JP4100335B2 - Drive control device and hybrid vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To utilize an electric energy storage means efficiently using information of up/down slopes on a traveling passage. <P>SOLUTION: When a mountain is crossed or when a down slope section capable of recovering big regeneration energy (difference in elevation is not smaller than a threshold value) is present on the passage, SOC management width is enlarged temporarily and regeneration energy is recovered within the enlarged management width. Presence of a down slope section having a large difference in elevation ahead on the passage is predicted by combining the enlargement of SOC management width and navigation control, the SOC management width is enlarged before traveling the down slope section and a motor is driven in order to assist an engine thus lowering the SOC to the vicinity of the lower limit management width. Energy to be stored through regeneration can be increased by lowering the SOC beforehand. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&amp;NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a drive control device and a vehicle, for example, a drive control device and a hybrid vehicle that travel using electric energy stored in a power storage unit.

Vehicles that travel using the driving force of a motor, such as hybrid vehicles and electric vehicles, regenerate energy during downhill in the form of electric power, thereby improving the overall traveling efficiency.
This is an extremely rational method of recovering energy that was originally dissipated in the form of heat energy by friction brakes and engine brakes in the form of electrical energy.

By the way, when storing regenerative energy as electric energy in this way, it is necessary to mount a battery, a capacitor, or the like (hereinafter referred to as a battery) as a power storage means on the vehicle, which causes problems such as an increase in the weight of the vehicle and securing of a loading location. .
Therefore, in these constraints, the design is optimized so as to improve the efficiency of energy consumption during general normal driving, and the weight and storage capacity of the battery are determined.
Therefore, at the time of downhill, it is necessary to perform regeneration within the limited capacity determined in this way.

For hybrid vehicles, the state of charge of the battery or the remaining charge (hereinafter referred to as SOC) is normally controlled to be kept near the center between the upper limit value and the lower limit value. In preparation for regeneration, it also prepares for power consumption by driving the motor during sudden acceleration such as overtaking or climbing a steep slope.
The SOC is provided with a certain management width in order to prevent the battery from rapidly deteriorating due to frequent repeated large charge rate changes.

In the case of a hybrid vehicle, for example, the lower limit value of the SOC management width is set to about 40% of the full charge amount, and the upper limit value is set to about 60%.
As described above, the regeneration must be performed not only within the capacity of the battery determined under various constraints but also within the range of the SOC management width that is a part thereof.
The energy that cannot be regenerated within this range is consumed as thermal energy by the brake device, engine brake, etc. and discarded.

In order to increase the regeneration efficiency within such SOC management range, the navigation system is used to predict the previous travel and to regenerate as much energy as possible in the downward slope section (hereinafter referred to as the downward section). Various methods have been proposed for obtaining altitude change information in advance, scheduling utilization of engines, motors, etc., and improving fuel efficiency.
As one of such proposals, for example, the following Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for controlling by paying attention to the discharge amount of the battery based on the information of the climbing slope in the route in order to efficiently use the battery. Yes.

JP 2001-169408

  However, in the technology described in the above patent document, even if the battery is controlled efficiently, the battery charge amount is controlled between the upper limit value and the lower limit value, so that the original performance of the battery (allowable charge amount that can be fully charged) Was not fully utilized.

  Therefore, an object of the present invention is to make it possible to store more regenerative energy when traveling in a down section while suppressing damage to the power storage means.

The drive control device according to claim 1, comprising an engine in which part or all of the driving force is used for power generation and a motor that generates the driving force of the vehicle, and is driven by at least one of the driving force of the engine and the motor. a drive control apparatus for a hybrid vehicle that, the supplies electric power to the motor, a power storage means for energy storage by the regeneration energy from the previous SL motor is performed, the normal running control range of the storage amount of the electrical storage means at the time of normal running A storage / discharge control means for controlling the storage / discharge of the power storage means so as to be within, a section specifying means for specifying a down section of a predetermined elevation difference existing on the travel route, and when traveling in the specified down section anda estimation means for estimating the power storage power storage amount, the electricity storing and discharging control means is larger than the estimated power storage amount is the normal traveling control range, to expand the control range Is smaller than the width of the lower limit and the upper limit of the case, to be proportional to the estimated power storage amount, sets the expansion management width be expanded by an equal amount of control range of the storage means to the discharge side and the power storage side And when controlling the storage and discharge so that the amount of power stored in the power storage means is consumed up to the lower limit of the expansion management width before the vehicle starts traveling in the descending section, and traveling in the identified descending section. In addition, the object is achieved by performing power storage using regenerative energy within the expansion management width.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, the drive control device according to the first aspect further comprises management width return means for returning the management width of the power storage means to the normal travel management width after passing through the descending section. It is characterized by.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the drive control device according to the first or second aspect of the present invention, the drive control device further includes a number counting unit that counts the number of times the management width is expanded, and the storage / discharge control unit includes the counting unit. The management range of the power storage means is expanded to an expanded management range on the condition that the number of times is less than a predetermined number.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the drive control device according to the third aspect, the number-of-times counting means counts the predetermined number of times when a new time is counted after a predetermined time has elapsed since the previous counting. The value is changed to a larger value, or the counted number of times is changed to a smaller value.
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the drive control device according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, the storage / discharge control means supplies power after passing through the downstream section. Consumption and discharge are controlled so that the amount of electricity stored in the electricity storage means becomes a value managed during normal driving.
According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the drive control device according to any one of the first to fifth aspects, the engine is configured such that a part or all of the driving force is driven by a vehicle. An operation schedule setting unit configured to set an operation schedule of the engine and the motor so as to maximize a power storage amount due to regenerative energy in the descending section with respect to the travel route used for power generation; The engine and the motor are controlled using the operated schedule.
According to a seventh aspect of the invention, the object is achieved by a hybrid vehicle that controls a drive system by the drive control device according to any one of the first to sixth aspects.

According to the present invention, the amount of power that can be stored when traveling in a descending section with a predetermined elevation difference existing on the travel route is estimated, and the management width of the power storage means is set to the power storage side and the discharge side corresponding to the estimated power storage amount. By setting the expansion management width to the same amount, the storage discharge is controlled and specified so that the amount of power stored in the power storage means is consumed up to the lower limit of the expansion management width before the vehicle starts traveling in the downward section. when riding the down section by performing power storage by the regenerative energy in the enlarged control width, regenerative energy when traveling the section down while suppressing the damage of the electric storage means can be more energy storage a.

1. Outline of Embodiment In the present embodiment, the SOC management width itself is controlled in accordance with the information of the uphill / downhill on the route in order to efficiently use the battery. By increasing the SOC management range, even if the SOC exceeds the SOC management range during normal driving while traveling on a route including the up / down slope, the frequency at which the SOC exceeds the normal SOC management range based on the up / down slope information Therefore, the SOC management range can be expanded within a range that does not hinder battery durability.

2. Outline of First Embodiment In this first embodiment, when there is a down section (down section with an altitude difference equal to or greater than a threshold value) where a large regenerative energy can be collected on the route, such as when crossing a mountain, the SOC management width is temporarily The regenerative energy is recovered within this expanded management range.
Further, by combining this expansion of the SOC management range and navigation control (control for determining the driving share between the engine and the motor so as to improve fuel efficiency based on the state of the traveling route and the traveling state), the route Predicting that there is a descending section with a large difference in elevation ahead, widen the SOC management range before traveling on the descending section, further drive the motor to assist the engine, and lower the SOC to near the lower limit of the management range Keep it.
By reducing the SOC in advance, the energy that can be stored by regeneration can be increased.

In this embodiment, from the viewpoint of reducing battery deterioration, a limit is set for expansion of the SOC management width. When the number of expansion of the SOC management width is counted and the expansion count reaches the limit value, the SOC is thereafter referred to. The battery is protected without expanding the management range.
Considering that there are few opportunities for a general driver to travel on a route with a large difference in elevation, except for special people, if there is a descending section with a difference in elevation greater than a preset threshold, It is extremely effective to expand the SOC management range only in order to recover more regenerative energy without damaging the battery.

In this embodiment, a hybrid vehicle will be described as an example of the vehicle.
These hybrid vehicles include passenger cars, buses, trucks, and track vehicles that run on tracks.
In addition, the present embodiment is not limited to a hybrid vehicle, and can be applied to a vehicle driven by electric power stored in a battery (power storage unit) such as an electric vehicle or a fuel cell vehicle.

3. Details of First Embodiment FIG. 1 is a conceptual diagram showing a configuration of a drive control system 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention and a drive control system 10 for a hybrid vehicle to which the vehicle is applied.
The drive control system 10 includes a driving device 20 that generates vehicle power, a driving force transmission device 25 that transmits the generated power, and navigation that performs navigation-related information processing such as route search, acquisition of the current position, and route analysis. Part 11 is provided.

The drive device 20 includes a main control device 26, an engine 21, a generator 22, a battery 23, and a motor 24.
The engine 21 is an engine by an internal combustion engine that is driven by fuel such as gasoline or light oil, and includes an engine control device such as an ECU (not shown) and is used as a power source of the vehicle.

The driving force of the engine 21 is transmitted to a driving force transmission device 25 including a transmission (multi-stage transmission or continuously variable transmission) (not shown), a driving shaft, driving wheels, and the like. Then, the driving wheel is rotated by the transmitted driving force, and the vehicle is driven. A part or all of the driving force of the engine 21 is used for driving the vehicle or generating power.
The driving force transmission device 25 may be provided with a braking device such as a drum brake or a disc brake.

The motor 24 is configured by a motor device such as an AC motor or a DC brushless motor, and is used together with the engine 21 as a power source for the vehicle. The driving force generated by the motor 24 is transmitted via the driving force transmission device 25.
The motor 24 is preferably an AC motor, and in this case, includes an inverter (not shown).
In the present embodiment, as will be described later, regeneration is performed using the generator 22, but regeneration by the motor 24 is also possible. In this case, the motor 24 acts as a power generator and charges the battery 23.

The battery 23 is a power storage unit that stores electrical energy for driving the motor 24, and includes a secondary battery that can be repeatedly charged and discharged.
The battery 23 is provided with an SOC sensor (electric storage amount detection means) for detecting the amount of electric storage (hereinafter referred to as SOC), and the main control device 26 can monitor the SOC of the battery 23.
As the battery 23, for example, secondary batteries such as a lead storage battery, a nickel cadmium battery, and a nickel metal hydride battery are generally used. However, a high performance lead storage battery, a lithium ion battery, a sodium sulfur battery, and the like used for an electric vehicle or the like are used. It can also be used.

The power storage means does not necessarily have to be the battery 23, and the energy is electrically stored and discharged, such as a capacitor (capacitor) such as an electric double layer capacitor, a flywheel, a superconducting coil, a pressure accumulator, or the like. What has the function to do can be used.
Furthermore, any of these may be used alone, or a plurality of them may be used in combination. For example, the battery 23 and the electric double layer capacitor can be combined and used as a power storage means.

The generator 22 is a device that generates electric power by converting dynamic energy into electric energy, and charges the battery 23 with the generated electric power.
The generator 22 is preferably an AC generator, and in this case, includes an inverter (not shown).

The generator 22 can generate electric power by using the driving force of the engine 21 and can generate electric power by regenerating to generate electric energy by acquiring kinetic energy of the vehicle from the driving force transmission device 25 during vehicle braking. Can do.
As described above, in the drive control system 10, if the vehicle is based on a conventional internal combustion engine, the kinetic energy that is dissipated as frictional heat by the brake device when the vehicle is braked can be recovered as electric energy, thereby improving fuel efficiency. Can be made.

In the present embodiment, the generator 22 and the motor 24 are configured separately, but the generator 22 and the motor 24 may be configured integrally.
In this case, the motor 24 generates a driving force when electric power is supplied from the battery 23 and functions as a power source. When the motor 24 is rotated by the driving force transmission device 25 such as during braking of the vehicle, the regenerative current is generated. It functions as the generator 22 which generate | occur | produces.

Further, the generator 22 may generate electric power using the driving force of the engine 21 and the electric power generated by the regenerative energy may be generated by the motor 24 during the deceleration operation of the vehicle.
Further, when a part of the driving force of the engine 21 is output for driving and the remaining driving force is used to drive the generator 22 to generate power, for example, a planetary gear is used, and the engine 21, generator 22, motor This is realized by connecting the 24 axes.

  The main control device 26 is a kind of computer that includes a calculation means such as a CPU and MPU (not shown), a storage means such as a semiconductor memory and a magnetic disk, a communication interface with the navigation unit 11, and the like, and includes an engine 21, an engine control device, and a motor. 24. Control the operation of the generator 22 and the inverter.

The main control device 26 can control the usage ratio of the engine 21 and the motor 24 according to the traveling state of the vehicle. In the high-efficiency region of the engine 21, power is mainly generated by the engine 21, and the efficiency of the engine 21 is improved. In the low region, the driving force is generated mainly by the motor 24.
Thus, fuel consumption can be improved by operating the engine 21 and the motor 24 in a complementary manner.
Such control can be realized by executing a predetermined control program stored in the storage unit with the calculation unit.

The main control device 26 monitors the power storage state (hereinafter referred to as SOC) of the battery 23 with the SOC sensor, and the SOC of the battery 23 is kept near the center of the SOC management width in order to suppress the deterioration of the battery 23. So as to control the storage and discharge.
Here, SOC (charge rate) represents the ratio of the amount of electricity stored to the electricity storage capacity of the electricity storage means. Generally, in a secondary battery for a hybrid vehicle, the lower limit value of the SOC management width is about 40% and the upper limit. The value is set to about 60%.
Thus, the main control device 26 has a function as a storage / discharge control unit that controls storage / discharge of the storage unit.

The main control device 26 also performs navigation control in anticipation of the previous route situation, using navigation information (described later) provided by the navigation unit 11.
In the navigation control, for example, the state of the route to be traveled and the traveling state are predicted, and the operation schedule of the engine 21 and the motor 24 is set so that the fuel efficiency is maximized within the range of the SOC management range. The drive device 20 is controlled, or when there is a descending section first, before reaching the descending section, the SOC is decreased to increase the amount of power stored by regeneration.

In addition, the drive control system 10 according to the present embodiment performs SOC management when there is a downhill section that satisfies a predetermined condition (in the present embodiment, an altitude difference of a predetermined amount or more as an example) on a route to be traveled from now. Control is also performed to increase the regenerative amount in this section by driving this section with the width expanded. Thus, the main control device 26 has a function as section specifying means for specifying a predetermined down section.
Hereinafter, the control for managing the SOC without using the navigation control is referred to as conventional control, and the navigation control is performed. However, the control without expanding the SOC management range is referred to as normal navigation control, and the navigation control is performed. The control for enlarging and regenerating is referred to as enlarged navigation control.
Further, when the normal navigation control and the enlarged navigation control are not particularly distinguished, they are simply referred to as navigation control.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, the altitude change information of the travel route is obtained in advance from the navigation unit 11 so that the previous travel can be predicted and regenerated as much as possible on the down slope, and the engine 21, the motor 24, and the battery are obtained. 23 SOC management ranges can be scheduled to improve fuel efficiency.

The navigation unit 11 is connected to various functional units such as a navigation database 12, a travel data acquisition unit 13, a travel environment data acquisition unit 14, and a travel data storage unit 15.
The navigation unit 11 uses these functional units to provide a navigation service for guiding the route to the destination to the driver, and the main control device 26 operates the engine 21 and the motor 24 by navigation control. Provides navigation information used for scheduling and setting the SOC management range.

The navigation database 12 stores various information such as map data, voice data, road data, and search data for providing navigation services to the driver and providing navigation information to the navigation unit 11.
Data stored in the navigation database 12 is stored in storage means such as a semiconductor memory or a magnetic disk.
More specifically, this storage means can store all forms of storage such as magnetic tape, magnetic disk, magnetic drum, flash memory, CD-ROM, MD, DVD-ROM, optical disk, MO, IC card, optical card, memory card, etc. A removable external storage medium including a medium can also be used.

The map data is the map information that represents the distribution of objects that exist in the area that is the target of the navigation service using the coordinates defined by the latitude and longitude. It includes photographic images, location and shape of facilities and buildings, and information on topography, rivers and other topography, and other information.
The road on the map is identified with the latitude and longitude of each point and is associated with road data and search data.

The map data is used to specify the latitude and longitude of the road and other objects, displays a guide map along the searched route on the display unit included in the navigation unit 11, and characteristic photographs at intersections or routes. It is used for displaying a frame diagram, displaying the distance to the next intersection, the traveling direction at the next intersection, and other guidance information.
The voice data is data for performing road guidance and asking the user (what is the name of the destination), and is reproduced and output by the voice output unit.

The road data stores information about each road on the map data together with road identification information for identifying each road.
Examples of road-related information include road type (administrative road attributes such as national roads, prefectural roads, major local roads, general roads, and highways), road length, travel time, width, slope, cant, altitude, bank , Road surface condition, presence / absence of median strip, number of lanes, points where the number of lanes decreases, points where the width becomes narrow, and the like.
In the present embodiment, an altitude difference on a route can be acquired using an altitude (also referred to as mesh altitude data) included in road data.
If there is a section where the altitude difference exceeds a predetermined threshold on the route, the SOC management range can be expanded to recover the regenerative energy in this section.

The search data includes information for performing a route search from the departure point to the destination when the driver designates the destination.
For example, in the intersection data included in the search data, in addition to the number of intersections in which the data is stored, data relating to each intersection is stored as intersection data with identification information for identifying the intersection.

The travel data acquisition unit 13 obtains travel data such as the current position and travel speed of the vehicle at predetermined intervals from when the vehicle is started to when it is stopped, that is, from when the drive device 20 is started to when it is stopped. get.
Here, the predetermined interval is a predetermined time interval (for example, every predetermined time such as 100 [msec], 1 [sec]) or a predetermined distance interval (for example, a predetermined distance such as 100 [m], 500 [m]). Every).

The travel data acquisition unit 13 includes a GPS (Global Positioning system) sensor. The travel data acquisition unit 13 can calculate the current position (latitude and longitude) by receiving and analyzing GPS information from GPS hygiene with this GPS sensor.
In addition to this, the travel data acquisition unit 13 includes an azimuth sensor that detects the direction in which the vehicle is facing, an accelerator opening sensor that detects the accelerator opening, a brake switch that detects the movement of the brake pedal operated by the driver, Steering sensor for detecting the steering angle of the steering operated by the driver, a winker sensor for detecting the movement of the winker switch operated by the driver, a shift lever sensor for detecting the movement of the shift lever of the transmission operated by the driver, traveling of the vehicle A vehicle speed sensor that detects a speed, that is, a vehicle speed, an acceleration sensor that detects the acceleration of the vehicle, a yaw rate sensor that detects a yaw rate indicating a change in the direction in which the vehicle is facing, and the like are provided.
The travel data acquisition unit 13 provides the navigation unit 11 with information obtained from these sensors, that is, travel data.

The travel environment data acquisition unit 14 relates to the travel environment around the vehicle when the vehicle travels, such as time, date, day of the week, date and time the vehicle departed, weather, weather information, traffic jam information, traffic regulation information, road construction information, and event information. Information is acquired and provided to the navigation unit 11.
The travel environment data acquisition unit 14 includes a clock, a calendar, and the like, and acquires date and time information such as the current time, date, day of the week, and date and time when the vehicle departs.
In addition, the traveling environment data acquisition unit 14 uses, for example, a road traffic information communication system called VICS® (Vehicle Information & Communication System) to obtain information on traffic control systems such as the police and the Japan Highway Public Corporation. Collected and created road traffic information such as information on road congestion, traffic regulation information, construction information on road construction, etc.

Furthermore, the driving environment data acquisition unit 14 specifies event information such as scheduled locations and scheduled dates and times of events such as festivals, parades, and fireworks displays, for example, roads around stations and large commercial facilities every day except weekends. It also obtains statistical traffic information such as traffic jams occurring at the time of day, traffic jams on the roads around the beach during summer holidays, and weather information such as weather forecasts created by the Japan Meteorological Agency.
In addition, the travel environment data acquisition unit 14 acquires data on the operating status of vehicle-mounted devices such as wipers, headlights, air conditioners, and defrosters, and sensing data of vehicle-mounted sensors such as raindrop sensors and temperature sensors. The operation state data and sensing data of the on-vehicle equipment can be used by the travel pattern prediction unit 11 to estimate the weather at that time.

The travel data storage unit 15 is a storage unit that stores the travel data acquired by the travel data acquisition unit 13 and the travel environment data acquired by the travel environment data acquisition unit 14.
In this case, the travel data and the travel environment data in one travel of the vehicle are stored in association with each other.
That is, it is possible to grasp the transition of the traveling state from the traveling data, and it is possible to grasp the traveling environment when the traveling is performed from the traveling environment data.
These data are analyzed by the navigation unit 11 to, for example, infer the route frequently used by the driver on a daily basis, as well as to analyze the difference in travel data due to weather conditions, day of the week, travel time zone, etc. on frequent routes. Can be used.

The navigation unit 11 is a kind of computer that includes an arithmetic unit such as a CPU and MPU (not shown), a semiconductor memory (ROM, RAM, etc.), a storage unit such as a magnetic disk, a communication interface, and the like.
The navigation unit 11 performs various types of information processing using data stored in the navigation database 12 and the travel data storage unit 15 and information acquired from the travel data acquisition unit 13 and the travel environment data acquisition unit 14. .
In addition, the navigation unit 11 stores travel data and travel environment data obtained from the travel data acquisition unit 13 and the travel environment data acquisition unit 14 in the travel data storage unit 15 during travel.

  The navigation unit 11 includes, as a user interface, an input unit including an operation key, a push button, a jog dial, a cross key, a remote controller, a CRT display, a liquid crystal display, an LED (Light Emitting Diode) display, a plasma display, and a hologram on a windshield. In addition to providing a display unit including a hologram device to project, a voice input unit including a microphone, a voice synthesizer, a voice output unit including a speaker, etc., an FM transmitter, a telephone line network, the Internet, a mobile phone network, etc. The communication part which transmits / receives various data between is provided.

Information processing performed by the navigation unit 11 includes provision of navigation services to the driver, generation and provision of navigation information used by the main control device 26 to perform navigation control, and the like.
The provision of the navigation service is a process for guiding the driver to the destination while acquiring the current position by searching the route from the current position to the destination using the user interface and presenting it to the driver.
The destination may be input by the driver, or may be automatically set by predicting from the driver's past driving pattern.

  The navigation information is information used by the main control device 26 to set the driving schedule of the engine 21 and the motor 24, and the navigation unit 11 predicts the travel route (which is input by the driver) Alternatively, it is predicted based on the driver's past driving pattern, etc.), and is generated using information stored in the navigation database 12 or the travel data storage unit 15 and provided to the main control device 26.

Various types of navigation information are conceivable, but in this embodiment, changes in the altitude of the route predicted to travel from now on, altitude differences, and the like are included.
In addition, when the main control device 26 needs to know the current travel position when executing the driving schedule, the navigation unit 11 sets the current travel position acquired from the travel data acquisition unit 13 to the main control device 26 as the main travel position. Provided to the controller 26.

Next, each control (conventional control, normal navigation control, enlarged navigation control) performed by the main control device 26 will be described with reference to FIG.
The main control device 26 obtains the altitude difference H of the descending section from the navigation information, and determines which control is performed based on the value.

Each of these figures is a diagram showing the transition of the SOC with traveling in each control. The vertical upward direction toward the paper surface is the direction in which the SOC increases, and the horizontal right direction is the traveling direction.
The lower limit value SOCb and the upper limit value SOCu in the figure represent the lower limit value and the upper limit value in the case of managing with the normal width of SOC (hereinafter, normal management width). In this embodiment, the state of full charge is shown as an example. The lower limit SOCb is 40% and the upper limit SOCu is 60%.
The median SOCm represents the center of the SOC management width, and is 50% in the present embodiment.

The expansion lower limit value SOCEb and the expansion upper limit value SOCEu represent a lower limit value and an upper limit value when the SOC management width is expanded (hereinafter referred to as an expansion management width). In the present embodiment, these values are 20%, And 80%.
In addition, the altitude difference corresponding to an increase in the SOC that is half the normal management width, that is, the altitude difference that corresponds to the half of the SOC management width on the downhill is the reference altitude difference h0, and the regenerative energy amount is the expanded management width. Is the maximum elevation difference Hmax.
As will be described later, the maximum elevation difference Hmax is used as a threshold value when determining whether or not to apply the enlarged management width to the SOC management width.

Below, each control according to the altitude difference H of a downward section is demonstrated. Note that these are performed by predicting the altitude difference H of the descending section ahead of the current location of the vehicle based on the navigation information acquired from the navigation unit 11 by the main control device 26.
(1) When H ≤ h0 (Regenerative type 1-Conventional control)
In this case, the conventional control is performed without particularly controlling the SOC, and the electric energy regenerated on the downhill is stored in the battery 23. However, if the SOC is expected to exceed SOCm before the start of the downhill, it is desirable to set the motor running to SOCm.
This is because, in normal operation, the main controller 26 controls the SOC so that it becomes a value near the median value SOCm. Therefore, if the altitude difference H is less than or equal to the reference altitude difference h0, the SOC after regeneration is the upper limit. This is because the possibility of exceeding the value SOCu is low.
That is, when the altitude difference is within the reference altitude difference h0, the amount of increase in SOC due to regeneration is less than half of the normal management range. Therefore, when charging is started from around the median SOCm, the SOC after charging exceeds SOCu. This is because the possibility is low.

FIG. 2A is a diagram showing a change in SOC in the case of the regeneration type 1.
The main controller 26 controls the SOC by driving the motor 24 so that the SOC is maintained in the vicinity of the median SOCm until the down section 30 is reached.
The main control device 26 performs regeneration when the vehicle travels in the descending section 30, and the SOC increases from the start point to the end point of the descending section 30 as indicated by the arrow 31. The starting point of the arrow line 31 is in the vicinity of the median SOCm, and the end point is not more than SOCu.
Thus, by performing regeneration, the energy dissipated as heat energy by the brake or the like can be stored in the battery 23 as electric energy.
After the vehicle travels in the descending section 30, the main control device 26 drives the motor 24 to assist the engine 21 and controls the SOC so that it again becomes a value near the median value SOCm. Thereby, the fuel consumption of the vehicle can be improved.

(2) When h0 <H ≦ 2h0 (regenerative type 2-normal navigation control)
In this case, when regeneration is started from around the median SOCm, the SOC after regeneration exceeds the upper limit value SOCu, but the amount of electricity that can be stored by regeneration falls within the normal management range.
In this case, before reaching the descending section, the battery 23 is discharged and the motor 24 is driven, and the SOC is reduced within the normal management range, and then stored with the regenerative energy in the following descending section. This control corresponds to conventional navigation control.

FIG. 2B is a diagram showing a change in SOC in the case of the regeneration type 2.
The main controller 26 drives the motor 24 to assist the engine 21 before the vehicle reaches the descending section 33, and lowers the SOC from the median SOCm as indicated by the arrow 34a. The amount to be reduced can be set in a range in which the SOC after regeneration does not exceed the upper limit value SOCu.

Next, the main control device 26 performs regeneration when the vehicle travels in the descending section 33 and stores the battery 23 with regenerative energy. As a result, as indicated by the arrow 34b, the SOC increases during traveling in the down section.
After the vehicle travels in the descending section 30, the main control device 26 drives the motor 24 to assist the engine 21 and controls the SOC so that it again becomes a value near the median value SOCm.

Thus, before reaching the down section 33, the amount of power stored by regeneration in the down section 33 is estimated in advance, and the SOC is reduced by that amount. Regenerative energy can be recovered.
In the conventional control, charging is started from around the median SOCm, and the energy exceeding the upper limit SOCu is discarded.

Note that FIG. 2B corresponds to the case of H = 2h0 out of H satisfying h0 <H ≦ 2h0, and the SOC is increased to the upper limit value SOCu, but the altitude difference H is smaller than 2h0. Is a value between median SOCm and upper limit SOCu.
Further, in the present embodiment, the SOC value when reaching the downstream section 33, that is, the target value for the SOC reduction control is defined as SOCm-α. By quantifying the amount of decrease according to the descending altitude difference as will be described later, it is possible to minimize the deviation width from the SOCm, and to prevent a decrease in battery durability.
Here, α is a value such that the starting point of the arrow 34b is SOCm−α and the ending point is SOCm + α, and can be calculated by estimating in advance the regenerative energy recovered in the descending section 33. The calculation method will be described later.

If α is set in this way, the center of the SOC changing range is near the median SOCm, and the amount of power stored in the battery 23 is not biased to either one (full discharge or full charge), and the deterioration of the battery 23 is reduced. Can do.
In addition, the target value of SOC reduction control is not limited to this, For example, it can also set to reduction value SOCb and another value.

(3) In the case of 2h0 <H <Hmax (regenerative type 3-enlarged navigation control)
In this case, the amount of regenerative energy in the downward section is not within the normal management width, but is within the expansion management width.
In this case, the management range is expanded within this range with SOCEb as the lower limit value and SOCEu as the upper limit value. As a method for determining the expansion width, the SOC increment corresponding to the elevation difference H is 2α, and the lower limit value is expanded to SOCm−α and the upper limit value is expanded to SOCm + α. This control corresponds to the enlarged navigation control.

  FIG. 2 (c) is a diagram showing a change in SOC in the case of the regeneration type 3. The main control device 26 estimates the amount of regenerative energy 2α that can be recovered in the descending section 36, drives the motor 24 to assist the engine 21 before the vehicle reaches the descending section 36, as indicated by the arrow 37a. Lower the SOC to SOCm-α. Next, the main control device 26 performs regeneration when the vehicle travels in the descending section 36 and stores the battery 23 with regenerative energy.

As a result, at the end point of the descending section 36, the SOC reaches SOCm + α as indicated by the arrow 37b. That is, the SOC management width is expanded from the range of SOCb to SOCu to the range of SOCm−α to SOCm + α. As a result, the regenerative energy in the descending section 36 can be utilized to the maximum extent.
After the vehicle travels in the descending section 36, the main control device 26 drives the motor 24 to assist the engine 21 and controls the SOC so that it again becomes a value near the median value SOCm.

(4) When Hmax ≦ H (regenerative type 4-enlarged navigation control)
In this case, the amount of regenerative energy in the downward section is greater than the amount that can be recovered with the expanded management width.
In this case, the main control device 26 sets the SOC management width to the expansion management width, drives the motor 24, and lowers the SOC to the expansion lower limit value SOCEb before reaching the descending section. Then, the regenerative energy is stored in the descending section to increase the SOC, and the regeneration is not performed for the portion exceeding the expansion upper limit SOCEu.
This control is the maximum limit of the enlarged navigation control.

FIG. 2 (d) is a diagram showing a change in SOC in the case of the regeneration type 4.
The main control device 26 sets the SOC management width to the expansion management width.
Then, before the vehicle reaches the descending section 38, the motor 24 is driven to assist the engine 21, and as indicated by the arrow 39a, the SOC is reduced to the expansion lower limit value SOCEb.
Next, the main control device 26 performs regeneration when the vehicle travels in the descending section 38 and stores the battery 23 with regenerative energy. As a result, as shown by the arrow 39b, the SOC rises to the enlargement upper limit value SOCEu.

After the SOC reaches the expansion upper limit value SOCEu, regeneration is not performed in the remaining section of the downstream section 38.
After the vehicle travels in the descending section 38, the main control device 26 drives the motor 24 to assist the engine 21 and controls the SOC so that it again becomes a value near the median value SOCm. Then, the main control device 26 quickly returns the SOC management width to the normal management width.
As described above, by temporarily expanding the SOC management range and recovering regenerative energy within that range, it is possible to recover more regenerative energy than when performing conventional navigation control. Therefore, fuel consumption can be reduced and fuel consumption can be improved.

As described above, there are regenerative methods of types 1 to 4 depending on the magnitude of the altitude difference H in the descending section. Types 1 to 2 apply the normal management width as the SOC management width, and type 3 In the case of 4, the expansion management width is applied.
The type 4 regeneration method is applied when Hmax ≦ H. For this reason, the maximum elevation difference Hmax is a threshold for applying the expansion management width.

Thus, by setting a threshold value for the elevation difference H, it is possible to limit the section to which the expanded management width is applied, reduce the frequency of expanding the SOC management width, and reduce deterioration of the battery 23 due to the expanded management width. can do.
As a result, it is possible to use a control method in which the SOC management range is expanded only when a vehicle is used on a flat area in an urban area and a high altitude mountain is traveled several times a year.

  In the present embodiment, as will be described later, the main control device 26 counts the number of times that the SOC management range has been expanded, and after the number of expansions reaches a preset limit number, the altitude difference H is the maximum value. Even when Hmax is exceeded, the SOC management range is not expanded and the battery 23 is protected.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart for explaining the control procedure of the SOC management width performed by the drive control system 10.
In the present embodiment, when the vehicle travels for the first time (more specifically, when the battery 23 is used for the first time), the expansion counter N is initialized to N = 0, and the number of times the SOC management range is expanded thereafter. Is added, and when the preset limit number Nmax is reached, the subsequent SOC management width expansion is stopped to prevent deterioration of the battery. Even when the battery 23 is replaced with a new one, the extension counter N is reset to zero.

In addition, such an overload of the battery 23 may generally be reduced if the repetition period is long, so that the influence can be taken into account when the counter is added.
In the present embodiment, the number of expansions is added regardless of the repetition period in order to simplify the processing. For example, the elapsed time T from the previous expansion has elapsed a predetermined time (or period) Td or more. In such a case, it is possible to add in consideration of the repetition period, such as adding an addition number n smaller than 1 at the time of addition. A similar effect can be achieved by increasing the limit number Nmax instead of setting the addition number n to a value smaller than 1 when the elapsed time T from the previous expansion has exceeded the predetermined time Td. it can.
Specific numerical values of the limit number Nmax and the addition number n are set based on the test data of the battery 23 and the hybrid system.

First, the navigation unit 11 reads route information from the navigation database 12 and reads mesh elevation data for analysis. The analysis result is sent as navigation information to the main control device 26 (step 5).
Various route setting methods are conceivable. For example, the driver can input the destination in the navigation process provided by the navigation unit 11 and search and select the route.

Alternatively, even when there is no route setting, the route can be predicted from the direction where the navigation unit 11 is running with the current location.
That is, the road that is currently running is identified by the map matching function of the navigation process, and the road ahead in the traveling direction of the road is examined using the navigation database 12.
Note that there are limited options for travel routes with a large difference in elevation that apply the expanded management range.

Next, the main controller 26 determines whether the current travel is the first travel using the battery 23 (step 10).
In the case of the first run (step 10; Y), the expansion counter N is set to 0 (step 15).
When the travel is not the first time (Step 10; N), or when the expansion counter is set to 0 in Step 15, the main control device 26 uses the navigation information acquired from the navigation unit 11 to calculate each elevation difference of the points on the route. The descending section is specified by estimation, and the altitude difference H of the descending section is acquired (step 20).

Next, the main controller 26 determines whether or not the altitude difference H in the downward section is equal to or less than 2h0 corresponding to the normal management width of the SOC (step 25).
When the altitude difference H is equal to or less than the normal management width 2h0 (step 25; Y), the main control device 26 further determines whether the altitude difference H is equal to or less than the reference altitude difference h0 (step 45).
When the altitude difference H is equal to or less than the reference altitude difference h0 (step 45; Y), the vehicle travels in the down section while performing the conventional control of the regeneration type 1 (FIG. 2 (a)) while maintaining the SOC management width as the normal management width. (Step 55).
Thus, when H ≦ h0 in step 45, it corresponds to regeneration type 1.

When the altitude difference H is larger than the reference altitude difference h0, that is, when h0 <H ≦ 2h0 (step 45; N), the main control device 26 makes a predetermined SOC before reaching the starting point of the downward section. The SOC of the battery 23 is controlled. In this case, normal navigation control corresponding to the regeneration type 2 is performed (step 50), and the vehicle travels in the down section with the regeneration type 2 (step 55).
In this case, the predetermined SOC can be SOC-α or the lower limit SOCb.

Further, in the regeneration type 2, when the SOC reduction target value is SOCm−α and the SOC corresponding to the reference altitude difference h0 is 10% (that is, the difference between the upper limit value SOCu and the median SOCm is 10%), α is 10 XH / (2h0). Here, α means a value obtained by converting the altitude difference H into% of SOC.
If the SOC is controlled in this way before reaching the downstream section, the SOC after passing through the downstream section becomes SOCm + α.

On the other hand, if the altitude difference H is larger than 2h0 in step 25 (step 25; N), the main control device 26 adds 1 to the expansion counter N (step 30) and further determines whether or not the number of times is less than the limit number Nmax. Judgment is made (step 35).
As described above, the main control device 26 has a function as a frequency counting means for counting the number of times the management width has been expanded.

  When the expansion counter N is larger than the limit number Nmax (step 35; N), the management width of the SOC is expanded by the number of times already set by the limit number, so that the management width expansion process is not performed to prevent the battery 23 from deteriorating. Next, the vehicle travels in the descending section under normal navigation control of regeneration type 2 (step 50) (step 55).

  When the extension counter N is less than or equal to the limit number Nmax (step 35; Y), and further when the elevation difference H is less than or equal to the maximum elevation difference Hmax (step 37; Y), the SOC management width is reached before reaching the downstream section. Is set to an expanded management width, and the SOC is controlled so that the SOC becomes the target value SOCm-α when the downstream section is reached (step 38). In this case, it corresponds to regeneration type 3.

That is, when 2h0 ≦ H <Hmax (step 37; Y), the main control device 26 sets the management width of the SOC as the expansion management width, and prepares for the SOC in preparation for regeneration in the downstream section before reaching the downstream section. Induces a lower value.
At this time, when setting the target value SOCm-α, the amount of power that can be stored by the regenerative energy in the downward section is estimated in advance, and accordingly, the minimum and maximum values of the SOC are determined from the normal management width to the power storage side, and The target value to be guided is set so as to expand to the discharge side by an equal amount.

That is, as in the regeneration type 2, the SOC when reaching the start point of the downward section (at the start of regeneration) is SOCm-α, and the SOC when reaching the end point of the downward section (when regeneration is completed) is SOCm + α. α is calculated using the elevation difference H, and SOCm−α is set as the target value. The change in the SOC at this time is indicated by an arrow 37a in FIG.
The main control device 26 sets SOCm-α as a target value, and consumes the energy stored in the battery 23 by driving the motor 24 so that the SOC becomes SOCm-α before the vehicle reaches the descending section. To do.

Then, the main control device 26 performs regeneration while the vehicle travels in the descending section, and stores the battery 23. The SOC value after regeneration is calculated as SOCm + α.
Note that the SOC value after regeneration varies in the vicinity of SOCm + α due to various factors such as traffic conditions at that time, but if the SOC reaches the expansion upper limit value SOCEu, the main controller 26 increases the SOC. Regeneration is interrupted so as not to exceed the upper limit value SOCEu.

Thus, the main control device 26 has a function as an estimation unit that estimates the amount of power that can be stored when traveling in the downward section.
Then, by using the estimated storage amount, the range in which the SOC changes beyond the normal management range is controlled to be equal to the center value SOCm, so that the storage state of the battery 23 is fully charged, Alternatively, it is possible to prevent biasing in any direction of full discharge, and it is possible to reduce deterioration of the battery 23.

In the present embodiment, for example, when SOCm = 50%, SOCb = 40%, and SOCu = 60%, when α = 10 × H / 2h0 is set, the SOC after regeneration becomes SOCm + α.
Now, assuming that the altitude change corresponding to h0 = SOC 10% is 80 [m] and the downlink altitude difference of the predicted route is 240 [m], the target SOC value before reaching the downlink section is SOC = SOCm−10. * H / 2h0 = 50-10 * 240 / (2 * 80) = 35%.

The SOC after regeneration is SOC = SOCm + 10 × H / h0 = 50 + 10 × 240 / (2 × 80) = 65%.
In this way, the main control device 26 can expand the range of change in the SOC by an equal amount centered on the median SOCm, and can make the upper and lower limit values over the same.

As described above, when the altitude difference H is larger than 2h0 corresponding to the normal management width and smaller than the maximum altitude difference Hmax (step 37; Y), only the minimum necessary SOC management is performed according to the amount of regenerative energy obtained in the downstream section. The width can be variably increased.
As a result, the substantial SOC expansion management width (SOC changing range) can be kept to the minimum necessary according to the predicted downward altitude difference H, and deterioration of the battery 23 can be suppressed.

  By the above-described enlarged navigation control (step 38), the vehicle travels in the downward section while performing regeneration until the charging of the battery 23 is satisfied within the enlarged management width (step 55).

On the other hand, when the altitude difference H is larger than the maximum altitude difference Hmax (step 37; N), the main control device 26 sets the SOC target value before reaching the descending section to SOCEb, and performs enlarged navigation control (step 40). ).
The main control device 26 performs regeneration with the expansion management width while the vehicle travels in the descending section, and stops regeneration when the SOC reaches the expansion upper limit SOCEu. This case corresponds to regeneration type 4.

  If the extension counter N is greater than the limit number Nmax in step 35 (step 35; N), that is, if the management width cannot be extended any more from the viewpoint of preventing battery deterioration, the normal navigation control is maximized. In order to utilize it, 2h0 is substituted as the value of the altitude difference H (step 36), and step S50 is executed.

After traveling in the down section, if the down section is driven in the case of the regeneration type 1 or 2, since the SOC is originally within the management range, the main controller 26 continues to travel under normal SOC control. .
When the down section travels with the regenerative type 3 or 4, the main controller 26 determines whether or not the SOC is within the normal control value (SOCm) after the down section travel (step 60). If the SOC is not in the vicinity of the normal control value (step 60; N), the vehicle continues to travel and determines again whether the SOC is within the vicinity of the normal control value.

When the SOC falls within the normal control value (step 60; Y), the main control device 26 returns the SOC management width to the normal management width (step 65), and then continues traveling under normal control.
As described above, the main control device 26 has a function as management width return means for returning the management width of the SOC from the expanded management width to the normal management width after traveling in the downward section.

FIG. 4 is a diagram showing a simulation result when the Hakone route is turned by a hybrid vehicle.
In the figure, the altitude 41 of the route, the traveling speed 42 of the vehicle, and the transition of the SOC (SOC 43 to 45) are shown.
Of these, the SOC 43 is (1) the transition of the SOC when the entire process of the route is driven by the conventional control, and the SOC 44 is further the (2) the SOC of the normal navigation control in the downward section of the route. The SOC 45 indicates the transition of the SOC when (3) the extended navigation control is performed in the descending section having a large altitude difference.
Below, the simulation result is demonstrated about control of each of these SOC.

Further, in the figure, points on the route and signs of points A to L are attached to identify the sections, and the sections between these points are described as sections AB using the codes of these points. I will decide.
The route indicated by the altitude 41 has a traveling distance from the points A to L of about 50 [Km], an altitude difference of 880 [m], and an uphill with points C and G having two peaks.
The traveling direction of the vehicle is a direction from point A to point L.

(A) SOC control in the case of conventional control (no navigation control)
As indicated by the SOC 43, in this case, the SOC is controlled so as to be within the normal management width.
Of the SOC 43, the portion that overlaps the SOC 44 is indicated by SOC 44, and the portion that overlaps the SOC 45 is indicated by SOC 45.
As shown in the figure, until the point C, which is the first peak, is reached, the SOC is controlled to be a value near the median value SOCm.
And after passing the peak point C, it becomes the downward slope which consists of area CE, regeneration is performed, and SOC is increasing.

However, before reaching the end point of the descending section, the SOC reaches the upper limit SOCu at the point D, and the regeneration is interrupted at this point and reaches the point E.
After that, when traveling on a relatively flat route composed of the section EF, the motor 24 is supplementarily used with the electric power stored in the section CE so that the SOC becomes the median SOCm. is doing.

And since it becomes a downward slope again from the 2nd peak point G, a regenerative brake act | operates and regeneration is started.
Then, since the SOC reaches the upper limit value SOCu at the point H, the regeneration is interrupted, and thereafter, the SOC is lowered to the point K by the engine brake and the normal brake.
In this case, the altitude difference is lowered by about 800 [m] from the point G to the point K, but the regeneration is regenerated only by the energy of a slight descent of 80 [m] from the point G to the point H. .

Thus, in the conventional regenerative control (without navigation control), if the recyclable energy at the time of descent in the section HK can be regenerated effectively, it is estimated that the fuel efficiency during this route traveling can be greatly improved. it can.
However, in the conventional regenerative control, in order to effectively use this regenerative energy, it is an essential condition to provide a large battery for storing this amount of regenerative power.

However, as described in the prior art, mounting a large and heavy battery deteriorates the fuel efficiency of normal travel and makes vehicle design difficult.
Moreover, a route with a large elevation difference such as an elevation difference of 800 [m] may not always run frequently for a general driver, and the battery capacity is set by giving priority to running in normal times.

(B) SOC control when normal navigation control is performed (the management range is not expanded)
As indicated by the SOC 44, in this case as well, the SOC is controlled so as to be within the range of the normal management width as with the SOC 43.
Of the SOC 44, the portion overlapping the SOC 45 is indicated by the SOC 45.
In this case, using the navigation information from the navigation unit 11, the main control device 26 predicts that there is a section CE that is a downstream section ahead of the peak point C and the elevation difference thereof.
Then, the motor 24 is driven in the section B-C before the section C-D and used for climbing as an assist of the engine 21, and the SOC is reduced to the target value (here, the lower limit SOCb of the management width), Prepare for regeneration in section CE.

And it regenerates and drive | works the battery 23 when drive | working the downward section of area CE. The elevation difference in the section CE is less than 200 [m], and the SOC reaches the upper limit value SOCu at the descending section end point E.
In this way, by predicting that there is a descending section CE in advance by the navigation information and lowering the SOC before that, regeneration can be performed over the entire process of section CE, More energy is regenerated than when normal navigation control is not performed.

Thereafter, the main control device 26 predicts that there is another peak point G, and that there is a further downward section G-K, and drives the motor 24 in the section EG based on the navigation information. Used as an auxiliary to the engine 21, the SOC is reduced to the lower limit SOCb of the management width to prepare for regeneration in the section G-K.
Then, regeneration is started after passing through the point G, and the SOC reaches the upper limit value SOCu at the point I, and the regeneration is interrupted.

Thus, even when passing through section G-K, the amount of regenerative energy increases compared to the case where normal navigation control is not performed.
With this normal navigation control, it is possible to increase the amount of regenerative power down two places as compared with the conventional control.
As described above, the effect of improving the regeneration efficiency by the normal navigation control has been shown, but of the elevation difference 800 [m] from the point G to the point K, the regeneration is about 160 [m], and still more There is room for improvement.

(C) SOC control when performing enlarged navigation control Since the elevation difference in section CE is a value that can be regenerated by the normal management width, the control up to point E is the same as the normal navigation control described in (2). .
Based on the navigation information acquired from the navigation unit 11, the main control device 26 predicts that there is a downward section G-K that can recover the regenerative energy with an expanded management width beyond the peak point G.

At the point E, the SOC management width is expanded from the normal management width (40% to 60%) to the expanded management width (20% to 80%), and the motor 24 is driven when traveling in the section EG. Used as an auxiliary to the engine 21, the SOC is reduced to the expansion lower limit SOCEb of the management width to prepare for regeneration in the section G-K.
That is, the battery 23 is used up to the enlargement lower limit value SOCEb in the section EG, and the remaining portion is driven by the engine 21.

After passing through the peak point G, regeneration is possible from the lower limit of 20% to 80%, and descent energy corresponding to an elevation difference of about 400 [m] to the point J can be recovered.
After the SOC reaches the expansion upper limit SOCEu at the point J, the regeneration is interrupted. Since the energy that can be regenerated has increased, the motor 24 can travel about 4.2 [Km] in the section KJ.
The main control device 26 returns the SOC management width to the normal management width after the SOC is within the normal control value (in this case, SOCm, point L and thereafter).
Thus, the main control device 26 has a function as an operation schedule means for setting the operation schedule of the engine 21 and the motor 24 so that the regenerative energy amount in the descending section G-K is maximized using the navigation information. ing.

FIG. 5 is a table showing a simulation result when the Hakone route is turned by a hybrid vehicle.
From the table, it is possible to read the fuel efficiency improvement rate when (1) conventional control (SOC43), (2) normal navigation control (SOC44), and (3) expanded navigation control (SOC45) are performed.
In the Hakone route having a travel distance of 50.30 [Km] and an altitude difference of 880.8 [m], the fuel consumption is 2987.27 cc in the conventional control.
On the other hand, when the normal navigation control is performed, the fuel consumption is 2765.47 cc, and the fuel is saved by 221.8 cc compared to the conventional control.
The improvement rate with respect to the conventional control, that is, the ratio of the fuel saving amount to the fuel consumption by the conventional control is 7.43%, which shows that the fuel efficiency is improved.

Further, when the enlarged navigation control is performed, the fuel consumption is 2443.743 cc, and the fuel is saved by 543.53 cc compared to the conventional control.
The improvement rate with respect to the conventional control is 18.20%, and the fuel efficiency is further improved as compared with the case where the normal navigation control is performed.

  As described above, in the present embodiment, in addition to the normal navigation control, by expanding the SOC management range, more regenerative energy can be recovered in the downward section than in the normal navigation control, and fuel efficiency is improved. ing.

In this embodiment, in order to clarify the explanation, the amount of regenerative energy is simply described as an elevation difference, and the descending section to which the expansion management width is applied is specified on the basis of the elevation difference. It can also be configured to perform an energy calculation for each specification and each uphill / downhill road situation.
For example, even if the difference in elevation is the same, the regenerative energy varies depending on the magnitude of the gradient, the ease of running on the road surface, etc. In this case, the influence may be evaluated and processed.
More generally, it may be determined whether or not to apply the expanded management width according to the amount of regenerative energy that can be expected to be recovered.
Regardless of which configuration is adopted, the basic concept, that is, the idea of temporarily expanding the SOC management range in order to recover more regenerative energy in the downstream section is the same.

According to the present embodiment, the following effects can be obtained.
(A) It is possible to travel in a descending section that satisfies a predetermined condition such as an altitude difference with an expanded management width rather than a conventional SOC management width, and to recover more regenerative energy.
(B) Using the navigation information, it is possible to detect the position, altitude difference, gradient, etc. of the previous descending section, and estimate the amount of regenerative energy in that section. Therefore, the SOC management range can be expanded before reaching the downward section, and the charging rate can be managed at a low level up to the vicinity of the expansion lower limit value SOCEb.

(C) Regenerative energy can be collected from the expansion lower limit value SOCEb to the expansion upper limit value SOCEu of the expansion management width in the downward section, and fuel efficiency can be improved.
(D) The range of SOC change (substantial SOC management range) can be set to the minimum necessary range (from SOCm−α to SOCm + α) according to the regenerative energy that can be recovered.

(E) The number of expansions Nmax can be set in advance in consideration of the durability of the battery 23, and the SOC management width expansion number can be limited.
(F) In consideration of the durability of the battery 23, the expansion width of the SOC management width can be set in advance.
(G) It is possible to improve fuel efficiency on a large uphill / downhill path without impairing the fuel efficiency effect during normal driving on a relatively flat route.

4). Second Embodiment In the first embodiment, the altitude difference is set to 2h0 as a threshold for expanding the management width (step 25 in FIG. 3). In other words, the management range is expanded when it is expected to exceed the normal management range.
In the second embodiment, a value between 2h0 and Hmax is set as an elevation difference value (threshold elevation difference Hs) as a threshold for performing the process of expanding the management width.
Then, the management width is expanded when the difference in altitude of the descending section existing on the travel route exceeds Hs.

  Specifically, in step S25 in the flowchart of FIG. 3, the content of the determination process is changed from “H ≦ 2h0” to “H ≦ Hs”. If the altitude difference is equal to or less than Hs, normal navigation control is performed even if it is equal to or greater than 2h0.

In this way, the difference in elevation, which is the threshold value for expanding the management width, is made larger than 2h0, so that the enlarged navigation control is prevented from being excessively applied, and the enlarged navigation control is executed only when the effect of reducing fuel consumption can be obtained. Can be done.
That is, in the first embodiment, since the extended navigation control is executed even when the altitude difference in the descending section slightly exceeds 2h0, the descending section in which the altitude difference slightly exceeds 2h0 on the frequently used travel route. If there is, the enlarged navigation control is performed every time the vehicle is driven, and the limit value of the number of executions of the enlarged navigation control is quickly reached.

  Therefore, the difference in altitude of the descending section where the fuel consumption reduction effect can be obtained more reliably than normal navigation control is defined as Hs, and control is performed so that the enlarged navigation control is executed only when there is a descending section having an altitude difference exceeding Hs. Thus, it is possible to obtain a fuel consumption reduction effect by operating the limited number of times of enlarged navigation control in a situation where the fuel consumption reduction effect is high.

In the second embodiment, when the enlarged navigation control is performed, that is, in step 38 or step 40 in the flowchart of FIG. 3, the SOC target value before reaching the downstream section is set to SOCm-α or SOCEb. As the management width, control is performed so that the SOC is within the expanded management width, that is, within the range from SOCEb to SOCEu as shown in FIG.
This is the SOC target value (SOCm-α or SOCEb) before reaching the descending section, which is a value provided so that the SOC value changes evenly up and down around the SOCm before and after traveling in the descending section. It is expected that the SOC value will deviate from the target value when the vehicle is traveling, but even in such a case, the SOC management range is in the range from SOCEb to SOCEu.

For example, even when it is estimated that the motor is used more than expected before reaching the down section and the SOC value is estimated to be lower than SOCm-α when the down section is reached, the motor is required until the SOC value becomes SOCEb. Control to keep using.
In addition, when the driver depresses the brake more than expected in the descending section, the regenerated energy is expected to exceed the expected value 2α, but even in that case, the regenerative energy is stored in the battery until SOCeu. To control.

  The above second embodiment can be summarized as follows. That is, the second embodiment includes an engine in which part or all of the driving force is used for power generation and a motor that generates the driving force of the vehicle, and travels by driving at least one of the engine and the motor. A drive device for a hybrid vehicle, which supplies electric power to the motor and stores power using regenerative energy, and stores the amount of power stored in the power storage in a first storage amount range (normal navigation control management width) A storage / discharge control means for controlling to be within the second power storage amount range (enlarged navigation control management width), and a section specifying means for specifying a descending section of a predetermined elevation difference existing on the travel route. The second storage amount range is set wider than the first storage amount range, and an altitude difference that can regenerate an energy amount corresponding to the first storage amount range (in FIG. 2A, normal navigation control) Management width: The height difference corresponding to OCb or more and SOCu or less (2h0) or more and the energy difference corresponding to the second power storage amount range can be regenerated (in FIG. 2A, the expanded navigation control management width: When an elevation difference threshold value (Hs) equal to or less than SOCEb and below SOCEu is set, and the predetermined elevation difference in the descending section exceeds the elevation difference threshold, the power storage control means Storage control range switching means for changing the storage amount range to be changed from the first storage amount range to the second storage amount range (steps S25 and S50 when the content of step 25 in FIG. 3 is “H ≦ Hs”) , S38, and S40).

  After the vehicle is sold, it is driven by the driver, but it is the most economical threshold elevation difference between when it is used in flat urban areas and when it is used in mountainous areas with high undulations. Hs is different.

That is, when the threshold elevation difference Hs is set to be low and the driver uses the vehicle on a daily basis in a region with many undulations, the driver uses the driver for daily navigation, and the enlarged counter is controlled at an early stage. It is conceivable that N reaches the limit number Nmax.
On the other hand, if the threshold altitude difference Hs is set higher, when the driver uses the vehicle on a daily basis in a flat area, when the driver happens to travel down a descending section where the altitude difference is large, There is a possibility that the regenerative energy cannot be recovered because the threshold elevation difference Hs is not reached.
Therefore, it is desirable to set the threshold elevation difference Hs according to the route that the driver uses on a daily basis.

In this modification, the navigation unit 11 collects travel data without performing the extended navigation control for a certain period (for example, one month) after the driver purchases the vehicle.
And the navigation part 11 acquires the altitude difference of the descent | fall section in the path | route which a user uses everyday, and provides it to the main control apparatus 26, and the main control apparatus 26 is a descent | fall section where a driver | operator runs normally. The threshold altitude difference Hs is set higher than the altitude difference.
At that time, the threshold elevation difference Hs is set higher for users who use vehicles in mountainous areas with many undulations, and the threshold elevation is set lower for users who use vehicles in flat urban areas. Set.

  As described above, in this modification, the threshold altitude difference Hs can be automatically set according to the area where the driver uses the vehicle on a daily basis.

It is a conceptual diagram which shows the structure of the drive control apparatus in 1st Embodiment of this invention, and the drive control system of the hybrid vehicle to which a vehicle is applied. It is a figure for demonstrating transition of the change of SOC in each control which the main control apparatus performs in 1st Embodiment. It is a flowchart for demonstrating the control procedure of SOC management width | variety in 1st Embodiment. It is the figure which showed the simulation result at the time of turning a Hakone path | route with a hybrid vehicle in 1st Embodiment. It is the table | surface which showed the simulation result at the time of turning a Hakone path | route with a hybrid vehicle in 1st Embodiment.

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Drive control system 11 Navigation part 12 Navigation database 13 Traveling data acquisition part 14 Traveling environment data acquisition part 15 Traveling data storage part 20 Drive apparatus 21 Engine 22 Generator 23 Battery 24 Motor 25 Driving force transmission apparatus

Claims (7)

A drive control apparatus for a hybrid vehicle, comprising: an engine in which part or all of the driving force is used for power generation; and a motor that generates driving force for the vehicle, wherein the driving force is driven by at least one of the engine and the motor. ,
A power storage means for supplying power to the motor and storing power by regenerative energy from the motor;
Storage / discharge control means for controlling storage / discharge of the electricity storage means so that the amount of electricity stored in the electricity storage means is within the normal running management width during normal running;
Section specifying means for specifying a down section of a predetermined elevation difference existing on the travel route;
Estimating means for estimating the amount of power that can be stored when traveling in the specified downward section;
Comprising
The electricity storing and discharging control unit, the larger than the storage amount is the normal traveling control width as estimated, is smaller than the width of the lower and upper limits in the case of expanding the management range is proportional to the estimated power storage amount As described above, by setting the management width of the power storage means by an equal amount on the power storage side and the discharge side , an enlarged management width is set, and the power storage amount of the power storage means is reduced until the vehicle starts traveling in the down section. The storage and discharge is controlled so as to consume up to the lower limit of the expansion management width, and when traveling in the specified downward section, the storage by regenerative energy is performed with the expansion management width,
The drive control apparatus characterized by the above-mentioned.   The drive control device according to claim 1, further comprising a management width return unit that returns the management width of the power storage unit to a normal travel management width after passing through the descending section. Comprising a number counting means for counting the number of times the management width has been expanded,
The said storage / discharge control means expands the management width | variety of the said electrical storage means to an expansion management width | variety on the condition that the counted number is below predetermined times. Drive control device.   The number counting means changes the value of the predetermined number to a larger value or sets the counted number to a smaller value when a new time is counted after a predetermined time has elapsed since the previous counting. The drive control apparatus according to claim 3.   The storage / discharge control means consumes electric power after passing through the descending section, and controls the storage / discharge so that the storage amount of the storage means becomes a value managed during normal travel. The drive control apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 4. In the engine, part or all of the driving force is used for driving or power generation of the vehicle,
With respect to the travel route, comprising an operation schedule setting means for setting an operation schedule of the engine and the motor so that the amount of power stored by regenerative energy in the descending section is maximized,
The drive control device according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the engine and the motor are controlled using the set operation schedule.   A hybrid vehicle, wherein a drive system is controlled by the drive control device according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

Images