JP4569580B2 - Vehicle and control method thereof - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle including an internal combustion engine, which automatically starts the internal combustion engine when a predetermined start condition is satisfied and automatically stops the operating internal combustion engine when a predetermined stop condition is satisfied, and a control method thereof.

Conventionally, this type of vehicle is connected to a battery that supplies power to the starter in a vehicle that performs idle stop control that stops the engine when the engine stop condition is satisfied and starts the engine when the engine start condition is satisfied. A device including a voltage compensation circuit that can be used has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1). In this vehicle, by connecting a voltage compensation circuit when the voltage of the battery drops, the engine can be started and the normal operation of the auxiliary equipment connected to the battery can be secured.
JP 2002-38984 A

  However, in the vehicle, although it is possible to ensure the engine starting and the normal operation of the auxiliary machine connected to the battery, it is necessary to provide a dedicated circuit separately, which complicates the system and is disadvantageous in terms of cost. .

  The vehicle and the control method thereof according to the present invention provide an electrical device that operates using the power from the power storage device when the engine is started using the power from the power storage device such as a secondary battery without providing a dedicated device. The purpose is to suppress malfunctions.

  The vehicle and the control method thereof according to the present invention employ the following means in order to achieve the above-described object.

The vehicle of the present invention
A vehicle comprising an internal combustion engine, which automatically starts the internal combustion engine when a predetermined start condition is satisfied, and automatically stops the operating internal combustion engine when a predetermined stop condition is satisfied,
Charge / discharge power storage means;
Motoring means for motoring the internal combustion engine using electric power from the power storage means;
An electrical device that operates using electric power from the power storage means;
When the predetermined start condition is satisfied, a predetermined malfunction suppression process for suppressing malfunction of the operating electric device is started, and the internal combustion engine is motored after the process is started. And a starting time control means for controlling the motoring means and the internal combustion engine.

  In the vehicle of the present invention, when the predetermined start condition is satisfied, the internal combustion engine is automatically started and when the predetermined stop condition is satisfied, the operating internal combustion engine is automatically stopped. When the predetermined start condition is satisfied , Start a predetermined malfunction suppression process for suppressing malfunction of electrical equipment that operates using power from the chargeable / dischargeable power storage means, and use the power from the power storage means after the start of this process Then, the motoring means and the internal combustion engine are controlled so that the internal combustion engine is motored and started. Therefore, it is possible to suppress malfunction of the electric device due to the voltage drop of the power storage means during motoring of the internal combustion engine without providing a dedicated device. Here, the “electric device” includes an auxiliary machine and an electronic control unit (ECU).

  In such a vehicle according to the present invention, the start time control means is configured to start motoring of the internal combustion engine when a predetermined time set in advance as a required time for starting the malfunction suppression process elapses. It can also be a means for controlling the motoring means. By so doing, it is possible to suppress malfunctions in the electrical equipment while the internal combustion engine is reliably motored by simple processing. In the vehicle according to the aspect of the present invention, the electric device includes a plurality of devices, and the start time control unit is set to a device that is operating when the predetermined start condition is satisfied among the plurality of devices. The predetermined time is set based on the longest time required for starting the malfunction suppression process, and motoring of the internal combustion engine is started when the set predetermined time has elapsed. It may be a means for controlling the motoring means. In this way, it is possible to suppress all malfunctions of a plurality of electric devices that are operating when motoring the internal combustion engine.

The vehicle control method of the present invention includes:
An internal combustion engine, chargeable / dischargeable power storage means, motoring means for motoring the internal combustion engine using power from the power storage means, and electrical equipment that operates using power from the power storage means, A vehicle control method for automatically starting the internal combustion engine when a predetermined start condition is satisfied and automatically stopping the operating internal combustion engine when a predetermined stop condition is satisfied,
When the predetermined start condition is satisfied, a predetermined malfunction suppression process for suppressing malfunction of the operating electric device is started, and the internal combustion engine is motored after the process is started. The motoring means and the internal combustion engine are controlled so as to be started.

  According to the vehicle control method of the present invention, the internal combustion engine is automatically started when a predetermined start condition is satisfied, and the operating internal combustion engine is automatically stopped when a predetermined stop condition is satisfied. When the condition is satisfied, a predetermined malfunction suppression process for suppressing malfunction of an electric device that operates using electric power from the charge / discharge power storage means is started, and the power storage means is started after this process is started. The motoring means and the internal combustion engine are controlled so that the internal combustion engine is motored and started using the electric power from the motor. Therefore, it is possible to suppress malfunction of the electric device due to the voltage drop of the power storage means during motoring of the internal combustion engine without providing a dedicated device.

  Next, the best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described using examples.

  FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing an outline of a configuration of a vehicle 20 as an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the drawing, the vehicle 20 of the embodiment includes an engine 22 that outputs power using hydrocarbon fuel such as gasoline and light oil, and an engine electronic control unit (hereinafter referred to as engine ECU) 40 that controls the engine 22. An automatic transmission 26 that shifts the power input from the engine 22 and outputs it to the drive wheels 32a and 32b via the differential gear 31, a starter motor 34 that motors the engine 22, and a crankshaft 24 of the engine 22 An alternator 36 that is connected to the rotating shaft by the belt 25 and generates power by the power from the engine 22, a plurality of auxiliary devices 38 such as an air conditioner, an electric power steering device, and an audio device, and an auxiliary device that controls the auxiliary device 38 Electronic control unit (hereinafter referred to as auxiliary E) U) 42, a battery 39 as a secondary battery capable of charging the power generated by the alternator 36 through the rectifier circuit 37 and supplying power to the starter motor 34 and the auxiliary machine 38, and a predetermined automatic start condition is established. When the engine 22 is motored by the starter motor 34, the engine 22 is automatically started, and when the predetermined automatic stop condition is satisfied, the engine 22 that is operating is automatically stopped. A unit (hereinafter referred to as “eco-run ECU”) 44. As the idle stop control, for example, when the accelerator pedal 54 is not depressed when the vehicle is stopped and the brake pedal 56 is depressed and the brake is ON, the engine speed Ne is not more than a predetermined engine speed Nref. The engine 22 is automatically stopped when a certain automatic stop condition is established, and the engine 22 is automatically started when a predetermined automatic start condition such as brake OFF or accelerator is satisfied.

  The engine ECU 40 is configured as a microcomputer centering on a CPU (not shown). An input port (not shown) of the engine ECU 40 includes a shift position SP from the shift position sensor 53 that detects the operation position of the shift lever 52, an accelerator opening Acc from the accelerator pedal position sensor 55 that detects the depression amount of the accelerator pedal 54, The brake pedal position BP from the brake pedal position sensor 57 for detecting the depression amount of the brake pedal 56, the vehicle speed V from the vehicle speed sensor 58, and the like are input. Various control signals for controlling the engine 22 and the automatic transmission 26 are output from an output port (not shown) of the engine ECU 40. The engine ECU 40 communicates with the eco-run ECU 44 and exchanges various data and control signals.

  The auxiliary ECU 42 is configured as a microcomputer centered on a CPU (not shown). A signal indicating the state of the auxiliary machine 38, a battery voltage from a voltage sensor (not shown) for detecting the voltage across the terminals of the battery 39, and the like are input to an input port (not shown) of the auxiliary machine ECU 42. Various drive signals for driving the auxiliary machine 38 are output to an output port (not shown) of the auxiliary machine ECU 42. The auxiliary ECU 42 also diagnoses the state of the battery 39 based on the battery voltage from the voltage sensor. The auxiliary ECU 42 communicates with the eco-run ECU 44 and exchanges data and control signals.

  The eco-run ECU 44 is configured as a microcomputer centering on a CPU (not shown). A drive signal for driving the starter motor 34 is output to an output port (not shown) of the eco-run ECU 44. Further, the eco-run ECU 44 communicates with the engine ECU 40 and the auxiliary ECU 42, and exchanges various data and control signals related to the idle stop control.

  The operation of the vehicle 20 of the embodiment configured in this way, particularly, the operation when the engine 22 is started when the aforementioned predetermined automatic start condition is satisfied will be described. FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an example of an automatic start control routine executed by the eco-run ECU 44 of the embodiment. This routine is executed when the predetermined automatic start condition described above is satisfied and the value 1 is set in the start condition satisfaction flag F.

  When the automatic control routine is executed, the CPU of the eco-run ECU 44 first transmits a start condition satisfaction flag F indicating that the automatic start condition is satisfied to another ECU such as the auxiliary ECU 42 (step S100). The auxiliary machine ECU 42 that has received the start condition satisfaction flag F executes a malfunction suppression process for suppressing the malfunction of the currently operating auxiliary machine among the plurality of auxiliary machines 38. As this malfunction suppression processing, for example, an air mix damper that adjusts a mixing ratio when mixing exhaust air of the engine and outside air in the air conditioner and blowing the air into the passenger compartment is fixed at a predetermined position based on the set temperature. Processing, processing for limiting the volume of the audio device to be smaller than normal, processing to limit the assist torque of the motor in the electric power steering device to be smaller than normal, and various diagnosis executed by the auxiliary ECU 42 and other ECUs A process for performing a diagnosis mask that is temporarily stopped can be used. The malfunction suppression process is executed when the voltage of the battery 39 is reduced when the engine 22 is motored by the starter motor 34 described later. In some cases, the auxiliary machine 38 or the auxiliary machine ECU 42 that receives power from the battery 39 is used. This is based on the fact that the operation of the ECU including may temporarily stop or malfunction. That is, when the voltage of the battery 39 drops, for example, the air mix damper is fixed at an unexpected position, and wind of an unpleasant temperature is sent to the occupant, the sound breaks out in the audio device, the steering of the electric power steering device This is because the assist force may change abruptly or may be erroneously determined by diagnosis, so that the occurrence of such a problem is suppressed.

  When the start condition satisfaction flag F is transmitted, a delay time Td is set (step S110), and the starter motor 34 is driven and controlled so that the engine 22 is motored after waiting for the set delay time Td to elapse (step S120). At the same time (step S130), instructions for fuel injection control and ignition control are transmitted to the engine ECU 40, and this routine is terminated (step S140). Here, in the embodiment, the delay time Td is set by a malfunction suppression process set in each of the ECUs including the plurality of auxiliary machines 38 and the auxiliary machine ECU 42 that are operating when the automatic start condition is satisfied. This is performed by setting the longest time T1 plus a predetermined margin among the time required to start (the time determined by communication delay between ECUs, time required for processing, etc.). Therefore, the process of waiting for the delay time Td is a process of waiting until the malfunction suppression process for all the auxiliary machines 38 and ECUs that are operating when the automatic start condition is satisfied is started.

  FIG. 3 shows the state of the start condition establishment flag F, the state of malfunction suppression processing, the drive state of the starter motor 34, and the state of the engine speed over time. As shown in the figure, when the value 1 is set to the start condition satisfaction flag F as the automatic start condition is satisfied (time t1), the value of the start condition satisfaction flag F is transmitted to the auxiliary ECU 42 and the like, and the auxiliary ECU 42 When the delay time Td set as a time slightly longer than the required time T1 (time t2) required for starting this processing elapses (time t3), the starter motor 34 is turned on. Drive to start motoring of the engine 22. Thus, by starting the malfunction suppression process prior to the motoring of the engine 22 by the starter motor 34, it is possible to suppress an unexpected malfunction in the auxiliary machine 38 and the like when the engine 22 is motored. -ing

  According to the vehicle 20 of the embodiment described above, when the automatic start condition is satisfied, a malfunction suppression process for suppressing malfunction of devices such as the auxiliary machine 38 and the auxiliary machine ECU 42 that are operating is started. A delay time Td is set as a time required until this processing is started, and after the set delay time Td has elapsed, the engine 22 is motored by the starter motor 34 using the power from the battery 39 and started. Since the starter motor 34 and the engine 22 are controlled so that the voltage of the battery 39 is reduced during the motoring of the engine 22 by the starter motor 34, the auxiliary machine 38 and the like malfunction. Can be suppressed.

  In the vehicle 20 of the embodiment, based on the longest time required for starting the malfunction suppression process set in each of the auxiliary machine 38 and ECU that are operating when the automatic start condition is satisfied. Although the delay time Td is set, the predetermined value may be set as the delay time Td. In this case, the longest time required for starting the malfunction suppression process in the plurality of auxiliary machines and each ECU that can be operated when the automatic start condition is satisfied is obtained in advance and set as a predetermined value. It should be.

  In the vehicle 20 of the embodiment, in order to instruct the start of the malfunction suppression process, the start condition satisfaction flag F is transmitted to each ECU, and after waiting for the delay time Td, the starter motor 34 is driven to motor the engine 22. However, the ECU that has received the start condition establishment flag F starts the malfunction suppression process and returns a flag notifying the start of the process to the eco-run ECU 44. The eco-run ECU 44 receives this flag. Sometimes, the starter motor 34 may be driven to motor the engine 22.

  Here, the correspondence between the main elements of the embodiment and the main elements of the invention described in the column of means for solving the problems will be described. In the embodiment, the engine 22 corresponds to “internal combustion engine”, the battery 39 corresponds to “power storage means”, the starter motor 34 corresponds to “motoring means”, and a plurality of auxiliary machines 38, auxiliary machine ECUs 42, and the like. Corresponding to “electrical equipment”, when the automatic start condition is satisfied, a malfunction suppression process is started to suppress malfunctions of devices such as the auxiliary machine 38 and the auxiliary machine ECU 42 that are operating, and this process is started. A delay time Td is set as a time required until the engine starts, and an engine ECU 40 or an auxiliary machine that controls the starter motor 34 and the engine 22 to start the motor 22 by motoring after waiting for the set delay time Td to elapse. The ECU 42 and the eco-run ECU 44 correspond to “starting time control means”. Here, the “internal combustion engine” is not limited to the engine 22 that outputs power using a hydrocarbon fuel such as gasoline or light oil, and may be any type of internal combustion engine such as a hydrogen engine. The “power storage means” is not limited to the battery 39 as a secondary battery, and any power storage device that can be charged and discharged, such as a capacitor, may be used. The “motoring means” is not limited to the starter motor 34 and may be any means as long as it can motor the internal combustion engine using electric power from the power storage means. “Electrical equipment” is not limited to the auxiliary machine 38 or the auxiliary machine ECU 42, and may operate erroneously when the internal combustion engine is motored by the motoring means that operates using the electric power from the power storage means. As long as there is something, it does not matter. As the “startup control means”, a malfunction suppression process for suppressing malfunction of devices such as the auxiliary machine 38 and the auxiliary machine ECU 42 that are operating when the automatic start condition is established is started, and this process is started. The delay time Td is set as the time required for the start, and the starter motor 34 and the engine 22 are controlled so that the engine 22 is motored and started after the set delay time Td has elapsed. Instead, when a predetermined start condition is satisfied, a predetermined malfunction suppression process for suppressing malfunction of an operating electrical device is started, and the internal combustion engine is motored after this process is started. Any device may be used as long as it controls the motoring means and the internal combustion engine to be started. The “starting time control means” is not limited to a combination of the engine ECU 40, the auxiliary ECU 42, and the eco-run ECU 44, but a single electronic control unit or the like. It doesn't matter. The correspondence between the main elements of the embodiment and the main elements of the invention described in the column of means for solving the problem is the same as that of the embodiment described in the column of means for solving the problem. It is an example for specifically explaining the best mode for doing so, and does not limit the elements of the invention described in the column of means for solving the problem. That is, the interpretation of the invention described in the column of means for solving the problems should be made based on the description of the column, and the examples are those of the invention described in the column of means for solving the problems. It is only a specific example.

  The best mode for carrying out the present invention has been described with reference to the embodiments. However, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments, and various modifications can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention. Of course, it can be implemented in the form.

  The present invention is applicable to the automobile industry.

It is a block diagram which shows the outline of a structure of the vehicle 20 as one Example of this invention. It is a flowchart which shows an example of the automatic start control routine performed by the eco-run ECU44 of an Example. It is explanatory drawing which shows the mode of the start condition establishment flag F, the state of a malfunction suppression process, the drive state of the starter motor 34, and the mode change of an engine speed.

Explanation of symbols

  20 Vehicle, 22 Engine, 24 Crankshaft, 25 Belt, 26 Automatic transmission, 31 Differential gear, 32a, 32b Drive wheel, 34 Starter motor, 36 Alternator, 37 Rectifier circuit, 38 Auxiliary machine, 39 Battery, 40 Electronic control for engine Unit (engine ECU), 44 Electronic control unit for eco-run (Eco-run ECU), 42 Electronic control unit for auxiliary machinery (ECU for auxiliary machinery), 52 Shift lever, 53 Shift position sensor, 54 Accel pedal, 55 Accel pedal position sensor, 56 Brake pedal, 57 Brake pedal position sensor, 58 Vehicle speed sensor.

Claims (4)

A vehicle comprising an internal combustion engine, which automatically starts the internal combustion engine when a predetermined start condition is satisfied, and automatically stops the operating internal combustion engine when a predetermined stop condition is satisfied,
Charge / discharge power storage means;
Motoring means for motoring the internal combustion engine using electric power from the power storage means;
An auxiliary machine that operates using electric power from the power storage means;
When the predetermined start condition is satisfied, a predetermined malfunction suppression process for suppressing a malfunction caused by a voltage drop of the power storage unit of the auxiliary machine that is operating is started, and the process is started A start-up control means for controlling the motoring means and the internal combustion engine so that the internal combustion engine is started after being motored.   The starting-time control means controls the motoring means so that motoring of the internal combustion engine is started when a predetermined time set in advance as a required time for starting the malfunction suppression processing has elapsed. The vehicle according to claim 1. The vehicle according to claim 2,
Comprising a plurality of auxiliary as the accessory,
The start control means, most of the time required for starting the malfunction suppression processing are respectively set to the accessory, wherein the predetermined start condition among the plurality of accessory is operating when satisfied A vehicle that sets the predetermined time based on a long time and controls the motoring means so that motoring of the internal combustion engine is started when the set predetermined time has elapsed. An internal combustion engine, chargeable / dischargeable power storage means, motoring means for motoring the internal combustion engine using electric power from the power storage means, and auxiliary equipment that operates using electric power from the power storage means, A vehicle control method for automatically starting the internal combustion engine when a predetermined start condition is satisfied and automatically stopping the operating internal combustion engine when a predetermined stop condition is satisfied,
When the predetermined start condition is satisfied, a predetermined malfunction suppression process for suppressing a malfunction caused by a voltage drop of the power storage unit of the auxiliary machine that is operating is started, and the process is started A method for controlling a vehicle, comprising: controlling the motoring means and the internal combustion engine so that the internal combustion engine is started after being motored.

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