carrier frequency of the inverter 22 to the frequency of the sound N1, which is a representative frequency, for example. As a result, the pitch of the inverter sound whose main component is the carrier frequency can be matched with the pitch of the representative frequency of the vehicle interior sound, so that the inverter sound can be appropriately harmonized with the vehicle interior sound. Therefore, it is possible to appropriately suppress the discomfort given to the occupant by the inverter sound.

Further, in the example shown in FIG. 5, the control unit 120 may control, for example, the carrier frequency of the inverter 22 to the frequency of the overtone N2, which is twice the frequency of the representative frequency. Here, the reference sound and the sound having a frequency that is an integral multiple of the frequency of the sound (that is, the overtone) are likely to be in harmony with each other. The overtones tend to be less unpleasant to humans. Therefore, by controlling the carrier frequency to a frequency that is an integral multiple of the representative frequency of the vehicle interior sound, the inverter sound can be appropriately harmonized with the vehicle interior sound. Therefore, it is possible to appropriately suppress the discomfort given to the occupant due to the inverter sound.

In the above description, an example in which the carrier frequency of the inverter 22 is controlled to a frequency twice the representative frequency has been described, but the control unit 120 sets the carrier frequency of the inverter 22 to an integral multiple other than twice the representative frequency. The frequency may be controlled to (for example, 3 times or 4 times).

[Second example]
In the second example, the control unit 120 controls the carrier frequency of the inverter 22 to the frequency of the sound forming a chord together with the sound of the representative frequency of the vehicle interior sound.

Note that chords are formed by pitch class sounds of different pitches, and as chords, for example, three chords (specifically, the root note, the third note three degrees above the root note, and the root note. On the other hand, there are chords consisting of three notes of the fifth note, which is five degrees above, or four chords (specifically, a chord in which the seventh note, which is seven degrees above the root note, is added to the three chords).

FIG. 6 is a schematic view showing an example of a sound N3 having a representative frequency of a vehicle interior sound and sounds N4 and N5 forming a chord together with the sound N3.

The example shown in FIG. 6 corresponds to the case where the representative frequency is approximately 261.63 Hz. In this case, the sound N3 of the representative frequency is the sound of do (that is, the sound of C in Japanese notation or the sound of C in German notation) as shown in FIG. Here, as shown in FIG. 6, the sound N4 is the sound of Mi (that is, the sound of E in Japanese notation or the sound of E in German notation), and the sound N5 is the sound of So (that is, the sound of So). The sound of G in Japanese notation or the sound of G in German notation). Therefore, the C chords of major chords are formed by the sounds N3, N4, and N5.

In the example shown in FIG. 6, the control unit 120 controls, for example, the carrier frequency of the inverter 22 to the frequency of the sound N4 or the sound N5 that forms a C code together with the sound N3 of the representative frequency. Here, the sounds forming a chord tend to be in harmony with each other. For example, when another sound forming a chord is generated together with the sound in a situation where a certain sound is generated, the other sound is unpleasant to a person. It tends to be hard to feel. Therefore, by controlling the carrier frequency to the frequency of the sound that forms a chord together with the sound of the representative frequency of the vehicle interior sound, the inverter sound can be appropriately harmonized with the vehicle interior sound. Therefore, it is possible to appropriately suppress the discomfort given to the occupant due to the inverter sound.

In the above, in the example shown in FIG. 6, an example in which the carrier frequency is controlled to the frequency of sound N4 or sound N5 has been described, but even if the carrier frequency contains components of a plurality of frequencies different from each other. Often, the control unit 120 may control the carrier frequency so that the carrier frequency includes both the frequency component of the sound N4 and the frequency component of the sound N5. As a result, the C chord of the major chord can be formed by the inverter sound including the sound N4 and the sound N5 and the sound N3 of the representative frequency of the vehicle interior sound, so that the inverter sound is appropriately harmonized with the vehicle interior sound. Can be done.

In this way, the control unit 120 can generate a plurality of sounds having different pitches as inverter sounds by controlling the carrier frequencies so that the carrier frequencies include components of a plurality of frequencies different from each other. .. When a plurality of inverters are provided in the vehicle and the carrier frequency of each inverter can be controlled individually (for example, when a motor is provided for each wheel), the control unit 120 may be used. By making the carrier frequencies of the inverters different, it is possible to generate a plurality of sounds having different pitches as the inverter sounds.

Further, in the above, an example in which the carrier frequency of the inverter 22 is controlled to the frequency of the sound forming the C chord together with the sound of the representative frequency of the vehicle interior sound has been described, but the chord other than the C chord is described as the chord including the sound of the representative frequency. May be used. For example, when the sound of the representative frequency is the sound of Do as described above, the carrier frequency may be controlled to the frequency of the sound forming a chord other than the C chord including the sound of Do. Further, a tetrad may be used as a chord including a sound having a representative frequency.

However, from the viewpoint of effectively improving the comfort in the vehicle 1, the carrier frequency of the inverter 22 is a major chord (that is, a major chord) together with the sound of the representative frequency of the vehicle interior sound as shown in FIG. ) Is preferably controlled by the frequency of the sound forming. The carrier frequency may be controlled to the frequency of a sound forming a minor chord (that is, a minor chord) together with the sound of the representative frequency. However, in general, major chords tend to give a brighter impression to humans than other chords such as minor chords. Therefore, from the above viewpoint, the carrier frequency is a sound that forms a major chord together with a sound of a representative frequency. It is preferably controlled by frequency.

Here, from the viewpoint of improving the energy efficiency of the vehicle 1, it is preferable that the control unit 120 controls the carrier frequency of the inverter 22 so that the efficiency of the inverter 22 becomes high. For example, in the example shown in FIG. 5, if the efficiency of the inverter 22 is higher when the carrier frequency is controlled to the frequency of the sound N2 than when the carrier frequency is controlled to the frequency of the sound N1. The control unit 120 may control the carrier frequency to the frequency of the sound N2. Further, for example, in the example shown in FIG. 6, the efficiency of the inverter 22 is higher when the carrier frequency is controlled to the frequency of the sound N4 than when the carrier frequency is controlled to the frequency of the sound N5. For example, the control unit 120 may control the carrier frequency to the frequency of the sound N4.

In the above description, an example in which the number of representative frequencies determined from the frequencies included in the vehicle interior sound is one has been described, but the number of representative frequencies determined may be plural. For example, the control unit 120 has a plurality of frequencies (for example, the frequency F22 in the example of FIG. 4) in descending order of intensity from the frequency having the highest intensity among the frequencies included in the vehicle interior sound (for example, the frequency F22 in the example of FIG. 4). F12, F11) may be determined as a representative frequency. In this case, the control unit 120 may, for example, determine carrier frequency candidates according to each representative frequency, and determine the carrier frequency from among those carrier frequency candidates.

For example, when the frequencies F22, F12, and F11 are determined as the representative frequencies, the control unit 120 has a frequency F22, a frequency twice the frequency F22, a frequency F12, a frequency twice the frequency F12, a frequency F11, and a frequency F11. A frequency twice as high as the carrier frequency is determined as a candidate for the carrier frequency. Then, the control unit 120 determines, for example, the carrier frequency from these carrier frequency candidates so that the efficiency of the inverter 22 becomes high.

An example of controlling the carrier frequency based on the representative frequency of the in-vehicle sound has been described above with reference to the control flow shown in FIG. 3, but the carrier frequency is controlled by using parameters other than the representative frequency of the in-vehicle sound. May be done.

For example, the control unit 120 may control the carrier frequency according to the speed of the vehicle 1 (that is, the vehicle speed). Here, the sound inside the vehicle changes according to the vehicle speed. For example, the vehicle interior sound tends to increase (that is, the frequency of the vehicle interior sound increases) due to the increase in the number of revolutions of the engine 11 as the vehicle speed increases. Therefore, by controlling the carrier frequency according to the vehicle speed, the carrier frequency can be controlled according to the vehicle interior sound, so that the inverter sound can be appropriately harmonized with the vehicle interior sound. Therefore, it is possible to appropriately suppress the discomfort given to the occupant by the inverter sound. In particular, from the viewpoint of improving the comfort in the vehicle 1 during acceleration of the vehicle 1, it is preferable that the control unit 120 increases the carrier frequency of the inverter 22 as the vehicle speed increases during the acceleration of the vehicle 1.

<Effect of control device>
Subsequently, the effect of the control device 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention will be described.

In the control device 100 according to the present embodiment, the control unit 120 controls the carrier frequency of the inverter 22 according to the in-vehicle sound which is the sound generated in the vehicle 1. As a result, it is possible to prevent the occupant from being uncomfortable due to the inverter sound whose main component is the carrier frequency. Therefore, the comfort in the vehicle 1 can be improved.

Further, in the control device 100 according to the present embodiment, it is preferable that the control unit 120 controls the carrier frequency of the inverter 22 to a representative frequency of the sound in the vehicle or a frequency that is an integral multiple of the representative frequency. Thereby, the pitch of the inverter sound can be matched with the pitch of the representative frequency of the vehicle interior sound, or the inverter sound can be made a harmonic overtone of the sound of the representative frequency of the vehicle interior sound. Therefore, the inverter sound can be appropriately harmonized with the sound inside the vehicle. Therefore, it is possible to appropriately suppress the discomfort given to the occupant due to the inverter sound.

Further, in the control device 100 according to the present embodiment, it is preferable that the control unit 120 controls the carrier frequency of the inverter 22 to the frequency of the sound forming a chord together with the sound of the representative frequency of the vehicle interior sound. As a result, the relationship between the inverter sound and the sound of the representative frequency of the vehicle interior sound can be changed to the relationship between the sounds forming the chord. Therefore, the inverter sound can be appropriately harmonized with the sound inside the vehicle. Therefore, it is possible to appropriately suppress the discomfort given to the occupant due to the inverter sound.

Further, in the control device 100 according to the present embodiment, the chord is preferably a major chord. As mentioned above, in general, major chords (ie, major chords) tend to give a brighter impression to humans than other chords, such as minor chords (ie, minor chords). Therefore, by controlling the carrier frequency of the inverter 22 to the frequency of the sound forming the major code together with the sound of the representative frequency of the sound inside the vehicle, the comfort in the vehicle 1 can be effectively improved.

Further, in the control device 100 according to the present embodiment, it is preferable that the control unit 120 preferentially determines a frequency having a high intensity among the frequencies included in the vehicle interior sound as a representative frequency. Thereby, the inverter sound can be harmonized with the sound of the frequency that is particularly strongly felt by the occupant among the various frequencies included in the vehicle interior sound. Therefore, it is possible to appropriately harmonize the inverter sound with the sound inside the vehicle.

Further, in the control device 100 according to the present embodiment, it is preferable that the control unit 120 controls the carrier frequency of the inverter 22 so that the efficiency of the inverter 22 becomes high. Thereby, the energy efficiency in the vehicle 1 can be improved.

Further, in the control device 100 according to the present embodiment, it is preferable that the vehicle interior sound includes the sound reproduced by the audio device 31 in the vehicle 1. As a result, the inverter sound can be appropriately harmonized with the sound reproduced in the vehicle 1 by the audio device 31, so that it is possible to appropriately suppress the discomfort caused by the inverter sound to the occupant.

Further, in the control device 100 according to the present embodiment, it is preferable that the vehicle interior sound includes the sound detected by the microphone 91 in the vehicle 1. As a result, the inverter sound can be appropriately harmonized with the sound generated in the vehicle 1, so that it is possible to appropriately suppress the discomfort caused by the inverter sound to the occupant.

Further, in the control device 100 according to the present embodiment, it is preferable that the control unit 120 controls the carrier frequency of the inverter 22 according to the speed of the vehicle 1 (that is, the vehicle speed). As a result, the inverter sound can be appropriately harmonized with the sound inside the vehicle according to the vehicle speed. Therefore, it is possible to appropriately suppress the discomfort given to the occupant by the inverter sound.

Further, in the control device 100 according to the present embodiment, it is preferable that the control unit 120 increases the carrier frequency of the inverter 22 as the vehicle speed increases while the vehicle 1 is accelerating. Thereby, the comfort in the vehicle 1 during acceleration of the vehicle 1 can be improved.

Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings, the present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments, and various modifications in the scope of claims are described. It goes without saying that the modified examples also belong to the technical scope of the present invention.

For example, although the configuration of the vehicle 1 has been described above with reference to FIG. 1, the configuration of the vehicle according to the present invention is not limited to such an example. The vehicle according to the present invention may be, for example, a vehicle 1 shown in FIG. 1 with some components deleted, added or changed. For example, the vehicle according to the present invention may be a vehicle in which the position of the motor 21 is changed with respect to the vehicle 1 shown in FIG. 1 so that the motor 21 is connected to the output side of the power transmission system 51. Further, the vehicle according to the present invention may be, for example, an electric vehicle having only a motor without an engine as a drive source. Further, the vehicle according to the present invention may be, for example, a vehicle in which a motor is provided for each wheel (that is, four motors are provided).

Further, for example, the processes described by using the flowchart in the present specification do not necessarily have to be executed in the order shown in the flowchart. Further, additional processing steps may be adopted, and some processing steps may be omitted.

The present invention can be used in a control device.

1 Vehicle 11 Engine 21 Motor 22 Inverter 23 Battery 31 Audio equipment 51 Power transmission system 52 Drive wheel 91 Microphone 92 Vehicle speed sensor 100 Control device 110 Acquisition unit 120 Control unit 121 Engine control unit 122 Motor control unit 123 Audio control unit

Claims (10)

It is provided with a control unit that controls the carrier frequency of the inverter capable of controlling the electric power supplied to the motor mounted on the vehicle by the pulse width modulation method according to the sound inside the vehicle, which is the sound generated in the vehicle.
Control device. The control unit controls the carrier frequency to a representative frequency of the in-vehicle sound or a frequency that is an integral multiple of the representative frequency.
The control device according to claim 1. The control unit controls the carrier frequency to a frequency of a sound forming a chord together with a sound having a representative frequency of the in-vehicle sound.
The control device according to claim 1 or 2. The chord is a major chord,
The control device according to claim 3. The control unit preferentially determines a frequency having a high intensity among the frequencies included in the vehicle interior sound as the representative frequency.
The control device according to any one of claims 2 to 4. The control unit controls the carrier frequency so that the efficiency of the inverter is high.
The control device according to any one of claims 1 to 5. The in-vehicle sound includes a sound reproduced by an audio device in the vehicle.
The control device according to any one of claims 1 to 6. The in-vehicle sound includes a sound detected by a microphone in the vehicle.
The control device according to any one of claims 1 to 7. The control unit controls the carrier frequency according to the speed of the vehicle.
The control device according to any one of claims 1 to 8. The control unit increases the carrier frequency as the speed of the vehicle increases during acceleration of the vehicle.
The control device according to claim 9.

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