JP2022168412A - Shift device for electric vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

To enable a driver to easily select desired regenerative braking force in a shift device of an electric vehicle.SOLUTION: A shift device 10 for an electric vehicle 1 can switch regenerative braking force generated by an electric motor 2 to a plurality of regenerative levels and includes a shift lever 11 movable to a home position and a plurality of shift positions. The shift lever 11 moves from the home position to any one of the shift positions by force applied thereto and returns to the home position from any one of the shift positions by the force released therefrom. The shift positions include: an up position for switching the regenerative levels so as to increase the regenerative braking force; and a down position for switching the regenerative levels so as to decrease the regenerative braking force. The up position and the down position are disposed adjacent to each other across the home position.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a shift device for switching the magnitude of regenerative braking force in an electric vehicle equipped with an electric motor.

2. Description of the Related Art An electric vehicle that runs on an electric motor is known to obtain regenerative braking force by operating the electric motor as a generator during coasting or deceleration. From the viewpoint of securing a large amount of regenerative energy (regenerative power generation amount), it is desirable to increase the regenerative braking force. There is a risk of giving

On the other hand, it has been proposed that the regenerative braking force can be changed stepwise according to the driver's operation of the paddle switch provided on the steering wheel. For example, Patent Document 1 discloses that the regenerative braking force can be finely increased or decreased according to the operation of the paddle switch, while the regenerative braking force can be greatly increased according to the operation of the shift lever provided in the driver's seat. A technique for doing so is disclosed. According to this technique, the paddle switch can be used to finely increase or decrease the regenerative braking force, and the shift lever can be used to quickly increase the regenerative braking force.

JP 2015-029417 A

However, since the paddle switch as described in Patent Document 1 is provided on the steering wheel, there is a problem that it is difficult for the driver to operate the paddle switch while the driver is rotating the steering wheel on a curved road, for example. . Further, with the shift lever described in Patent Document 1, even if the regenerative braking force can be greatly increased, the regenerative braking force cannot be increased or decreased stepwise. Therefore, the conventional technology has room for improvement in enabling the driver to easily select the desired regenerative braking force.

The present invention was created in view of the above problems, and one of the objects thereof is to enable a driver to easily select a desired regenerative braking force in a shift device for an electric vehicle.

The present invention has been made to solve at least part of the above problems, and can be implemented as the following aspects or application examples.
A shift device for an electric vehicle according to this application example is a shift device for an electric vehicle that can switch regenerative braking force generated by an electric motor to a plurality of regeneration levels, and is movable between a home position and a plurality of shift positions. A shift lever that moves from the home position to any one of the shift positions when force is applied and returns from any one of the shift positions to the home position when the force is released. wherein the shift position includes an up position for switching the regeneration level so as to increase the regenerative braking force and a down position for switching the regeneration level so as to decrease the regenerative braking force; and the down position are arranged adjacent to each other with the home position interposed therebetween.

In this way, if the shift position of the so-called momentary shift lever includes the up position and down position for switching the regeneration level, the driver only needs to move the shift lever from the home position to the up position or down position. , the regeneration level can be switched easily and quickly. Therefore, compared to the conventional case of operating a paddle switch provided on the steering wheel, the regeneration level can be easily switched by operating the shift lever even while the steering wheel is being rotated. In addition, since it is not necessary to press a button or switch in advance to switch the regeneration level, the switching of the regeneration level is further facilitated.

In addition, the layout in which the up position and the down position are provided on opposite sides of the home position allows the driver to intuitively and dynamically increase or decrease the regeneration level. Therefore, it contributes to an improvement in drive feeling.
Therefore, according to the shift device for an electric vehicle according to this application example, the driver can easily select (set) a desired regenerative braking force. Moreover, since the switching operation of the regeneration level is easy as described above, it is possible to prevent the driver from making an operation mistake at the time of switching the regeneration level.

According to this case, the driver can easily select a desired regenerative braking force.

1 is a configuration diagram of an electric vehicle according to an embodiment; FIG. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the shift device of the electric vehicle shown in FIG. 1;

Embodiments (application examples) of the present case will be described with reference to the drawings. This embodiment is merely an example, and is not intended to exclude various modifications and application of techniques not explicitly described in the following embodiments. Each configuration of this embodiment can be modified in various ways without departing from the gist thereof. Also, they can be selected or combined as needed.

[1. Constitution]
As shown in FIG. 1, an electric vehicle 1 is equipped with an electric motor 2 that functions as both an electric motor (driving source) and a generator. The electric motor 2 is, for example, a permanent magnet type synchronous motor, which generates drive torque for rotating the driving wheels 7 during power running when functioning as an electric motor, and generates power with the rotational force of the driving wheels 7 during regeneration when functioning as a generator. Generate regenerative torque to A regenerative braking force acts on the driving wheels 7 by the electric motor 2 generating regenerative torque. The electric vehicle 1 is configured such that the regenerative braking force generated by the electric motor 2 can be switched between a plurality of regeneration levels. The number and types of drive sources mounted on the electric vehicle 1 can be added. For example, the present invention can be applied to a hybrid electric vehicle 1 equipped with a gasoline engine or a diesel engine as a second drive source.

The electric motor 2 is connected with a battery 3 which is a secondary battery such as a lithium ion battery or a nickel hydrogen battery. The battery 3 can be externally charged (for example, normal charging or quick charging), and can be charged with regenerative electric power generated by the electric motor 2 .
An inverter 4 is interposed on a power supply circuit that connects the battery 3 and the electric motor 2 . The inverter 4 converts the DC power on the battery 3 side into AC power and supplies it to the electric motor 2 , and also converts the AC power on the electric motor 2 side into DC power and supplies it to the battery 3 .

During power running of the electric vehicle 1 , the drive torque generated by the electric motor 2 is transmitted to the propeller shaft via the speed change mechanism 5 (transmission) and then to the drive wheels 7 via the differential device 6 . Further, during regeneration of the electric vehicle 1, the rotational force of the driving wheels 7 is transmitted to the electric motor 2, contrary to the power running. The transmission mechanism 5 changes the speed of the rotational driving force transmitted from the electric motor 2, and includes, for example, a reduction gear and a transmission gear mechanism. The differential device 6 is a driving force distribution mechanism interposed between the left and right drive wheels 7 and incorporates a differential gear that absorbs the difference in rotation speed between the left and right drive wheels 7 . Note that FIG. 1 illustrates an electric vehicle 1, which is a truck equipped with a cab and a packing box (not shown). In this electric vehicle 1, the rear wheels arranged below the packing box are the driving wheels 7, but the front wheels arranged below the cab may be the driving wheels 7, and both the front and rear wheels may be used. Drive wheels 7 may also be used.

A shift device 10 of an electric vehicle 1 includes a shift lever 11 provided inside a cab in which a driver rides. The shift lever 11 is placed in the vicinity of the driver's seat (within reach of the driver seated in the driver's seat) so that the driver can easily operate the electric vehicle 1 while driving (while operating the steering wheel). are located at different positions.
The shift lever 11 has both a function of switching the driving mode of the electric vehicle 1 and a function of switching the regeneration level during regeneration according to the operation by the driver. As shown in FIG. 2, in addition to the home position (“H” in FIG. 2), which is a reference position, there are three shift positions (“R” in FIG. 2, "N", "D") and two shift positions ("+", "-" in FIG. 2) for increasing or decreasing the regeneration level. . Hereinafter, the home position is also referred to as "H position".

The shift lever 11 is of a so-called momentary type that is temporarily moved to an arbitrary shift position according to the operation by the driver. Specifically, the shift lever 11 moves from the H position to any one of a plurality of shift positions by applying a force, and this force is released (released from the applied force). This automatically returns to the H position from any one of the shift positions. The H position is also called a "stationary position", and each shift position is also called a "momentary position".

A neutral position (neutral range), a reverse position (reverse running range), and a drive position (forward running range) are exemplified as the three shift positions corresponding to the running modes. Hereinafter, these shift positions are also referred to as "N position", "R position" and "D position", respectively. The N position, R position, and D position are provided on the right side of the H position when viewed from the driver seated in the driver's seat, and are arranged in the vertical direction (direction perpendicular to the left-right direction). Specifically, the N position is arranged to the right of the H position (just beside), and the R position and the D position are arranged adjacent to the N position while sandwiching the N position. FIG. 2 shows an example in which the R position is located forward (or above) the D position as viewed from the driver seated in the driver's seat.

On the other hand, as two shift positions for increasing or decreasing the regenerative level, an UP position for switching the regenerative level so as to increase the regenerative braking force and a DOWN position for switching the regenerative level so as to decrease the regenerative braking force are provided. . Hereinafter, these shift positions are also referred to as "+ position" and "- position", respectively. The + and - positions are arranged adjacent to and sandwiching the H position. Specifically, the H position, + position and - position are arranged in the same vertical direction as the N position, R position and D position as seen from the driver seated in the driver's seat. FIG. 2 shows an example in which the + position is located forward (or above) the - position as viewed from the driver seated in the driver's seat.

The shift lever 11 is directly movable from the H position to each of the N, + and - positions adjacent to the H position. On the other hand, the shift lever 11 indirectly moves from the H position through the N position to the R position and the D position, which are not adjacent to the H position. In this manner, the movement path of the shift lever 11 includes a vertical straight line connecting the + and - positions, a vertical straight line connecting the R and D positions, and a horizontal straight line connecting the H and N positions. to form an H shape.

As the regenerative level switched (selected) by the shift lever 11, for example, a first level at which regenerative braking force (regenerative torque) is set to approximately 0, and a regenerative braking force equivalent to engine braking in an engine-equipped vehicle are set. 3rd level, at which regenerative braking force is set to be larger than the regenerative braking force of the second level and equivalent to the exhaust brake in an engine-equipped vehicle, and at which regenerative braking force is set even larger than the third level Includes four levels. The regenerative braking force set at each regenerative level increases stepwise from the first level to the fourth level. Hereinafter, switching the regeneration level in the direction in which the regenerative braking force increases (for example, from the first level to the second level) is also referred to as "raising the regeneration level". Conversely, switching the regeneration level in the direction in which the regenerative braking force becomes smaller (for example, from the second level to the first level) is also called "lowering the regeneration level".

The shift device 10 transmits information on the shift position to which the shift lever 11 has temporarily moved from the H position to the electronic control unit 8 . The electronic control device 8 controls the inverter 4 based on the information transmitted from the shift device 10 so that the driving mode and regeneration level of the electric vehicle 1 are switched. For example, when the electronic control unit 8 receives information that the shift lever 11 has moved from the H position to the R position, the electronic control unit 8 controls the inverter 4 so that the electric vehicle 1 travels backward. Further, when the electronic control unit 8 receives information that the shift lever 11 has moved from the H position to the + position, the regenerative braking force (regenerative torque) becomes larger than the current set value (the regenerative level is up). Conversely, when the electronic control device 8 receives information from the shift device 10 that the shift lever 11 has moved from the H position to the - position, the regenerative braking force (regenerative torque) becomes smaller than the current set value. (regeneration level is lowered).

The switching of the regeneration level according to the operation of the shift lever 11 is performed regardless of the running mode of the electric vehicle 1 . That is, the regeneration level is not only during forward running of the electric vehicle 1 (during selection of the running mode corresponding to the D position) but also during reverse running of the electric vehicle 1 (during selection of the running mode corresponding to the R position). , according to the movement of the shift lever 11 to the + position or the - position. However, in the neutral state of the electric vehicle 1 (during selection of the driving mode corresponding to the N position), although the set value of the regeneration level is changed according to the operation of the shift lever 11, the regenerative brake corresponding to the set value Power (regenerative torque) is actually generated from the electric motor 2 during regeneration after the neutral state is released (after switching to the traveling mode corresponding to the R position or D position).

[2. Action and effect]
According to the shift device 10 of the electric vehicle 1, the shift position of the momentary type shift lever 11 includes the + position and the - position for switching the regeneration level. The regeneration level can be switched easily and quickly just by moving to the position or - position. Therefore, compared to the conventional case of operating a paddle switch provided on the steering wheel, the regeneration level can be easily switched by operating the shift lever 11 even while the steering wheel is being rotated. In addition, since it is not necessary to press a button or switch in advance to switch the regeneration level, the switching of the regeneration level is further facilitated.

In addition, in the shift device 10 described above, the + position and the - position are arranged adjacent to each other with the H position interposed therebetween. Thus, according to the layout in which the + position and the - position are provided on opposite sides with respect to the H position, the driver can intuitively and dynamically increase or decrease the regeneration level. Therefore, it contributes to an improvement in drive feeling.
As described above, according to the shift device 10, the driver can easily select (set) a desired regenerative braking force. Moreover, since the switching operation of the regeneration level is easy as described above, it is possible to prevent the driver from making an operation mistake at the time of switching the regeneration level.

In addition, regardless of the driving mode of the electric vehicle 1, the regeneration level is set in stages (for example, from the first level to the second level, the third level, or the fourth level) according to the number of times the shift lever 11 is moved to the + position or the - position. level), the driver can more easily select (set) the desired regenerative braking force. In this case, since the regeneration level can be switched (changed) in advance before the actual regeneration of the electric vehicle 1, the degree of freedom in switching the regeneration level can be further enhanced. Therefore, the convenience of the shift device 10 can be enhanced.

[3. others]
The arrangement of the H position and the shift position described above is an example, and the moving path of the shift lever 11 is not limited to the H shape as described above. The shift position should include at least two of the + position and the - position. Therefore, the above R position, D position, etc. may be omitted, and other shift positions (for example, parking position [parking range, P]) may be used instead of (or in addition to) these R position, D position, etc. may be included. Moreover, the + position and the - position may be arranged adjacent to each other with the H position interposed therebetween, and may be arranged horizontally instead of vertically as described above.

The switching of the regeneration level according to the operation of the shift lever 11 may be performed only while the electric vehicle 1 is traveling forward. In other words, the operation of the shift lever 11 to the + position or - position may be disabled (ignored) during selection of the running mode corresponding to the R position or N position.
At least two regeneration levels switchable by the shift lever 11 are sufficient, and the number of regeneration levels is not limited to the above four levels from the first level to the fourth level. For example, if five types of regeneration levels are provided, the regeneration level can be increased from minimum to maximum by moving the shift lever 11 to the + position four times.

1 Electric Vehicle 2 Electric Motor 3 Battery 4 Inverter 5 Transmission Mechanism 6 Differential Device 7 Driving Wheel 8 Electronic Control Device 10 Shift Device (Shift Device of Electric Vehicle)
11 shift lever

Claims (1)

A shift device for an electric vehicle capable of switching regenerative braking force generated by an electric motor to a plurality of regeneration levels,
It is movable between a home position and a plurality of shift positions, moves from the home position to any one of the shift positions when force is applied, and moves to any one of the shift positions when the force is released. A shift lever that returns from one to the home position,
The shift positions include an up position for switching the regeneration level so as to increase the regenerative braking force and a down position for switching the regeneration level so as to decrease the regenerative braking force,
A shift device for an electric vehicle, wherein the up position and the down position are arranged adjacent to each other with the home position interposed therebetween.

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