JP3916080B2 - Vehicle control device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a controller for a vehicle capable of suppressing rise of temperature of a motor and reducing burden of a cooling system. <P>SOLUTION: This controller for the vehicle used in a hybrid vehicle is provided with a differential gear device 4 in which a first gear element 5 is connected with an output shaft of an internal combustion engine 1, a second gear element 6 is connected with an output shaft of a second motor 11, and a third gear element 8 is connected with an output shaft of a first motor 9 and a driving wheel and a fixing means 12 for fixing rotation of the second motor. This controller is provided with a determining means S15 for determining whether the vehicle is in an operation region specified by vehicle speed and degree of opening of an accelerator or not and an operation means S16 for operating the fixing means 12 when result of determination of the determining means is affirmative. Since the motor stops in a driving condition in which appearance frequency is high, heat generation of the motor is prevented, and burden of the cooling system is reduced. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&amp;NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle control device used for a hybrid vehicle equipped with a power generation source including an internal combustion engine and two types of motors.

  A normal vehicle that uses only the internal combustion engine as a power generation source cannot maintain the thermal efficiency of the internal combustion engine at the maximum (the fuel consumption rate is minimum) over the entire travel speed range. On the other hand, as described in Patent Document 1, for example, the hybrid vehicle always uses the internal combustion engine at the optimum efficiency point (the point at which the thermal efficiency is maximized and the fuel consumption rate can be minimized). ), The fuel efficiency is much higher than that of a normal vehicle.

  By the way, when the internal combustion engine is operated at the optimum efficiency point, the drive force of the internal combustion engine may be insufficient or excessive with respect to the required drive force (axle request output) at that time. For this reason, in a hybrid vehicle, the means for supplementing those excess and deficiencies is required.

Therefore, for example, as described in Patent Document 2, a hybrid vehicle including two motors (an electric motor M and a generator G) for compensating for an excess or deficiency in driving force is known. Hereinafter, when the electric motor M is referred to as a first motor and the generator G is referred to as a second motor for convenience, in the technique of this document, when the driving force of the internal combustion engine is insufficient, the “power running” of the first motor is performed. ”To compensate for the shortage, and when the driving force of the internal combustion engine becomes excessive, the excess is absorbed by“ regeneration ”of the second motor.
JP-A-5-229351 JP-A-9-184436

  However, as described above, merely operating the internal combustion engine at the optimum efficiency point and compensating for the excess or deficiency of the driving force of the internal combustion engine with the two motors causes the following problems.

  In other words, the optimum efficiency point of the internal combustion engine is only a very narrow range (“point”) given by a function of the rotational speed and output torque of the internal combustion engine and the accelerator opening at that time. Often, there is a high probability that the driving force is excessive or insufficient. For this reason, the means (the first motor and the second motor) for compensating for the excess or deficiency of the driving force of the internal combustion engine repeats the operation frequently. As a result, the temperature of the motor rises and the cooling system There was a problem of increasing the burden of

  Therefore, the purpose of the present invention was to investigate the relationship between the motor load and the operation time. Even if the motor load is large, if the operation time is short, the temperature rise of the motor is small. On the other hand, even when the motor load is small, pay attention to the fact that the motor temperature rises when the operation time is long, and this fact can be used to allow the motor operation appropriately. An object of the present invention is to provide a vehicular control device that suppresses the temperature rise of the motor by stopping the operation, thereby reducing the burden on the cooling system.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vehicular control apparatus in which a power generation source including an internal combustion engine and two types of motors, a first gear element is connected to an output shaft of the internal combustion engine, and a second gear element is the second gear element. A differential gear device coupled to an output shaft of one of the two types of motors, and a third gear element coupled to an output shaft and a drive wheel of the other motor of the two types of motors; In a vehicle control device used in a hybrid vehicle having a fixing means for fixing the rotation of one of the types of motors, a vehicle speed detecting means for detecting a vehicle speed and an accelerator opening detection for detecting an accelerator opening Means for determining whether or not the detected vehicle speed and accelerator opening are within an operation region that is defined in advance as a frequently used region by means of vehicle speed and accelerator opening; and Size When the result is affirmative, the operation means for operating the fixing means, the driving speed based on the past history of the vehicle speed and the accelerator opening detected by each of the vehicle speed detecting means and the accelerator opening detecting means And a changing means for changing the area.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a vehicular control apparatus in which a power generation source including an internal combustion engine and two types of motors, a first gear element is connected to an output shaft of the internal combustion engine, and a second gear element is the second gear element. A differential gear device coupled to an output shaft of one of the two types of motors, and a third gear element coupled to an output shaft and a drive wheel of the other motor of the two types of motors; In a vehicle control device used in a hybrid vehicle including a fixing means for fixing the rotation of one of the types of motors, a speed change means interposed between the power generation source and drive wheels, and the speed change A gear ratio detecting means for detecting the gear ratio of the means, an accelerator opening detecting means for detecting the accelerator opening, and a gear ratio and the accelerator opening are detected within an operation region defined in advance as a frequently used region. The gear ratio Determining means for determining whether the fine accelerator opening is on, wherein when the determination result of the determination means is positive, and actuating means for performing the operation of the fixing means, the accelerator opening and the speed ratio detecting means And changing means for changing the operating range based on the past history of the gear ratio and accelerator opening detected by each of the detecting means.

In the vehicle control device according to claim 1, when the vehicle speed and the accelerator opening detected by each of the vehicle speed detecting means and the accelerator opening detecting means are within an operation region defined in advance as a region where the use frequency is high. The rotation of one motor is fixed by the fixing means. Here, the region where the usage frequency is high refers to a region including a driving state where the appearance frequency is high in a normal traveling state. Therefore, according to the present invention, since the motor (one motor) is stopped in an operation state with a high appearance frequency, heat generation of the motor can be prevented and the burden on the cooling system can be reduced. In this invention, although the time other than occurrence frequency is high operating state operation of the motor is allowed, sporadic motor behavior in this case, and, for shorter operation time, even if the load of the motor Even if the temperature is high, the motor does not generate much heat and the burden on the cooling system is light.
In the vehicle control device according to the second aspect , the gear ratio and the accelerator opening detected by each of the gear ratio detecting means and the accelerator opening detecting means fall within an operation region that is defined in advance as a region where the use frequency is high. If there is, the rotation of one motor is fixed by the fixing means. Except for the point that the vehicle speed is replaced with the gear ratio, the present invention is the same as that of the first aspect of the invention. Similarly, the motor (one of the motors) is stopped in a driving state with a high appearance frequency, and the motor generates heat. It is possible to reduce the burden on the cooling system.
Further, in the invention according to claim 1, since the vehicle speed detection means and the accelerator opening degree detection means are provided with a changing means for changing the operating region based on the past history of the vehicle speed and the accelerator opening degree. Further, in the invention according to claim 2, the changing means for changing the operating range based on the speed ratio detected by each of the speed ratio detecting means and the accelerator opening degree detecting means and the past history of the accelerator opening degree. In both cases, the size and position of the driving area can be set "variably" to match the driver's habits and preferences, and so-called learning effects are added to improve control accuracy. be able to.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings, taking application to a parallel hybrid vehicle as an example. It should be noted that the specific details or examples in the following description and the illustrations of numerical values, character strings, and other symbols are only for reference in order to clarify the idea of the present invention, and the present invention may be used in whole or in part. Obviously, the idea of the invention is not limited. In addition, a well-known technique, a well-known procedure, a well-known architecture, a well-known circuit configuration, and the like (hereinafter, “well-known matter”) are not described in detail, but this is also to simplify the description. Not all or part of the matter is intentionally excluded. Such well-known matters are known to those skilled in the art at the time of filing of the present invention, and are naturally included in the following description.

  FIG. 1 is a conceptual configuration diagram of this embodiment. In this figure, the output shaft 2 of the internal combustion engine 1 is connected to a carrier 5 (first gear element) of a planetary gear mechanism 4 (differential gear device) via a clutch 3, and the planetary gear mechanism 4 is A sun gear 6 (second gear element), a plurality of planetary gears 7 that circulate around the sun gear 6 as the carrier 5 rotates, and a ring gear 8 (third gear element) that meshes with the planetary gear 7. ). The clutch 3 is not an essential component of the present embodiment. This is a necessary component in the modified example described later.

  The ring gear 8 of the planetary gear mechanism 4 has an output of the rotor 9a of the first motor 9 (the other of the two types of motors) via the first output gear 13 and the second output gear 14. It is connected to a shaft 9 b (the output shaft of the other of the two types of motors), and the stator 9 c of the first motor 9 is fixed to the case 10. The sun gear 6 of the planetary gear mechanism 4 includes an output shaft 11b of the rotor 11a (an output shaft of one of the two types of motors) of the second motor 11 (one of the two types of motors). ) And the stator 11c of the second motor 11 is also fixed to the case 10.

  Here, a movable friction plate 12a of a multi-plate brake 12 (fixing means) is attached to the output shaft 11b of the second motor 11, and the output shaft 11b of the second motor 11 is connected to this movable friction. It can be arbitrarily fixed to the case 10 via the fixed friction plate 12b disposed opposite to the plate 12a. On the other hand, a second output gear 14 is attached to the output shaft 9b of the first motor 9, and the output shaft 9b of the first motor 9 includes a transmission shaft 15, a mechanical transmission device 16 (transmission means). And, it is connected to the drive wheel 18 through the differential device 17. The mechanical transmission device 16 is not an essential component of the present embodiment. This is a necessary component in the modified example described later.

The illustrated hybrid vehicle having such a configuration can travel in the following three modes.
<Motor running mode>
This is a travel mode that does not use the internal combustion engine 1, and is a mode that is used at the time of starting or traveling at an extremely low vehicle speed. In this mode, the output torque of the second motor 11 is controlled to 0, and the multi-plate brake 12 is released (that is, the movable friction plate 12a and the fixed friction plate 12b are not engaged). The desired torque (driving force corresponding to the accelerator opening F) is obtained by controlling the output torque of the first motor 9.

  In the motor travel mode, the output shaft 11b of the second motor 11 is not fixed to the case 10 by the release of the multi-plate brake 12, and is in a rotation-free state. Is also in a rotation-free state. Therefore, the operation (including stop) of the internal combustion engine 1 does not affect the driving force, and only the output torque of the first motor 9 meshes with the first output gear 13 and the first output gear 13. This is transmitted to the drive wheel 18 via the second output gear 14, the transmission shaft 15, the mechanical transmission 16 and the differential device 17.

<Engine running mode>
This is a travel mode that uses the internal combustion engine 1 exclusively, and is a mode that is used when traveling at a high vehicle speed. In this mode, the multi-plate brake 12 is engaged (that is, the movable friction plate 12a and the fixed friction plate 12b are engaged), the clutch 3 is connected, and the output torque of the internal combustion engine 1 is controlled. Thus, a desired driving force (a driving force corresponding to the accelerator opening F) can be obtained.

  In the engine running mode, the output shaft 11b of the second motor 11 is not rotated because it is fixed to the case 10 by fastening the multi-plate brake 12, and therefore the sun gear 6 of the planetary gear mechanism 4 is also the same. It is in a state of fixed rotation. Therefore, the output torque of the internal combustion engine 1 is transmitted to the first output gear 13 through the carrier 5, the planetary gear 7, and the ring gear 8 of the planetary gear mechanism 4, and is engaged with the first output gear 13. The output gear 14, the transmission shaft 15, the mechanical transmission device 16, and the differential device 17 are transmitted to the drive wheels 18.

  Since the output shaft 9b of the first motor 9 also serves as the shaft of the first output gear 13, the first motor 9 may be driven as desired in this engine travel mode. The driving force of the internal combustion engine 1 can be assisted using the output torque of the first motor 9.

<Hybrid driving mode>
This is a travel mode unique to a hybrid vehicle, and is a mode used during general travel except for extremely low vehicle speed and high vehicle speed travel. The feature of this mode is that the internal combustion engine 1 is operated at an optimum efficiency point (also referred to as an ideal operation state), and the insufficient driving force or excessive driving force of the internal combustion engine 1 in the operating state is used for the first motor 9. Or supplementing with powering or regenerative operation of the second motor 11. In this mode, the multi-plate brake 12 is released (that is, the movable friction plate 12a and the fixed friction plate 12b are not engaged), the clutch 3 is connected, and the operation state of the internal combustion engine 1 is set as described above. And the desired torque (driving force corresponding to the accelerator opening F) can be obtained by controlling the output torque and the rotational speed of the first motor 9 and the second motor 11. To do.

  In the hybrid travel mode, the output shaft 11b of the second motor 11 is not fixed to the case 10 due to the release of the multi-plate brake 12, so that it is in a rotation-free state, and the sun gear 6 of the planetary gear mechanism 4 is also the same. Although it is in a rotation free state, the rotation free state of the sun gear 6 is regulated by controlling the output torque and rotation speed of the second motor 11, and a part or all of the output torque of the internal combustion engine 1 is a planetary gear mechanism. 4 to the first output gear 13. In this case, the sum of the output torque of the internal combustion engine 1 and the output torque of the first motor 9 is combined with the first output gear 13, the second output gear 14, the transmission shaft 15, and the mechanical type. This can be transmitted to the drive wheel 18 via the transmission 16 and the differential device 17.

  Further, in this hybrid travel mode, when the output torque of the internal combustion engine 1 is excessive, the rotation torque of the sun gear 6 is weakened by controlling the output torque and the rotational speed of the second motor 11 in a decreasing direction, and the internal combustion engine 1 The second motor 11 can be regenerated with the output torque of the engine 1, and the output torque of the internal combustion engine 1 transmitted to the first output gear 13 can be reduced.

  The controller 19 is for controlling each of the above modes. The controller 19 includes various driving information necessary for the control, such as the vehicle speed V from the vehicle speed sensor 20 (vehicle speed detection means), an accelerator (not shown). Accelerator opening F from an accelerator opening sensor 21 (accelerator opening detecting means) that detects the amount of pedal operation, temperature T from a temperature sensor 22 that detects the temperature of the internal combustion engine 1 (or engine room temperature), machine Information such as the shift position S of the transmission 16 is input.

  FIG. 2 is a conceptual configuration diagram of the controller 19. In this figure, the controller 19 is not particularly limited, but has a configuration of a microprogram control system including a CPU 19a, a ROM 19b, a RAM 19c, an input / output unit 19d, and the like. The controller 19 having such a configuration loads a software resource such as a control program written in the ROM 19b in advance into the RAM 19c and executes it on the CPU 19a, thereby executing the software resource and the hardware resource such as the CPU 19a. The desired function is achieved by organic bonding.

  FIG. 3 is a diagram showing a flowchart of a control program executed by the CPU 19a of the controller 19, and particularly a diagram showing a flowchart of a main part including the “engagement control process of the multi-plate brake 12” which is a point of the present embodiment. It is. In the following description, for convenience, “engagement” of the multi-plate brake 12 is referred to as “ON”, and “release” is referred to as “OFF”.

  In this flowchart, first, a travel mode determination process is executed based on various vehicle information (step S11), and it is determined whether or not the determined travel mode is the “hybrid travel mode” (step S12).

  If it is not the hybrid travel mode, the flow is terminated after executing the required control corresponding to the other travel mode (motor travel mode or engine travel mode) (step S13). The following specific processing is executed.

  That is, based on the vehicle speed V and the accelerator opening F, a determination process is performed to determine whether or not the multi-plate brake 12 is in a “predetermined operating region” (operation region of the fixing means) where the multi-plate brake 12 should be turned on (step S14, step S15: determination means), when it is determined that the vehicle is in the "predetermined driving range", the "multi-plate brake ON control process" is executed (step S16: operation means), and then the requirements corresponding to the hybrid travel mode The control is executed (step S17), and the flow ends. The “predetermined operation region” will be described in detail later.

  FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a flowchart of the “multi-plate brake ON control process”. In this flowchart, first, it is determined whether or not the rotational speed of the second motor 11 is 0 (step S16a), and if it is not 0, stop processing of the second motor 11 is executed (step S16b). Then, the determination of the rotational speed 0 is repeated again, and when the rotational speed 0 is determined, the ON control (engagement control) of the multi-plate brake 12 is executed (step S16c).

  FIG. 5 is a conceptual diagram showing a “predetermined operating region” where the multi-plate brake 12 should be turned from OFF to ON. In this figure, the vertical axis represents the accelerator opening F, the horizontal axis represents the vehicle speed V, and the hatched range is the predetermined operation region 23. A map similar to this figure is stored in advance in the ROM 19b of the controller 19. When the CPU 19a of the controller 19 executes steps S14 and S15 of the flowchart (see FIG. 3), this map is referred to, and the accelerator opening F and the vehicle speed V at that time are included in the predetermined operation region 23. It is determined whether or not Then, when the accelerator opening F and the vehicle speed V at that time are included in the predetermined operation region 23, the “multi-plate brake ON control process” (see FIG. 4) is executed.

  As described above, the point of this embodiment is that the driving state (accelerator opening F and vehicle speed V) in the hybrid driving mode is in a predetermined driving region 23 where the multi-plate brake 12 should be turned on from OFF. It is determined whether or not it is engaged. If it is present, the number of rotations of the second motor 11 is set to 0 and the multi-plate brake 12 is forcibly turned on (fastened). Then, by doing so, at least the operation of the second motor 11 is forcibly stopped, the temperature rise of the second motor 11 is suppressed, and the burden on the cooling system is reduced. The point where the predetermined operation region 23 is set according to the following knowledge is also one of the points.

  FIG. 6 is a graph plotting combinations of the accelerator opening F and the vehicle speed V in actual traveling. As in FIG. 5, the vertical axis represents the accelerator opening F, and the horizontal axis represents the vehicle speed V. Black spots in the figure represent combinations of the accelerator opening F and the vehicle speed V, and the use frequency (appearance frequency) is represented by the density of the black spots. In other words, a part with a low density is an operating state that rarely appears (hereinafter referred to as “sporadic operating state”), and a part with a high density (a part surrounded by a broken line) frequently appears (hereinafter “normal operating state”). "). As described above, in a general traveling state, there is a bias in the combination of the accelerator opening F and the vehicle speed V (a sporadic operation state and a normal operation state). When the relationship between the heat generation of the motor 11) is examined, the following knowledge is obtained.

  That is, the temperature rise of the motor is given by the time integral value of the heat amount of the motor itself minus the amount of heat taken away by the cooling system. Even when the motor load is high and the heat generation is large, the motor temperature does not rise to the point of concern. On the other hand, in the normal operation state, the appearance frequency is considerably high (the above-mentioned time integration value is high), so that the motor load is relatively high as well as the motor load is high and the heat generation is large. Even when the temperature is low, the temperature of the motor may rise to a level that cannot be ignored in accordance with the appearance frequency. In order to cope with such a temperature rise, it is certainly one method to improve the capacity of the cooling system, but this increases the size of the cooling system and increases the cost. Absent.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, when in the normal operation state (corresponding to the predetermined operation region 23), the multi-plate brake 12 is forcibly turned on (engaged) even in the hybrid travel mode. Thus, at least the output shaft 11b of the second motor 11 is fixed to the case 10 so that the second motor 11 is not operated, and the multi-plate brake 12 is forcibly turned on (fastened). In the meantime, the heat generation of the second motor 11 is suppressed so that the burden on the cooling system can be reduced. Thereby, an increase in cost can be suppressed without increasing the size of the cooling system .

  In addition, although the heat generation of the motor can be a problem not only for the second motor 11 but also for the first motor 9, the operation of the first motor 9 can be freely controlled by the control from the controller 19. If the temperature of the first motor 9 is below the allowable range, the first motor 9 may be controlled to generate an auxiliary driving force, or the temperature of the first motor 9 may be within the allowable range. If it exceeds, the first motor 9 may be stopped to suppress the temperature rise, and the deficient driving force may be supplemented by the control of the internal combustion engine 1.

  Here, in the above embodiment, when the multi-plate brake 12 is forcibly turned on (engaged), it is determined whether or not the rotational speed of the second motor 11 is 0 (see step S16a in FIG. 4). In addition, when the rotational speed is not 0, control is performed to make the rotational speed of the second motor 11 zero (see step S16b in FIG. 4). However, as shown in FIG. When the clutch 3 is provided between the planetary gear mechanism 4 and the planetary gear mechanism 4, the determination and control processing (steps S16a and S16b) are made unnecessary by turning the clutch 3 off (released). be able to.

  Moreover, in said embodiment, although the box-shaped single closed area | region (refer hatching part of FIG. 5) in which one side inclined was shown as the predetermined | prescribed driving | operation area | region 23, this is only an example. Other arbitrary shapes may be used, and the number of regions is not limited to one. Furthermore, it is not necessarily a closed area, and it may be a release area without one or several sides.

  FIG. 7 is a view showing a preferred modification of the predetermined operation region 23. In this figure, the predetermined operation region 23 is composed of a first region 24 and a second region 25 in contact with one side, a plurality of sides, or all sides of the first region 24. The first region 24 is a region in which the multi-plate brake 12 is forcibly turned on (engaged) when a combination of the accelerator opening F and the vehicle speed V enters the region, and the second region 25 is When the combination of the accelerator opening F and the vehicle speed V enters the region, the state of the multi-plate brake 12 is checked and if it is ON, the ON range is maintained.

  In such a modified example, assuming that one or both of the accelerator opening F and the vehicle speed V change and enter the second region 25 through the first region 24 from outside the two regions, In this case, the multi-plate brake 12 maintains OFF while passing through the first region 24 and turns ON after entering the second region 25, but conversely from the second region 25 to the first. When the vehicle goes out of the two regions through the region 24, the multi-plate brake 12 is kept on while passing through the first region 24, and is turned off when leaving the first region 24. Therefore, since the switching conditions for turning on and off the multi-plate brake 12 differ depending on the direction of entering and exiting each region, it is possible to prevent frequent switching operations (chattering).

  FIG. 8 is a diagram showing another preferred modification of the predetermined operation region 23. This figure is a shift diagram of a stepped transmission, for example, and is applied to the case where the mechanical transmission 16 (for example, a five-stage transmission) of FIG. 1 is provided. In this figure, the vertical axis is the accelerator opening F, the horizontal axis is the vehicle speed V, the solid line in the figure is the upshift (1 → 2, 2 → 3, 3 → 4, 4 → 5), and the dotted line is the down It represents a shift (5 → 4, 4 → 3, 3 → 2, 2 → 1). When the combination of the accelerator opening F and the vehicle speed V exceeds each solid line or broken line, a shift operation (upshift or downshift) of the mechanical transmission 16 is performed.

  Here, the specific region of the illustrated shift map is indicated by hatching. This specific region is, for example, a region of 3 → 4 upshift and 4 → 5 upshift, and a region of a predetermined accelerator opening F or more. When the combination of the accelerator opening F and the vehicle speed V enters this specific region, the multi-plate brake 12 is forcibly turned on (engaged). This specific area corresponds to the first area 24 in FIG.

In addition, the region from this specific region to 3 ← 4 downshift is that if the combination of the accelerator opening F and the vehicle speed V enters the region and the state of the multi-plate brake 12 is checked and is ON, This is the range in which ON is maintained. The region from the specific region to the 3 ← 4 downshift corresponds to the second region 25 in FIG. In this way, it is not necessary to hold a map (see FIG. 5) of the predetermined operation area 23 in the ROM 19b of the controller 19, and simplification of the multi-plate brake ON control process (see FIG. 4) can be achieved. .

Alternatively, when the mechanical transmission 16 of FIG. 1 is “continuously”, the following may be performed.
FIG. 9 is a diagram showing another preferred modification of the predetermined operation region 23. In this figure, the vertical axis represents the accelerator opening F, and the horizontal axis represents the gear ratio of the mechanical continuously variable transmission (the gear ratio calculated from the shift position S output from the mechanical transmission 16 in FIG. 1). A portion indicated by hatching is a predetermined operation region 23 in which the multi-plate brake 12 is forcibly turned on. According to this example, since the multi-plate brake 12 is turned on when the accelerator opening F and the gear ratio are checked and they are in the predetermined predetermined operation region 23, the multi-plate brake ON control process ( (See FIG. 4) .

  In the above description, the predetermined operation region 23 is fixedly set, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, from the past history of the accelerator opening F and the vehicle speed V, an area of high use frequency is estimated on the accelerator opening F-vehicle speed V plane, and the predetermined operating area is included so as to include this estimated area. 23 may be provided as an area changing means (actually a function realized by software in the CPU 19a). Hereinafter, an example of the means will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 10 is a diagram showing still another preferred modification of the predetermined operation region 23. In this figure, the vertical axis represents the accelerator opening F, and the horizontal axis represents the vehicle speed V. A black dot in the figure is a history of combinations of the accelerator opening F and the vehicle speed V that have appeared in the past, and the squares surrounded by a broken line are estimation target areas.

  In this example, the cells whose number of black spots is equal to or greater than a predetermined value (N) are set as “highly used areas”, that is, the predetermined operation area 23. For example, if N = 3, among the 2nd and 3rd row cells from the bottom, a total of 8 cells in the 3rd, 4th, 5th and 6th columns from the left (enclosed by thick solid lines) Since the number of all black spots in the squares) is equal to or greater than the predetermined value (N), the range of the thick solid line including these eight squares is a frequently used area, and thus the predetermined operating area described above. 23 is set.

In this way, the size and position of the predetermined driving area 23 can be set to be “variable” based on the combination history of the accelerator opening F and the vehicle speed V that have appeared in the past. Control characteristics that match the habit and preference can be obtained, and so-called learning effects can be imparted to improve control accuracy .

  The “history of the combination of the accelerator opening F and the vehicle speed V that has appeared in the past” is, for example, sampled at an interval (τ) shorter than the time (T) in the time (T) that goes back from the present to the past. This is a combination of the accelerator opening F and the vehicle speed V. In this case, the interval for resetting the predetermined operation region 23 may be set to be not less than the sampling interval (τ) and can be arbitrarily set regardless of the time (T).

  In addition, the predetermined operation region 23 in FIG. 10 only needs to be configured by a grid including black spots equal to or greater than a predetermined value (N), and is naturally not limited to the shape (rectangle) illustrated. Furthermore, in the figure, the shape of each cell is a square, but it may be, for example, a vertically long or horizontally long rectangle, or another shape (triangle, diamond, etc.).

  Moreover, although the predetermined operation area | region 23 in FIG. 10 is a single area | region, this is only because the grid containing the black point more than predetermined value (N) is adjacent. Of course, depending on the position of the cell including the black point equal to or greater than the predetermined value (N), it may be divided into a plurality of regions.

In addition, in the above-described region changing means (function realized by software by the CPU 19a), the position and size of the predetermined operation region 23 are determined based on the combination history of the accelerator opening F and the vehicle speed V that appeared in the “past”. However, the present invention is not limited to this. For example, information such as the current travel position, future planned travel routes, traffic conditions on the travel routes, and the like are acquired, and the appearance frequency of the combination of the accelerator opening F and the vehicle speed V is predicted based on the information. Then, the position and size of the predetermined operation area 23 may be estimated. In this case, the current travel position and the future travel route can be easily obtained from a so-called car navigation system using GPS (Global Positioning System), and information such as traffic conditions on the travel route. Also, for example, it can be easily obtained using a VICS (road traffic information distribution system). And it has the effect that the control characteristic according to the actual driving | running | working state can be acquired by doing in this way . In this case, GPS and VICS are information acquisition means.

The past history is not only the combination of the accelerator opening F and the vehicle speed V, but also the combination of the vehicle speed and the accelerator opening, for example, a combination of a gear ratio, a gear ratio, and an accelerator opening. The effect is obtained.

  Further, in the above-described area changing means, the determination reference value (the number N of black spots) for determining the “highly used area” is a fixed value such as N = 3, but is not limited thereto. You may variably set based on the arbitrary parameter showing the load of a cooling system.

  FIG. 11 is a diagram showing a flowchart when the determination reference value (the number N of black spots) is variably set. In this example, as an arbitrary parameter representing the load of the cooling system, for example, the temperature of the internal combustion engine 1 (or Engine room temperature). That is, the detected temperature T of the temperature sensor 22 is taken in (step S21), it is determined to which temperature range this temperature T belongs, and the determination reference value (number N of black spots) is variably set based on the determination result. Yes. By making the variable setting in this way, more appropriate control is possible.

  For example, considering three determination threshold values T1 to T3 (where T1 <T2 <T3) included between the minimum value and the maximum value of the temperature of the internal combustion engine 1 (or the temperature of the engine room), the detected temperature T Is included in any one of a “low temperature region” of T1 or less, a “medium temperature region” exceeding T1 and not more than T2, a “high temperature region” exceeding T2 and not more than T3, and a “high temperature region” exceeding T3. The relationship between each of these temperature regions and the load of the cooling system is that the load increases as the temperature increases, that is, the cooling system loads in the order of “low temperature region” → “medium temperature region” → “high temperature region” → “high temperature region”. Since the load increases, the size of the predetermined operation area 23 may be increased according to the order.

  In the figure, N1, N2, N3, and N4 are judgment reference values (number of black spots) for each temperature region, and N1> N2> N3> N4. That is, when the low temperature region where T <T1 is determined (“YES” in step S22), the maximum determination reference value N1 is set to N (step S23), and the intermediate temperature region where T1 <T <T2 is set. If it is determined (“YES” in step S24), the next determination reference value N2 is set to N (step S25), and a high temperature region where T2 <T <T3 is determined (“YES” in step S26). In this case, the next-order determination criterion value N3 is set to N (step S27), and when the high temperature region where T3 <T is determined ("NO" in step S26), the minimum determination criterion The value N4 may be set to N (step S28).

  FIG. 12 is a diagram showing the size of the predetermined operation region 23 set for each temperature region. In this figure, (a) is set by applying the determination reference value N1, (b) is set by applying the determination reference value N2, and (c) is applied by applying the determination reference value N3. The set value (d) is set by applying the determination reference value N4. The number of black spots in the mesh included in each of the predetermined operation areas 23a to 23d decreases in the order of (a) → (b) → (c) → (d), and accordingly, the low temperature area → the intermediate temperature area The size of the predetermined operation areas 23a to 23d can be enlarged in the order of → high temperature area → high temperature area. By doing so, more appropriate control can be performed.

  In the above example, the temperature of the internal combustion engine 1 (or the temperature of the engine room) is used as an arbitrary parameter representing the load of the cooling system, but is not limited to this. For example, it is more preferable to use the combined temperature including the temperature of the motor (the first motor 9 and the second motor 11), the outside air temperature, or the temperature of the internal combustion engine 1 (or the temperature of the engine room). Control is possible.

It is a conceptual lineblock diagram of this embodiment. 2 is a conceptual configuration diagram of a controller 19. FIG. It is a figure which shows the flowchart of the control program run by CPU19a of the controller 19. FIG. It is a figure which shows the flowchart of a "multi-plate brake ON control process." It is a conceptual diagram which shows the "predetermined driving | operation area | region" which should turn the multi-plate brake 12 from OFF to ON. It is the figure which plotted the combination of the accelerator opening F and the vehicle speed V in actual driving | running | working. It is a figure which shows the preferable modification of the predetermined driving | running | working area | region 23. FIG. It is a figure which shows the other preferable modification of the predetermined driving | operation area | region 23. FIG. It is a figure which shows the other preferable modification of the predetermined driving | operation area | region 23. FIG. It is a figure which shows the further another preferable modification of the predetermined driving | operation area | region 23. FIG. It is a figure which shows the flowchart in the case of variably setting the judgment reference value (the number N of black spots). It is a figure which shows the magnitude | size of the predetermined operation area | region 23 set for every temperature area.

Explanation of symbols

F accelerator opening S15 step (determination means)
S16 step (operating means)
V Vehicle speed 1 Internal combustion engine 2 Output shaft (output shaft of internal combustion engine)
4 Planetary gear mechanism (differential gear unit)
5 Carrier (first gear element)
6 Sun gear (second gear element)
8 Ring gear (third gear element)
9 First motor (the other of the two motors)
9b Output shaft (output shaft of the other of the two motors)
11 Second motor (one of two motors)
11b Output shaft (output shaft of one of the two motors)
12 Multi-plate brake (fixing means)
16 Mechanical transmission (transmission means)
18 Drive wheel 19a CPU (determination means, stop means, area change means)
20 Vehicle speed sensor (vehicle speed detection means)
21 Accelerator opening sensor (accelerator opening detector)
23 Predetermined operation area (operation area of the fixing means)
23a to 23d Predetermined operation area (operation area of fixing means)

Claims (2)

A power source comprising an internal combustion engine and two types of motors;
A first gear element is connected to the output shaft of the internal combustion engine, a second gear element is connected to the output shaft of one of the two types of motors, and a third gear element is the two types of the two types of motors. A differential gear device coupled to the output shaft and drive wheels of the other motor of the motors;
In a vehicle control device used for a hybrid vehicle, comprising: a fixing means for fixing rotation of one of the two types of motors;
Vehicle speed detection means for detecting the vehicle speed;
An accelerator opening detecting means for detecting the accelerator opening;
A determination means for determining whether or not the detected vehicle speed and accelerator opening are included in an operation region defined in advance as a frequently used region by the vehicle speed and the accelerator opening;
An actuating means for actuating the fixing means when the judgment result of the judging means is affirmative;
Vehicular control, comprising: a change means for changing the driving range based on a past history of the vehicle speed and the accelerator opening detected by each of the vehicle speed detecting means and the accelerator opening detecting means. apparatus. A power source comprising an internal combustion engine and two types of motors;
A first gear element is connected to the output shaft of the internal combustion engine, a second gear element is connected to the output shaft of one of the two types of motors, and a third gear element is the two types of the two types of motors. A differential gear device coupled to the output shaft and drive wheels of the other motor of the motors;
In a vehicle control device used for a hybrid vehicle, comprising: a fixing means for fixing rotation of one of the two types of motors;
Transmission means interposed between the power generation source and the drive wheel;
A gear ratio detecting means for detecting a gear ratio of the speed change means;
An accelerator opening detecting means for detecting the accelerator opening;
A determination means for determining whether or not the detected gear ratio and accelerator opening are included in an operation region defined in advance as a region of high use frequency by the gear ratio and the accelerator opening;
An actuating means for actuating the fixing means when the judgment result of the judging means is affirmative;
A vehicle comprising: a speed change ratio detecting means and a change means for changing the operating range based on past history of the speed change ratio and the accelerator opening degree detected by each of the speed change ratio detecting means and the accelerator opening degree detecting means. Control device.

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