JP2024076268A - Vehicle control device - Google Patents

Abstract

A vehicle control device is provided that prevents the autonomous driving system from unnecessarily terminating the autonomous driving even if a shift change request from the autonomous driving system is inappropriate, thereby improving the convenience of the autonomous driving system.
[Solution] A shift-by-wire ECU (control device) 80 (a) determines that a shift switching request signal Ssftchg is inappropriate during autonomous driving and in a specified stopped state or extremely low vehicle speed state, does not execute a shift switching request signal Ssftchg to either D range or R range from the autonomous driving ECU 90, but executes a shift switching request signal Ssftchg to P range, and (b) determines that the shift switching request signal Ssftchg is inappropriate during autonomous driving and in a specified driving state, does not execute a shift switching request signal Ssftchg to D range, R range, or P range from the autonomous driving ECU 90, but executes a shift switching to N range.
[Selected Figure] Figure 1

Description

This relates to a vehicle control device that executes shift switching requests from the autonomous driving system during autonomous driving, and executes shift switching requests operated by the driver during manual driving.

There is known a vehicle control device that executes a shift change request from the autonomous driving system during autonomous driving but does not execute a shift change request operated by the driver, and executes a shift change request operated by the driver during manual driving but does not execute a shift change request from the autonomous driving system. For example, one such device is described in Patent Document 1. In the vehicle control device described in Patent Document 1, the possibility of driving by autonomous driving is determined according to the type of abnormality that occurs in the control device that controls the vehicle's shift range, and unnecessarily halting autonomous driving is suppressed. This increases the number of situations in which autonomous driving is performed, improving the convenience of autonomous driving.

JP 2020-172184 A

However, in a vehicle equipped with an autonomous driving system, a shift change request sent from the autonomous driving system to a control device that controls the vehicle's shift range may be inappropriate due to some abnormality. Patent Document 1 does not disclose such a case.

The present invention has been made against the background of the above circumstances, and its purpose is to provide a vehicle control device that prevents the unnecessarily suspension of autonomous driving even if the shift change request from the autonomous driving system is inappropriate, thereby improving the convenience of autonomous driving.

The gist of the present invention is a vehicle control device that executes a shift change request from an automatic driving system during automatic driving but does not execute a shift change request operated by the driver, and executes a shift change request operated by the driver during manual driving but does not execute a shift change request from the automatic driving system, and that achieves at least one of the following: (a) during the automatic driving, when the automatic driving determines that the shift change request from the automatic driving system is inappropriate and the vehicle is in a stopped state or an extremely low vehicle speed state where the vehicle speed is less than a predetermined first vehicle speed value, the automatic driving system does not execute a shift change request to either D range or R range, and executes a shift change request to P range from the automatic driving system; and (b) during the automatic driving, when the automatic driving determines that the shift change request from the automatic driving system is inappropriate and the vehicle speed is equal to or greater than a predetermined second vehicle speed value that is equal to or greater than the predetermined first vehicle speed value, the automatic driving system does not execute a shift change request to D range, R range, or P range from the automatic driving system, and executes a shift change to N range.

According to the vehicle control device of the present invention, at least one of the following is realized: (a) when the shift change request from the automatic driving system is determined to be inappropriate during the automatic driving and the vehicle is in a stopped state or a very low vehicle speed state where the vehicle speed is less than a predetermined first vehicle speed value, the shift change request from the automatic driving system to either the D range or the R range is not executed and the shift change request from the automatic driving system to the P range is executed, and (b) when the shift change request from the automatic driving system is determined to be inappropriate during the automatic driving and the vehicle speed is equal to or greater than a predetermined second vehicle speed value that is equal to or greater than the predetermined first vehicle speed value, the shift change request from the automatic driving system to the D range, the R range, and the P range is not executed and the shift change to the N range is executed. Even if the shift change request from the automatic driving system is inappropriate, in the above cases (a) and (b), unnecessary suspension of the automatic driving is suppressed, and the convenience of the automatic driving is improved.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a vehicle equipped with a shift-by-wire ECU according to an embodiment of the present invention, and is a diagram showing a main part of a control system that controls each part of the vehicle. 4 is an example of a flowchart illustrating a control operation of a shift-by-wire ECU. 13 is another example of a flowchart illustrating a control operation of the shift-by-wire ECU. 4 is an example of a time chart when the flowcharts of FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 are executed.

The following describes in detail an embodiment of the present invention with reference to the drawings. Note that the drawings in the embodiments are appropriately simplified or modified, and the dimensional ratios and shapes of each part are not necessarily drawn accurately.

Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a vehicle 10 equipped with a shift-by-wire ECU 80 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and also shows the main parts of a control system that controls each part of the vehicle 10.

The vehicle 10 is, for example, a hybrid vehicle equipped with an engine 12 and a second electric motor MG2 as a power source for traveling. The vehicle 10 is equipped with, in the power transmission path between the engine 12 and a pair of drive wheels 22, a transmission unit 14, an output gear 16 of the transmission unit 14, a differential 18, and a pair of axles 20, which are in this order from the engine 12 side, and which are well-known configurations. The vehicle 10 is equipped with a shift operation device 30, an inverter 50, an electronic control device 100, a vehicle state sensor 54, a surrounding recognition sensor 56, and a driver operation sensor 58.

The engine 12 is a well-known internal combustion engine such as a gasoline engine or a diesel engine. The engine torque Te [Nm], which is the output torque of the engine 12, is controlled by the HV-ECU 70 described below. The first electric motor MG1 and the second electric motor MG2 are, for example, rotating electric machines having a motor function and a generator function, and are so-called motor generators. For example, the first electric motor MG1 has a generator function for handling the reaction force of the engine 12 and a motor function for rotating and driving the engine 12 when the engine is stopped. The second electric motor MG2 has a motor function for outputting driving force as a power source for traveling and a generator function for generating electricity using the driven force input from the pair of driving wheels 22. When no particular distinction is made, the driving force is also the same as power, torque, and force.

The transmission unit 14 includes, for example, a first electric motor MG1, a power distribution mechanism 24 that distributes the power transmitted from the engine 12 to the first electric motor MG1 and the output gear 16, and a second electric motor MG2 that is connected to the output gear 16 so as to be capable of transmitting power. The transmission unit 14 is provided with a parking lock mechanism 28, which is a well-known configuration that is driven by an actuator 26 and mechanically stops the rotation of the pair of drive wheels 22.

In the vehicle 10, the power of the engine 12 is transmitted to the output gear 16 via the power distribution mechanism 24, and the power is transmitted to a pair of drive wheels 22 via the differential 18 and a pair of axles 20. In addition, the power of the second electric motor MG2 is transmitted to the output gear 16, and the power is transmitted to a pair of drive wheels 22 via the differential 18 and a pair of axles 20.

The shift operation device 30 is provided in a position where it can be operated by the driver. The shift operation device 30 includes, for example, a momentary shift lever 32 that can be operated to a plurality of operating positions Psh, and a P switch 36. The momentary type is a mechanism in which the shift lever 32 returns to a preset home position when the driver releases the operation of the shift lever 32.

The operating positions Psh include, for example, an R position, which is a reverse driving position, an N position, which is a neutral position, a D position, which is a forward driving position, and a B position, which is an engine brake position. During manual driving, which will be described later, when the shift lever 32 and the P switch 36 are operated, the shift range (driving range) of the transmission unit 14 is switched accordingly. When the shift lever 32 is operated to the R position, the shift range of the transmission unit 14 is switched to a reverse driving range (R range) that moves the vehicle 10 backward. When the shift lever 32 is operated to the N position, the shift range of the transmission unit 14 is switched to a neutral range (N range) that blocks the power transmission path within the transmission unit 14. When the shift lever 32 is operated to the D position, the shift range of the transmission unit 14 is switched to a forward driving range (D range) that moves the vehicle 10 forward. When the shift lever 32 is operated to the B position, the shift range of the transmission unit 14 is switched to an engine brake range that generates engine brakes.

The P switch 36 is, for example, a push button switch. When the P switch 36 is pressed and the vehicle 10 is stopped or in an extremely low vehicle speed state, the parking lock mechanism 28 is activated via the actuator 26. This switches the shift range of the transmission 14 to a parking range (P range) for parking the vehicle 10. For example, when the vehicle speed V [km/h] is lower than a predetermined first vehicle speed value V_jdg1, it is determined that the vehicle is stopped or in an extremely low vehicle speed state. The predetermined first vehicle speed value V_jdg1 is a vehicle speed value slightly higher than zero near zero that is predetermined to determine that the vehicle is stopped or in an extremely low vehicle speed state, and is a vehicle speed value at which the parking lock mechanism 28 can be activated.

In the vehicle 10, the shift lever 32 of the shift operation device 30 is not mechanically connected to the transmission unit 14, but is electrically connected to the transmission unit 14 via a wire (communication line), a so-called shift-by-wire system is adopted.

Inside the shift operation device 30, there are four Hall ICs 34 indicated by dashed lines, which function as sensors for detecting the operation position Psh. When the driver operates the shift lever 32, the relative positions of the Hall ICs 34 and a magnet (not shown) fixed to the shift lever 32 change, and the voltage value output from each Hall IC 34 changes. Here, the voltage value for each Hall IC 34 when the shift lever 32 is operated to each operation position Psh is stored in advance, and the operation position Psh of the shift lever 32 is determined by detecting the voltage value of each Hall IC 34. A signal representing operation information by the driver of the shift operation device 30 detected by the Hall IC 34 and the P switch 36 is the shift operation signal Ssftope. The shift operation signal Ssftope corresponds to the "shift switching request operated by the driver" in this invention.

The inverter 50 is a power supply circuit provided between the first electric motor MG1 and the second electric motor MG2 and a battery (not shown), and is controlled by the HV-ECU 70 (described below) to convert DC to AC and AC to DC. The output torque of the first electric motor MG1, MG1 torque Tmg1 [Nm], and the output torque of the second electric motor MG2, MG2 torque Tmg2 [Nm], are each controlled by the inverter 50, which is controlled by the HV-ECU 70.

The vehicle 10 has a manual driving mode and an automatic driving mode as driving modes. The manual driving mode is a driving method based on the manual operation of the driver, and the automatic driving mode is a driving method not based on the manual operation of the driver. In the automatic driving mode, at least the shift range switching of the transmission 14 and the control of the power source (operation control of the engine 12, and drive control of the first electric motor MG1 and the second electric motor MG2) are performed automatically without the operation of the driver. On the other hand, in the manual driving mode, at least the shift range switching of the transmission 14 and the control of the power source are performed by the operation of the driver. Manual driving is driving and stopping of the vehicle 10 in the manual driving mode, and automatic driving is driving and stopping of the vehicle 10 in the automatic driving mode.

Switching between manual and automatic driving is performed based on the driver operating the automatic driving changeover switch 52 located at the driver's seat. When the driver operates the automatic driving changeover switch 52 to the ON side (automatic driving side), the driving mode is switched from manual driving mode to automatic driving mode. When the driver operates the automatic driving changeover switch 52 to the OFF side (manual driving side) or when the driver operates any of the steering wheel, accelerator pedal, or brake pedal (not shown) during automatic driving, the driving mode is switched from automatic driving mode to manual driving mode.

The electronic control device 100 includes multiple ECUs that function as control devices that control various parts of the vehicle 10. Note that ECU stands for Electronic Control Unit, and is abbreviated to the initial letters of each word.

The electronic control device 100 includes an HV-ECU 70, a shift-by-wire ECU 80, and an automatic driving ECU 90. The HV-ECU 70 is an ECU for hybrid drive control related to the engine 12, the first electric motor MG1, the second electric motor MG2, etc. The shift-by-wire ECU 80 is an ECU that controls the shift range of the transmission 14. The shift-by-wire ECU 80 corresponds to the "controller" in the present invention. The automatic driving ECU 90 is an ECU for executing automatic driving (automatic driving control). The automatic driving ECU 90 corresponds to the "automatic driving system" in the present invention. For example, each ECU (HV-ECU 70, shift-by-wire ECU 80, and automatic driving ECU 90) in the electronic control device 100 is connected to a network that communicates using a CAN (Controller Area Network) communication circuit. This allows each ECU to input and output data to and from each other. Each ECU is configured to include a so-called microcomputer equipped with, for example, a CPU, RAM, ROM, an input/output interface, etc., and the CPU performs various controls of the vehicle 10 by performing signal processing according to a program previously stored in the ROM while utilizing the temporary storage function of the RAM.

The autonomous driving ECU 90 receives various signals based on detection values from various sensors (e.g., vehicle state sensor 54, surroundings recognition sensor 56, driver operation sensor 58, etc.) (e.g., engine speed Ne [rpm], which is the rotational speed Nmg2 of the engine 12, throttle valve opening θth [%], shift state signal Ssftsta, which indicates the shift range of the transmission unit 14, rotational speed Nmg1 [rpm], which is the rotational speed of the first electric motor MG1, rotational speed Nmg2 [rpm], which is the rotational speed of the second electric motor MG2, various information indicating the vehicle state such as vehicle speed V, various information regarding the surroundings of the vehicle 10 such as obstacles around the vehicle 10, and the presence or absence of vehicles traveling in front, behind, or to the left or right of the vehicle 10, and various information regarding operations by the driver such as whether the accelerator pedal is pressed or not, whether the brake pedal is pressed or not, and whether the steering wheel is operated or not). The surrounding recognition sensor 56 is composed of multiple sensors, such as an infrared sensor, a camera, and a medium- to long-range radar, and the vehicle state sensor 54 and the driver operation sensor 58 are composed of multiple sensors that detect various specifications, for example.

From the autonomous driving ECU 90, a driving force request signal Sdrive that requests driving force during autonomous driving is output to the HV-ECU 70, and a shift switching request signal Ssftchg that requests switching of the shift range during autonomous driving is output to the shift-by-wire ECU 80. The shift switching request signal Ssftchg corresponds to the "shift switching request from the autonomous driving system" in this invention.

When the driver operates the automatic driving changeover switch 52 to switch to the automatic driving mode, the automatic driving ECU 90 controls the vehicle 10 to travel toward a target position based on a preset target position (target position information) and a current position (current position information), etc., without depending on the driver's operation, i.e., automatically drives the vehicle 10. When the driver operates the automatic driving changeover switch 52 to switch to the automatic driving mode when parking the vehicle 10, the automatic driving ECU 90 has a function of automatically parking the vehicle at a pre-specified target parking position (target parking frame). The target position is a destination desired by the driver that is set in advance by the driver. The target parking position is a parking frame that is specified by the driver when parking the vehicle 10, or is automatically specified based on the current position information, etc. This target parking position is one aspect of the target position.

The shift-by-wire ECU 80 receives various signals (e.g., a shift state signal Ssftsta indicating the shift range of the transmission unit 14, various information indicating the vehicle state such as the vehicle speed V, a shift operation signal Ssftope, etc.) based on detection values from various sensors (e.g., the vehicle state sensor 54, the Hall IC 34, the P switch 36, etc.). In addition, the shift-by-wire ECU 80 receives a shift switching request signal Ssftchg from the automatic driving ECU 90 during automatic driving. The shift-by-wire ECU 80 outputs a shift control signal Ssftctrl for controlling the switching of the shift range of the transmission unit 14 to the HV-ECU 70, and outputs a parking lock control signal Spk to the actuator 26 for operating the electric actuator 26 to operate the parking lock mechanism 28.

The HV-ECU 70 receives a driving force request signal Sdrive from the automatic driving ECU 90 and a shift control signal Ssftctrl from the shift-by-wire ECU 80. The HV-ECU 70 outputs an engine control signal Se to the engine 12 for controlling the operation of the engine 12, and outputs a motor control signal Sm to the inverter 50 for controlling the operation of the first electric motor MG1 and the second electric motor MG2. During automatic driving, the HV-ECU 70 controls the engine 12, the first electric motor MG1, and the second electric motor MG2 according to the vehicle state so as to optimize fuel efficiency while outputting a requested driving force according to the driving force request signal Sdrive. During manual driving, the HV-ECU 70 controls the engine 12, the first electric motor MG1, and the second electric motor MG2 according to the vehicle state so as to optimize fuel efficiency while outputting a driving force requested by the driver.

The shift-by-wire ECU 80 functionally comprises an information acquisition unit 82, an autonomous driving determination unit 84, a request suitability determination unit 86, and a shift control unit 88.

The information acquisition unit 82 acquires driver operation information based on the shift operation signal Ssftope, and also acquires various information indicating the vehicle state, such as the shift state signal Ssftsta indicating the shift range of the transmission unit 14 input from the vehicle state sensor 54, and the vehicle speed V. The information acquisition unit 82 also acquires information from the automatic driving ECU 90 as to whether the vehicle is in automatic driving or manual driving.

The autonomous driving determination unit 84 determines whether the vehicle 10 is autonomously driving based on the information acquired by the information acquisition unit 82.

When the automatic driving determination unit 84 determines that the vehicle 10 is being manually driven, the shift control unit 88 executes shift range switching control of the transmission unit 14 via the HV-ECU 70 in response to the shift operation signal Ssftope. That is, during manual driving, the shift range switching control is executed in response to the shift operation signal Ssftope operated by the driver, not the shift switching request signal Ssftchg from the automatic driving ECU 90. For example, when the shift lever 32 is operated to the D position, the shift control unit 88 outputs a shift control signal Ssftctrl to switch the shift range to the D range to the HV-ECU 70. In response to this, the HV-ECU 70 outputs an engine control signal Se and an electric motor control signal Sm to drive the vehicle 10 forward. Also, when the P switch 36 is pressed by the driver, the shift-by-wire ECU 80 switches the shift range to the P range by activating the parking lock mechanism 28.

When the automatic driving determination unit 84 determines that the vehicle 10 is in automatic driving, the request suitability determination unit 86 determines whether the vehicle 10 is in a stopped state, a very low vehicle speed state, or a traveling state (forward traveling or reverse traveling) based on information (e.g., vehicle speed V) acquired by the information acquisition unit 82. For example, if the vehicle speed V is equal to or greater than a predetermined second vehicle speed value V_jdg2, it is determined that the vehicle is in a traveling state. The predetermined second vehicle speed value V_jdg2 is a vehicle speed value equal to or greater than a predetermined first vehicle speed value V_jdg1 (V_jdg2 ≧ V_jdg1) that is determined in advance experimentally or by design in order to determine that the vehicle is in a traveling state. In addition, the request suitability determination unit 86 determines whether the vehicle 10 in the traveling state is traveling forward or reverse based on information (e.g., shift state signal Ssftsta) acquired by the information acquisition unit 82. When the automatic driving determination unit 84 determines that the vehicle 10 is in automatic driving, the request appropriateness determination unit 86 receives the shift change request signal Ssftchg input from the automatic driving ECU 90 and determines whether the received shift change request signal Ssftchg is appropriate.

During automated driving, the request suitability determination unit 86 determines that the shift switching request signal Ssftchg is inappropriate when, for example, (1) the vehicle 10 is traveling (driving state of traveling forward or reverse) and the shift switching request signal Ssftchg is a request to switch to P range, (2) the vehicle 10 is traveling reverse and the shift switching request signal Ssftchg is a request to switch to D range, or (3) the vehicle 10 is traveling forward and the shift switching request signal Ssftchg is a request to switch to R range. In other cases, the request suitability determination unit 86 determines that the shift switching request signal Ssftchg is appropriate.

During autonomous driving, if the request appropriateness determination unit 86 determines that the shift switching request signal Ssftchg is appropriate, the shift control unit 88 executes shift range switching control of the transmission unit 14 via the HV-ECU 70 in response to the shift switching request signal Ssftchg. In other words, during autonomous driving, shift range switching control is executed in response to the shift switching request signal Ssftchg from the autonomous driving ECU 90, not the shift operation signal Ssftope operated by the driver.

During automatic driving, if the request appropriateness determination unit 86 determines that the shift switching request signal Ssftchg is inappropriate, the shift control unit 88 executes the following controls (a) and (b).

(a) During autonomous driving, if the request suitability determination unit 86 determines that the vehicle 10 is stopped or in an extremely low vehicle speed state, the shift control unit 88 does not execute shift range switching control in response to a shift switching request signal Ssftchg from the autonomous driving ECU 90 to either the D range or the R range, but executes shift range switching control in response to a shift switching request signal Ssftchg from the autonomous driving ECU 90 to the P range. Note that it is not necessary to execute shift range switching control in response to a shift switching request signal Ssftchg from the autonomous driving ECU 90 to the N range.

(b) During autonomous driving, if the autonomous driving determination unit 84 determines that the vehicle 10 is in a traveling state, the shift control unit 88 does not execute shift range switching control in response to the shift switching request signal Ssftchg from the autonomous driving ECU 90 to D range, R range, and P range, but executes shift switching to N range.

Figure 2 is an example of a flowchart that explains the control operation of the shift-by-wire ECU 80. The flowchart in Figure 2 is executed repeatedly.

First, in step S10 (hereinafter, "step" will be omitted), which corresponds to the function of the information acquisition unit 82, driver operation information is acquired. After execution of S10, in S20, which corresponds to the function of the information acquisition unit 82, various information indicating the vehicle state is acquired. After execution of S20, in S30, which corresponds to the function of the automatic driving determination unit 84, it is determined whether the vehicle 10 is in automatic driving or not.

If the determination in S30 is YES, in S40, which corresponds to the function of the request appropriateness determination unit 86, a shift switching request signal Ssftchg is received from the automatic driving ECU 90, and in S50, which corresponds to the function of the request appropriateness determination unit 86, it is determined whether the received shift switching request signal Ssftchg is appropriate.

If the determination in S50 is NO, then in S60, which corresponds to the functions of the request suitability determination unit 86 and the shift control unit 88, it is determined whether the vehicle 10 is stopped or in an extremely low vehicle speed state and whether the shift switching request signal Ssftchg is in the P range. If the determination in S50 is YES or if the determination in S60 is YES, then in S70, which corresponds to the function of the shift control unit 88, shift range switching control is executed in accordance with the shift switching request signal Ssftchg from the automatic driving ECU 90. If the determination in S30 is NO or if the determination in S60 is NO, then in S80, which corresponds to the function of the shift control unit 88, shift range switching control is executed in accordance with the shift operation signal Ssftope by the driver's operation. After execution of S70 and S80, the process returns.

Figure 3 is another example of a flowchart explaining the control operation of the shift-by-wire ECU 80. The flowchart in Figure 3 is executed repeatedly. The flowchart in Figure 3 is substantially the same as the flowchart in Figure 2, except that S150, S152, and S154 are used instead of S50. Therefore, the following explanation will focus on the parts that are different from Figure 2, and the same reference numerals will be used to denote substantially common parts, and explanations will be omitted as appropriate.

In S150, which corresponds to the function of the request suitability determination unit 86, it is determined whether (1) the shift switching request signal Ssftchg received in S40 while the vehicle 10 is traveling is a request to switch to P range, (2) the shift switching request signal Ssftchg received in S40 while the vehicle 10 is traveling in reverse is a request to switch to D range, (3) the shift switching request signal Ssftchg received in S40 while the vehicle 10 is traveling forward is a request to switch to R range, or (4) any other case.

If S150 determines that the current situation is any of the cases (1) to (3), then S152, which corresponds to the function of the request appropriateness determination unit 86, determines that the shift switching request signal Ssftchg is inappropriate. After S152 is executed, S154, which corresponds to the function of the shift control unit 88, executes control to switch the shift range to N range. After S154 is executed, S60 is executed. If S150 determines that the current situation is (4), then S70 is executed.

Figure 4 is an example of a time chart when the flowcharts of Figures 2 and 3 are executed. The horizontal axis of Figure 4 is time t [sec].

At time t4, the automatic operation changeover switch 52 is turned on to switch from manual operation mode to automatic operation mode. In other words, before time t4 (times t1 to t4), the vehicle is in manual operation, and after time t4 (times t4 to t17), the vehicle is in automatic operation.

When the driver operates the shift lever 32 to the D position during manual driving and when the vehicle is stopped between times t1 and t2, the shift range is switched to the D range accordingly. When the driver presses the P switch 36 during manual driving and when the vehicle is stopped between times t2 and t3, the shift range is switched to the P range accordingly.

During the period from time t5 to t6 when the vehicle is in automatic driving and stopped, the automatic driving ECU 90 outputs a shift switch request signal Ssftchg requesting a switch to D range. In response, the shift-by-wire ECU 80 executes control to change the shift range to D range. During the period from time t6 to t9 when the vehicle is in automatic driving and stopped, the automatic driving ECU 90 outputs a shift switch request signal Ssftchg requesting a switch to P range. In response, the shift-by-wire ECU 80 executes control to change the shift range to P range. During the period from time t7 to t8 when the vehicle is in automatic driving and stopped, the driver operates the shift lever 32 to the D position, but because the vehicle is in automatic driving, no corresponding shift range switching control is executed.

During the autonomous driving period from time t9 to t11, the autonomous driving ECU 90 outputs a shift switch request signal Ssftchg requesting a switch to D range. In response to this, the shift-by-wire ECU 80 executes control to set the shift range to D range. Also, during the period from time t10 to t11, which is within the period from time t9 to t11, the vehicle 10 is accelerated by the autonomous driving and the vehicle speed V increases. At time t11, the vehicle 10 enters a traveling state.

During the time t11 to t15 during automatic driving, the automatic driving ECU 90 outputs a shift switch request signal Ssftchg requesting a switch to R range even though the vehicle is traveling forward (driving in D range). As a result, at time t11, the shift-by-wire ECU 80 determines that the shift switch request signal Ssftchg is inappropriate and executes control to change the shift range to N range. When the driver operates the shift lever 32 to the D position at times t12 to t13 within the period from time t11 to t15, the shift-by-wire ECU 80 accordingly executes control to change the shift range to D range. At times t14 to t15 within the period from time t11 to t15, the vehicle 10 is decelerated by automatic driving and the vehicle speed V decreases. At time t15, the vehicle 10 comes to a stop.

During autonomous driving and when the vehicle is stopped, from time t15 to t17 and after time t17, the autonomous driving ECU 90 outputs a shift switch request signal Ssftchg requesting a switch to P range. In response to this, the shift-by-wire ECU 80 executes control to set the shift range to P range. From time t16 to t17 within the period from time t15 to t17, the driver operates the shift lever 32 to the D position, but the shift-by-wire ECU 80 does not execute corresponding control to switch the shift range and maintains the shift range in P range.

According to this embodiment, (a) during automatic driving, when the shift switching request signal Ssftchg from the automatic driving ECU 90 is determined to be inappropriate and the vehicle is stopped or in a very low vehicle speed state, the shift range switching control in response to the shift switching request signal Ssftchg from the automatic driving ECU 90 to either the D range or the R range is not executed, but the shift range switching control in response to the shift switching request signal Ssftchg to the P range from the automatic driving ECU 90 is executed. (b) during automatic driving, when the shift switching request signal Ssftchg from the automatic driving ECU 90 is determined to be inappropriate and the vehicle is in a traveling state, the shift range switching control in response to the shift switching request signal Ssftchg from the automatic driving ECU 90 to the D range, R range, and P range is not executed, and the shift switching control to the N range is executed. Even if the shift switching request signal Ssftchg is inappropriate, in the above cases (a) and (b), unnecessary suspension of automatic driving is suppressed, and the convenience of automatic driving is improved. In the above case of (a), for example, when the vehicle 10 is moved to a safe place by evacuation driving, the automatic driving ECU 90 switches the shift range to P range and parks the vehicle 10 (=mechanically stops the rotation of the pair of drive wheels 22). In the above case of (b), even if the automatic driving ECU 90 outputs a driving force request signal Sdrive requesting acceleration or deceleration, unintended acceleration or deceleration of the vehicle 10 is suppressed by switching the shift range to N range.

According to this embodiment, if the shift switch request signal Ssftchg from the automatic driving ECU 90 is determined to be inappropriate during automatic driving, the shift range switching control according to the shift operation signal Ssftope operated by the driver is executed, but in a stopped state or a very low vehicle speed state, the shift switch request signal Ssftchg to the P range from the automatic driving ECU 90 is executed in priority over the shift operation signal Ssftope to the D range and R range operated by the driver. As a result, even if the shift switch request signal Ssftchg during automatic driving is inappropriate due to a vehicle abnormality, the shift range can be switched to according to the shift operation signal Ssftope operated by the driver, and the automatic driving is completed by prioritizing the shift switch request signal Ssftchg to the P range from the automatic driving ECU 90. For example, when the vehicle 10 is moved to a safe place by evacuation driving, the automatic driving ECU 90 safely parks the vehicle 10 even if the driver does not operate the shift lever 32 to the P position.

According to this embodiment, during autonomous driving, if the shift switch request signal Ssftchg from the autonomous driving ECU 90 is determined to be inappropriate and the vehicle is in a driving state, the shift operation signal Ssftope, which is a switch request operated by the driver, is executed in priority over switching to the N range. In this way, during autonomous driving and in a driving state, the shift operation signal Ssftope from the driver is executed in priority over shift switching to the N range. As a result, even if the shift switch request signal Ssftchg is inappropriate during autonomous driving and in a driving state due to a vehicle abnormality, it is possible to switch to the shift range in response to the shift switch request operated by the driver, and the vehicle 10 can be driven.

According to this embodiment, during automatic driving, if there is a shift switching request signal Ssftchg to R range or P range from the automatic driving ECU 90 during forward driving, or a shift switching request signal Ssftchg to D range or P range from the automatic driving ECU 90 during reverse driving, it is determined that the shift switching request signal Ssftchg is inappropriate. In this way, if the shift switching request signal Ssftchg does not adapt to the actual vehicle state, it is possible to determine that the shift switching request signal Ssftchg from the automatic driving ECU 90 is inappropriate.

The above describes in detail an embodiment of the present invention based on the drawings, but the present invention can also be applied in other aspects.

In the above embodiment, the vehicle 10 was a hybrid vehicle, but it is not limited to this and may be a vehicle equipped with only an engine or an electric vehicle equipped with only an electric motor.

In the above embodiment, (a) during autonomous driving, if the shift request signal Ssftchg is determined to be inappropriate and the vehicle is stopped or at an extremely low vehicle speed, the shift request signal Ssftchg to either the D range or the R range from the autonomous driving ECU 90 is not executed, but the shift request signal Ssftchg to the P range from the autonomous driving ECU 90 is executed, and (b) during autonomous driving, if the shift request signal Ssftchg from the autonomous driving ECU 90 is determined to be inappropriate and the vehicle is traveling, the shift request signal Ssftchg to the D range, the R range, or the P range from the autonomous driving ECU 90 is not executed, and a shift to the N range is executed. However, it may be possible to realize only one of these.

In the above embodiment, each ECU (HV-ECU 70, shift-by-wire ECU 80, and autonomous driving ECU 90) was connected to a network that communicates using a CAN (Controller Area Network) communication circuit, but the ECUs may be connected in any manner as long as the necessary data can be input and output between them.

In the above embodiment, during automatic driving and when the vehicle is stopped or in the extremely low vehicle speed state, the automatic driving ECU 90 issues a shift request signal Ssftchg to P range over a shift operation signal Ssftope to D range and R range from the driver, but the shift request signal Ssftchg may not be prioritized.

In the above embodiment, when the shift switch request signal Ssftchg is determined to be inappropriate during automatic driving and the vehicle is in a driving state, the shift operation signal Ssftope operated by the driver is executed with priority over the shift switch to N range, but the shift operation signal Ssftope may not be prioritized.

In the above-mentioned embodiment, the order of steps in each of the flowcharts shown in Figures 2 and 3 may be changed as appropriate within the scope of no inconsistencies.

Note that the above is merely one embodiment, and the present invention can be implemented in various forms with various modifications and improvements based on the knowledge of those skilled in the art.

10: vehicle, 80: shift-by-wire ECU (control device), 90: autonomous driving ECU (autonomous driving system), Ssftchg: shift change request signal (shift change request from the autonomous driving system), Ssftope: shift operation signal (shift change request operated by the driver), V: vehicle speed, V_jdg1: predetermined first vehicle speed value, V_jdg2: predetermined second vehicle speed value

Claims (4)

A control device for a vehicle, which executes a shift change request from an automatic driving system during automatic driving and does not execute a shift change request operated by a driver, and executes the shift change request operated by the driver during manual driving and does not execute a shift change request from the automatic driving system,
a control device for a vehicle which realizes at least one of the following: during the autonomous driving, when a shift-switching request from the autonomous driving system is determined to be inappropriate and the vehicle is in a stopped state or an extremely low vehicle speed state where the vehicle speed is less than a predetermined first vehicle speed value, not executing a shift-switching request to either D range or R range from the autonomous driving system, and executing a shift-switching request to P range from the autonomous driving system; and during the autonomous driving, when a shift-switching request from the autonomous driving system is determined to be inappropriate and the vehicle is in a driving state where the vehicle speed is equal to or greater than a predetermined second vehicle speed value that is equal to or greater than the predetermined first vehicle speed value, not executing a shift-switching request to D range, R range, or P range from the autonomous driving system, and executing a shift-switching to N range. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, characterized in that, if a shift-switching request from the automatic driving system is determined to be inappropriate during the automatic driving, the shift-switching request operated by the driver is executed, but when the vehicle is stopped or in the extremely low vehicle speed state, a shift-switching request to P range from the automatic driving system is executed in priority over a shift-switching request to D range or R range from the driver. The vehicle control device according to claim 1, characterized in that, during the autonomous driving, if a shift change request from the autonomous driving system is determined to be inappropriate and in the driving state, a shift change request from the driver is executed in priority over a shift change request to N range from the autonomous driving system. The vehicle control device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that, during the automatic driving, if there is a request from the automatic driving system to shift to R range or P range while driving forward, or a request from the automatic driving system to shift to D range or P range while driving in reverse, the control device determines that the shift request from the automatic driving system is inappropriate.

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