JP2023147425A - Regenerative brake control system for vehicle and saddle-riding type vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a regenerative brake control system for a vehicle which provides an operator by which an operator operates to apply regenerative brake independently and restrains and controls regenerative torque of the regenerative brake according to charging rate of a battery.SOLUTION: A regenerative brake control system for a vehicle comprises an electric motor (30), a battery (7) which supplies electric power to the electric motor (30), a control device (10) which controls output of the electric motor (30), and a regenerative operator (29) which is operated by an operator (D) and indicates output start timing of the regenerative torque, output completion timing of the regenerative torque and a regenerative torque amount. The control device (10) generates the regenerative torque to the electric motor (30) in response to an instruction from the regenerative operator (29).SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a regenerative braking control system for a vehicle and a saddle-ride type vehicle.

As interest in global environmental issues increases, demand for EVs (Electric Vehicles) is increasing. Motorcycles have also begun to be replaced by electric motorcycles (see Patent Document 1). Even in electric two-wheeled vehicles, regenerative braking is sometimes used, which is a braking method that performs braking using resistance generated by operating an electric motor as a generator.

International Publication No. 2014/064728

However, regenerative braking has the problem that it cannot be used if the battery that stores power is fully charged. When regenerative braking cannot be used, it is known that four-wheeled vehicles use brake-by-wire to switch to hydraulic brakes for braking, but electric two-wheeled vehicles have limited mounting space and are expensive. Due to the problem, it is difficult to use a complicated mechanism.

The present invention provides a regenerative braking control system for a vehicle, which includes an independent operator operated by a driver to apply regenerative braking, and suppresses and controls regenerative torque for regenerative braking according to the charging rate of a battery.

One aspect of the present invention includes an electric motor, a battery that supplies power to the electric motor, a control device that controls the output of the electric motor, and a control device that is operated by a driver to control output start timing of regenerative torque, and a control device that controls the output of the electric motor. The control device includes a regeneration operator that instructs a torque output end timing and an amount of regenerative torque, and the control device causes the electric motor to generate the regenerative torque in response to an instruction from the regeneration operator. This is a regenerative braking control system for vehicles.

According to one aspect of the present invention, since a regenerative braking mechanism that can be operated independently is provided, it is possible to provide a regenerative braking control system for a vehicle that realizes a saddle-ride type vehicle equipped with various braking means.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the configuration of a saddle-ride type vehicle according to an embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the configuration of a braking member of a saddle-ride type vehicle. FIG. 2 is a functional block diagram of a regenerative braking control system for a vehicle. It is a flowchart of the operation of the regenerative braking control system for a vehicle.

[Embodiment]
Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. Note that the directions such as front, rear, left, and right in the following description are the same as the directions of the vehicle described below unless otherwise specified. Further, at appropriate locations in the drawings used in the following explanation, an arrow FR indicating the front of the vehicle, an arrow RH indicating the right side of the vehicle, and an arrow UP indicating the upward direction of the vehicle are shown.

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the left side of a saddle-ride type vehicle 100. The saddle type vehicle 1 of this embodiment is a scooter type vehicle having a step floor 9 on which a driver D seated on a seat 8 rests the soles of his/her feet. Below the seat 8, an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 10 for controlling the saddle-ride type vehicle 1 and an IMU (Inertial Measurement Unit) 49 for acquiring the behavior of the vehicle body are provided. It will be done.

The saddle type vehicle 1 includes a front wheel 3 that is a steering wheel and a rear wheel 4 that is a driving wheel. The front wheel 3 is rotatably supported by a pair of left and right front forks 6. Further, the front wheels 3 can be steered by a bar handle 2. The rear wheel 4 is supported at the rear of a swing arm 20 that is swingably supported by the vehicle body frame F.
The vehicle body frame F is formed by integrally joining multiple types of steel materials by welding or the like. The vehicle body frame F includes a head pipe 12 at the front end. The head pipe 12 steerably holds the front wheel 3 via the steering stem 11 and the left and right front forks 6.
The vehicle body frame F further includes a pair of left and right upper frames 13 that extend diagonally rearward and downward from a substantially intermediate region in the vertical direction of the head pipe 12, and a pair of left and right upper frames 13 that extend downward from the lower region of the head pipe 12 and then extend toward the rear of the vehicle body. A pair of left and right lower frames 14 extend upward from their ends in a slightly rearwardly inclined state, and a pair of left and right seat frames 15 extend rearward and obliquely upward from a substantially intermediate position in the front-rear direction of the left and right upper frames 13. It is equipped with. The lower frame 14 includes a down frame portion 14a extending downward and rearward from the head pipe 12, and a rear frame portion 14b extending upward from the rear portion of the down frame portion 14a. A battery 7 that supplies power to the electric motor 30 is fixed to the rear frame portion 14b.

The saddle-ride type vehicle 1 of this embodiment is a unit-swing type motorcycle. The swing arm 20 is equipped with an electric motor 30 for driving the vehicle, and a deceleration mechanism 35 that decelerates the driving force of the electric motor 30 and transmits it to the rear wheels.

Specifically, the ECU 10 is a computer having a processor such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a ROM (Read Only Memory) in which a program is written, a RAM (Random Access Memory) for temporarily storing data, and the like. Specifically, various control functions are executed by the ECU 10, which is a computer, executing programs. Instead of or in addition to the ECU 10, all or part of the ECU 10 may be configured by hardware each including one or more electronic circuit components.

FIG. 2 is a top view of the saddle-ride type vehicle 1. In FIG. 2, a braking mechanism of the saddle-ride type vehicle 1 according to the present embodiment will be explained. The front wheels 3 are braked by a front brake 21. The front brake 21 performs braking by a right front caliper 23 and a left front caliper 24 sandwiching the rim (not shown) of the front wheel 3 between pads. Similarly, the rear wheel 4 is braked by a rear brake 22. The rear brake 22 performs braking by a rear caliper 25 sandwiching the rim (not shown) of the rear wheel 4 between pads. When the driver D operates the handbrake 28 with his right hand, the front brake 21 is controlled, and when the driver D operates the foot brake 16 with his right foot, the rear brake 22 is controlled. Note that the hydraulic pressure of each brake is controlled by a PCV (Pressure Control Valve) (27).
The saddle-ride type vehicle 1 according to the present embodiment is provided with a regeneration operator 29 instead of the clutch lever provided in a conventional saddle-ride type vehicle. When the driver D pulls the regeneration operator 29, a signal instructing the ECU 10 to perform regenerative braking is transmitted, and the ECU 10 performs a regenerative operation on the electric motor 30 to perform braking. The ECU 10 is also connected to the battery 7, and the ECU 10 controls a reaction force applying means 31 that limits the operation of the regeneration operator 29 according to the charging rate of the battery 7. Control of the reaction force applying means 31 will be described later.

FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram of the vehicle regenerative braking control system 100. The regenerative braking control system 100 for a vehicle includes an ECU 10, a battery 7 connected to the ECU 10, and an electric motor 30. The electric motor 30 normally drives the vehicle during power running, and functions as a generator and sends the generated electric power to the battery 7 during regenerative driving.

The ECU 10 includes a battery charging rate acquisition unit 37 that acquires the charging rate of the battery 7, and a regenerative torque control unit 39 that controls regenerative torque when the electric motor 30 is in regenerative operation. The ECU 10 is connected to a regeneration operator 29, and when the driver D operates the regeneration operator 29, the electric motor 30 performs regenerative operation, resulting in regenerative braking. At this time, the regenerative torque control means 39 controls the magnitude of the regenerative torque (regenerative torque amount) in accordance with the regenerative operator manipulated variable acquired by the regenerative operator manipulated variable acquisition means 41 that acquires the manipulated variable of the regenerative operator 29. Decide and perform braking by regenerative operation.
The ECU 10 includes a bank angle acquisition means 47 that is connected to the IMU 49 and acquires information about the bank angle of the saddle-ride type vehicle 1. Bank angle information may be detected not by the IMU 49 but by an independently provided bank angle sensor.
The ECU 10 includes a regeneration operator control means 43 that controls the reaction force applying means 31. The reaction force applying means 31 applies a reaction force to the regeneration operator 29 that opposes the action of the driver D pulling the regeneration operator 29 .
Furthermore, the regenerative braking control system 100 for a vehicle includes a notification means 51 that notifies the driver D when performing control to suppress regenerative torque. The notification means 51 may notify the driver D that the regenerative torque is to be suppressed using a device (not shown) provided on the bar handle 2 that outputs light or sound. Further, the notification means 51 may notify the driver D that the regenerative torque is to be suppressed in conjunction with the reaction force applying means 31. Moreover, the notification means 51 may be only the reaction force applying means 31 itself.

The ECU 10 includes a determination unit 45 that determines whether or not to suppress the regenerative torque based on the charging rate of the battery 7, for example. The operation processing of the determining means 45 will be explained with reference to FIG.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart of the operation of the vehicle regenerative braking control system. Specifically, the operation processing of regeneration suppression control performed by the vehicle regenerative braking control system 100 will be described.

First, the battery charging rate acquisition means 37 acquires the charging rate of the battery 7 (step SA1). The regenerative torque control means 39 determines the upper limit value of the regenerative torque amount based on the acquired charging rate (step SA2). Next, the determining means 45 determines whether the bank angle of the vehicle body acquired by the bank angle acquiring means 47 is equal to or greater than a predetermined value for a predetermined duration (step SA3). Specifically, it is determined whether the bank angle is 5 degrees or more for 1 second or more, for example. If the bank angle of the vehicle body is not greater than or equal to the predetermined value for the predetermined duration (step SA3: NO), the regeneration operator control means 43 uses the reaction force applying means 31 to control the operable range of the regeneration operator 29. limit (step SA4). When performing regenerative braking suppression control, the notification means 51 notifies the driver D to that effect (step SA5). Specifically, the operable range of the regeneration operator 29 is limited, and a light and sound output device (not shown) provided on the bar handle 2 is used to notify the driver D that the regeneration torque is to be suppressed. You may notify.

The determining means 45 determines whether the regeneration operator 29 has been operated (step SA6). When the regeneration operator 29 is operated (step SA6: YES), the regenerative torque control means 39 controls the regenerative torque and operates the regenerative braking within the range of suppression control (step SA7). Then, the process returns to step SA1. If the bank angle of the vehicle body is equal to or greater than the predetermined value for the predetermined duration (step SA3: YES), the process returns to step SA1. If the regeneration operator is not operated (step SA6: NO), the process returns to step SA1.

In other words, by operating the regeneration operator 29, the driver D instructs the control device 10 about the regenerative torque output start timing, the regenerative torque output end timing, and the regenerative torque amount. 10 causes the electric motor 30 to generate regenerative torque in response to an instruction from the driver D. The amount of regenerative torque generated in response to the operation of the driver D is suppressed and controlled based on the charging rate of the battery 7.

[Configurations supported by the above embodiment]
The above embodiment supports the following configurations.

(Configuration 1) An electric motor, a battery that supplies power to the electric motor, a control device that controls the output of the electric motor, and a control device that is operated by a driver to determine the timing to start outputting regenerative torque and the output of the regenerative torque. A vehicle for a vehicle, comprising a regeneration operator that instructs an end timing and an amount of regeneration torque, and the control device causes the electric motor to generate the regeneration torque in response to an instruction from the regeneration operator. Regenerative braking control system.
According to such a configuration, the driver can apply regenerative braking at any timing by an operation independent of other operations.

(Configuration 2) Regenerative braking control for a vehicle according to Configuration 1, wherein the regenerative torque amount generated in response to an instruction from the regeneration operator is suppressed based on the charging rate of the battery. system.
Regenerative braking cannot be used when the battery is fully charged. According to such a configuration, regenerative braking can be suppressed and controlled according to the charging rate, so overcharging of the battery can be prevented.

(Configuration 3) The regenerative braking control system for a vehicle according to Configuration 2, wherein the suppression control on the regenerative torque amount is not performed when the regenerative torque is being generated.
When a driver is using regenerative braking, if the regenerative torque suddenly changes, the driver will feel uncomfortable during braking. According to such a configuration, it is possible to perform a natural braking operation.

(Configuration 4) The regenerative braking control system for a vehicle according to Configuration 3, wherein the suppression control regarding the regenerative torque amount is not performed when the vehicle body is tilted.
In the case of a motorcycle, if the braking operation is different from the driver's intention when turning with the vehicle body tilted, the driver will feel uncomfortable while driving. Such a configuration has the effect of enabling natural turning operation.

(Configuration 5) Any one of configurations 2 to 4, further comprising a notification means for notifying the driver that the inhibitory control is being performed when the inhibitory control is being performed. A regenerative braking control system for a vehicle described in .
Regenerative braking will not be applied even if the regenerative operator is operated in a state where regenerative torque is not generated. Therefore, it is important for the driver to be able to know whether regenerative braking is available when he or she wants to perform a braking operation. With this configuration, the driver will be able to know that inhibitory control is being performed that makes it difficult to use regenerative braking, and will therefore be able to take appropriate action, such as using an alternative measure such as using hydraulic brakes instead of regenerative braking. It becomes possible to take

(Structure 6) The regenerative braking control system for a vehicle according to Structure 5, wherein the notification means is a reaction force applying means that applies a reaction force to the operation of the regeneration operator by the driver.
Knowing whether a braking operation can be applied to a vehicle is very important for safe driving. According to such a configuration, when the driver operates the regeneration operator, it is immediately known whether or not suppression control is being performed, so that an appropriate operation can be performed.

(Configuration 7) A saddle-ride type vehicle comprising the regenerative braking control system for a vehicle according to any one of configurations 1 to 6.
According to such a configuration, it is possible to achieve the excellent effect of realizing a saddle-ride type vehicle that can utilize regenerative braking at a timing that is appropriate for both the driver and the vehicle.

Note that the above embodiment shows one mode to which the present invention is applied, and the present invention is not limited to the above embodiment.

For example, the operation step units shown in Figure 4 are divided according to the main processing content in order to facilitate understanding of the operation of the regenerative braking control system for vehicles. The present invention is not limited thereby. Depending on the processing content, the process may be divided into more steps. Furthermore, the process may be divided so that one step unit includes more processes. Further, the order of the steps may be changed as appropriate within a range that does not interfere with the spirit of the present invention.

7 Battery 10 ECU (control unit)
29 Regeneration operator 30 Electric motor 31 Reaction force applying means 100 Regenerative braking control system for vehicle D Driver

Claims (7)

an electric motor (30);
a battery (7) that supplies power to the electric motor (30);
a control device (10) that controls the output of the electric motor (30);
A regeneration operator (29) is operated by a driver (D) and instructs a regenerative torque output start timing, a regenerative torque output end timing, and a regenerative torque amount,
The control device (10) causes the electric motor (30) to generate the regeneration torque in response to an instruction from the regeneration operator (29).
A regenerative braking control system for vehicles characterized by the following. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the regenerative torque amount generated in response to an instruction from the regenerative operator (29) is suppressed and controlled based on a charging rate of the battery (7). Regenerative braking control system. 3. The regenerative braking control system for a vehicle according to claim 2, wherein the suppression control regarding the amount of regenerative torque is not performed when the regenerative torque is being generated. 4. The regenerative braking control system for a vehicle according to claim 3, wherein the suppression control regarding the amount of regenerative torque is not performed when the vehicle body is tilted. 5. The vehicle according to claim 2, further comprising a notification means (51) for notifying the driver (D) that the inhibitory control is being performed when the inhibitory control is being performed. A regenerative braking control system for a vehicle according to any one of the above. The regenerative braking control for a vehicle according to claim 5, wherein the notification means is a reaction force applying means (31) that applies a reaction force to the operation of the regeneration operator (29) by the driver (D). system. A saddle-ride type vehicle comprising the regenerative braking control system (100) for a vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

Images