JP4640838B2 - Vehicle control device - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a vehicle control device, and more particularly to a vehicle control device having an eco-run (idling stop) function for running a vehicle while driving and stopping an engine.

  In recent years, for the purpose of improving fuel efficiency and reducing emissions, an automatic engine stop command is issued when a predetermined engine stop condition (running history, stopped, idle state, etc.) is established, and then a predetermined engine start condition (brake release, shift operation) The engine automatic stop / restart control (so-called eco-run control) for instructing the engine automatic restart and driving the engine start motor when the accelerator is established is employed.

That is, when waiting for a signal or the like and the engine is driven in an idling state even though the vehicle is not actually traveling, there is a problem that exhaust gas is emitted and fuel consumption increases. For this reason, the engine is temporarily stopped when the vehicle is stopped by a signal or when the accelerator is off for a certain period of time even when the vehicle is running, and the accelerator is depressed when the engine is temporarily stopped. The engine is started again and started.
According to this eco-run control system, the engine is driven only when it is necessary for running, and the others are stopped, so that the fuel consumption can be improved and the amount of exhaust gas can be reduced by shortening the engine drive time.

A vehicle having such an eco-run function is configured such that an auxiliary device such as an audio can be used even during an eco-run (automatic engine stop) in order to improve drivability. However, if the battery voltage decreases using an auxiliary machine while the engine is automatically stopped, sufficient drive current cannot be supplied to the starter motor, and the restartability of the engine deteriorates. If the battery voltage decreases, It has been proposed to prohibit (see, for example, Patent Document 1).
JP 2002-115578 A

In addition, if the battery voltage drops, the usage status of electrical equipment becomes high, or if the amount of power generated by the alternator is low, there is a possibility that power supply to the safety system will be insufficient to prevent accidents. Therefore, it has also been proposed to stop the power supply to air-conditioning and entertainment electrical components (see, for example, Patent Document 2).
JP 2002-199505 A

As described above, conventionally, it has been proposed to prohibit eco-run when the voltage drops or to stop power supply to unnecessary electrical components so as not to cause insufficient power supply to the safety system.
However, if the safety system is activated, such as when driving in a danger zone, and an eco-run is permitted when approaching a place where a shortage of power supply is expected, the power shortage may occur when driving in the danger zone. Invited, the power supply to the safety system might be insufficient.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a vehicle control device that can accurately carry out an eco-run while reliably suppressing the inability to supply power to a safety system.

  In order to achieve the above-described object, the vehicle control device according to the present invention sets a risk point based on the degree of risk on the travel route to the destination, and is necessary for the safety function required at each set risk point. It is characterized in that idling stop permission / prohibition is determined by determining whether or not a sufficient amount of battery remains.

  According to the vehicle control device of the present invention, road information, weather information, road surface information, and the like on a travel route from a car navigation device or the like to a destination are acquired, and a risk degree calculated based on the acquired information is a predetermined level. After setting a point above the danger level as a danger point, determine whether there is sufficient battery capacity for the safety function required at each danger point, and prohibit idling stop if the battery quantity is insufficient. Therefore, it is possible to reliably suppress the inability to supply power to the safety system.

Embodiments of the vehicle control device of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a vehicle system including a vehicle control device of the present invention. This system includes an idling stop control device 1, an engine control ECU 2, a battery 3, an alternator 4, which are vehicle control devices of the present invention, The car navigation device 5, various electrical components 6, 7,..., A starter motor 8, etc. are connected to each other via a communication line 9 and a power supply line 10.

  The idling stop control device 1 instructs the engine control ECU 2 to automatically stop the engine when a predetermined engine stop condition is satisfied, and supplies current from the idling stop control device 1 to the starter when the predetermined engine start condition is satisfied thereafter. A starter motor, that is, an engine starting motor 8 is driven, and includes a CPU 11, a ROM (Read Only Memory) 12, a RAM (Random Access Memory) 13, an input / output circuit (not shown), and the like. The CPU 11 controls each part of the hardware of the idling stop control device 1 and executes various programs such as an eco-run based on a program stored in the ROM 12. The ROM 12 stores various programs such as the above-mentioned eco-run program, vehicle information, accident risk level data based on various driving environments, an operating system table corresponding to the dangerous situation, and current consumption data of each vehicle electrical component. The RAM 13 is composed of SRAM or the like and stores temporarily generated data.

  FIG. 2 is an example of vehicle information stored in the ROM 12, and stores a list of vehicle equipment such as the vehicle type, vehicle grade, safety equipment, and main equipment of the host vehicle. In this list of vehicle equipment, AFS (Adaptive Front-lighting System) indicates that the headlight projector unit in the steering direction changes direction when the vehicle turns right or left at a curve or intersection. The EBD (Electronic Brake Force Distribution) is a computer that controls the braking force distribution (brake distribution) between the front and rear wheels during braking, so that the braking potential is full. It is a system to pull out.

  ABS (Anti-lock Brake System) prevents wheel locks during sudden braking in slippery conditions, and VSC (Vehicle Stability Control) This system assists the steering torque in a direction in which the behavior of the vehicle is stabilized according to the steering angle. In addition, TRC (Traction Control System) is a system that controls vehicle torque when wheel slipping is detected to prevent wheel slipping during acceleration, etc. PCS (Pre-Crash Safety System) ) Winds up the driver's / passenger's seat belt when the brake is judged to be an emergency brake from the brake depression speed, etc., and enhances the occupant's restraining performance.

  CVT (Continuously Variable Transmission) is a continuously variable transmission that can continuously change speed by changing the diameters of pulleys and discs. TBW (Throttle by link) is a user's accelerator pedal force. The throttle can be controlled according to the vehicle condition, and the throttle can be controlled flexibly according to the vehicle situation calculated by the computer. EPS (Electronic Power Steering) is a system that assists steering by driving an electric motor according to the steering angle, and can reduce the force required for steering operation.

FIG. 3 shows an example of accident risk level data based on various driving environments stored in the ROM 12, and external disturbances such as rain and snow, driving conditions such as a driver's health condition, road surface conditions and traffic congestion conditions, and the like. A table of accident risk levels is stored for each element of various driving environments that are risk factors of accidents such as vehicle status indicating the deterioration state of vehicle parts. As shown in FIG. 3 (a), as the external environment, the degree of risk is stored in accordance with the level of rain, snow, wind, etc., and the driving state is shown in FIG. 3 (b). As described above, the degree of risk is stored as a score in accordance with the level of the driver's health level, fatigue level, mental condition, and the like.
Further, as shown in FIG. 3 (c), as the disturbance, the degree of danger is stored as a score according to the level of the road surface condition, the area condition, the traffic jam condition, etc. The vehicle condition is shown in FIG. 3 (d). As shown, the degree of risk is stored as a score in accordance with the level of deterioration of the tire, suspension, shaft, and the like.

  FIG. 4 is a list table of systems operating in accordance with the dangerous situation stored in the ROM 12. For example, when a sharp turn at noon, EBD, ABS, VSC, TRC are stored as operating, and traffic congestion occurs. Sometimes PCS, EBD, ABS are stored as operating. Further, FIG. 5 is a table of current consumption data of electrical components stored in the ROM 12, and current consumption during operation of each vehicle electrical component is stored as a table.

  On the other hand, the output of various sensors 21 is input to the idling stop control device 1. This sensor 21 includes an engine speed sensor and a switch for detecting an operation state of a wiper, a blinker, a fog lamp, and the like.

  The engine control ECU 2 performs a predetermined calculation process based on information such as the vehicle speed, the engine speed, the air inflow amount, etc. detected by the sensor group equipped in the vehicle, and the calculation result (for example, the fuel injection amount, Signal for controlling the amount of bypass air) is sent to a control mechanism such as an electric throttle or starter injection valve installed in the vehicle to control the fuel injection amount and the inflow air amount. The engine automatic stop and engine automatic restart are also executed by a command from the stop control device 1.

  The battery 3 supplies power to the electrical components such as the idling stop control device 1 and the car navigation device 5 and various ECUs (not shown) via the power line 10, and the battery charge / discharge current, terminal voltage, battery Sensors (not shown) for detecting the liquid temperature are provided, and outputs from these sensors are input to the idling stop control device 1 via the communication line 9. The alternator 4 is driven by an engine (not shown), charges the battery 3 via the power supply line 10, and supplies electric power to other electric loads of the vehicle, that is, the ECU and electrical components.

  The car navigation device 5 includes a current position detection unit including a GPS sensor and a gyro sensor, a map data storage unit that stores map data including road map data, and wireless communication with the vehicle information center 22 and other vehicles. 23, road information, weather information, road surface information, etc. of the travel area of the vehicle are acquired by inter-vehicle communication with the vehicle 23 and input to the idling stop control device 1 via the communication line 9.

FIG. 6 is a functional block diagram showing the configuration of the idling stop control device 1 of FIG. 1 in terms of functions. Each unit includes a CPU 11, a ROM 12, and a RAM 13, and these functions are executed by software.
The own vehicle status acquisition unit 31 acquires vehicle information such as the vehicle type, vehicle grade, and equipment content of the host vehicle stored in the ROM 12 which is a non-volatile memory, and signals such as the engine speed from the various sensors 21 to obtain a dangerous point. Each area up to the destination acquired by the car navigation device 5 based on information from the vehicle information center 22 and the other vehicle 23 is input to the setting unit 35 and the safety equipment discharge amount prediction unit 37. External information such as road information, weather information, and road surface information is acquired and input to the danger point setting unit 35.
The battery state acquisition unit 33 acquires the voltage, current, and battery fluid temperature of the battery 3 acquired by various sensors of the battery 3 and inputs them to the battery state determination unit 36. The electrical component state acquisition unit 34 The activation state / drive state of the electrical components 6, 7... Are acquired and input to the electrical component usage amount prediction unit 38.

  The danger point setting unit 35 is based on information input from the vehicle status acquisition unit 31 or external information such as road information, weather information, and road surface information on the travel route to the destination input from the external information acquisition unit 32. Then, the risk level of each point on the travel route is calculated, and a point where the calculated risk level is a predetermined risk level or higher is set as the risk point. Then, the risk point setting unit 35 includes the information on the set risk point, external information, and the risk level of each risk point, the safety equipment discharge amount prediction unit 37, the electrical component usage amount prediction unit 38, the power generation amount prediction unit 39, The information is input to the idling stop permission / prohibition determination unit 40 as danger information.

  Further, the battery state determination unit 36 determines the charging rate of the battery 3 based on the voltage, current, and battery liquid temperature of the battery 3 and inputs the charging rate to the idling stop permission / prohibition determination unit 40. The safety equipment discharge amount prediction unit 37 confirms the safety function required at each danger point, predicts the discharge amount of the safety equipment required at each danger point, and inputs it to the idling stop permission / prohibition determination unit 40.

  Further, the electrical component usage amount prediction unit 38 predicts the electrical component usage amount based on the current electrical component usage state and the route information until reaching the danger point, and inputs it to the idling stop permission / prohibition determination unit 40, Based on the danger information from the danger point setting part 35 and the engine speed information from the various sensors 21, the power generation amount prediction part 39 predicts the transition of the driving mode and the engine speed until reaching the danger point. Based on the result, the predicted power generation amount until reaching the danger point is predicted and input to the idling stop permission / prohibition determination unit 40.

  Then, the idling stop permission / prohibition determination unit 40, within a predetermined distance range to each danger point, the current battery charge rate, the expected electrical component usage to the next danger point, the expected power generation amount of the alternator 4, the next The idling stop permission / prohibition is determined by predicting the remaining battery level at the next risk point based on the expected safety equipment discharge amount at the risk point, and the determination result is input to the engine control ECU 2.

Next, the operation of each functional unit of the vehicle control device 1 will be described with reference to the block diagram and flowchart of FIG.
When the driver sets the destination in the car navigation device 5, the CPU 11 of the idling stop control device 1 starts the danger point setting program shown in FIG. 7. First, based on the information from the car navigation device 5, After acquiring external information such as road information, weather information, road surface information, etc. on the travel route of the vehicle and storing it in the RAM 13 (step 101), the host vehicle status such as driving time and tire status is acquired from the ROM 12 and the sensor 21. Store in the RAM 13 (step 102).

Next, the CPU 11 calculates the risk level of each point on the travel route to the destination using the accident risk level table shown in FIG. 3 based on the external information acquired in steps 101 and 102 and the host vehicle situation. (Step 103).
That is, with regard to the external environment (a), after extracting weather information on the travel route based on weather information and route information acquired by wireless communication, etc., if it is raining on the travel route, If it is 100 mm or more per hour, it is judged as rain level 3. If it is 50 mm or more, it is level 2. If it is 30 mm or more, it is set to level 1. Further, when it is snowing, it is judged as level 3 if the amount of snow is 3 cm or more, level 2 if it is 2 cm or more, and level 1 if it is 1 cm or more. Further, in the case of wind, it is determined that the wind level is 3 at a wind speed of 30 m or higher, level 2 at a wind speed of 25 m or higher, and level 1 at a wind speed of 20 m or higher.

  Moreover, a health condition etc. are input into a vehicle-mounted device by the self-report for the driving state (b). For example, if there is a fever of 37 degrees or more, it is determined that the health level is 3; Further, if the operation time is 3 hours or more, the fatigue level is determined to be 3, and if it is 2 hours or more, it is set to level 2, and if it is more than 1 hour, it is set to level 1. Furthermore, the mental level is determined to be 3 if the sudden start or the rapid braking is 3 times or more, and the level is 2 if it is 2 times or more, and the level is 1 if it is 1 time or more.

Further, as the disturbance (c), the degree of danger such as road surface condition, area condition, curve condition, traffic jam condition, uphill / downhill situation, etc. is determined. The road surface condition is obtained by extracting the road surface state on the travel route when the travel route is set from the recording device in which the road surface state of the travel route through which the vehicle has passed is recorded, or by a wireless communication or the like that is not illustrated. The road surface information of the travel route through which the other vehicle has passed is extracted from the recording device. If the road surface is off-road, the road surface state level is determined to be 3, the level is 2 for a gravel road, and the level 1 is after construction.
In addition, since the area density is recorded in advance with the map information, the area density on the travel route is extracted when the travel route is set.

Furthermore, since the curve information on the map is recorded in advance along with the map information, the curve information on the travel route is extracted at the time of setting the travel route, or the center is capable of communicating by wireless communication (not shown). It is also possible to extract the curve information of the travel route that another vehicle has passed from the recording device. If the curve is R500, it is determined that the curve is level 3. If R700, level 2 is set, and if R1000 is set, level 1 is set.
The traffic congestion level is determined based on traffic congestion information obtained from VICS, radio, etc., or traffic congestion information acquired from a recording device at a center capable of communication by wireless communication (not shown). If it is 3 km or more, the level is 2 and if it is 1 km or more, the level is 1.

Furthermore, as the climbing / downhill situation, the climbing / downhill information on the map is recorded in advance together with the map information, so when the traveling route is set, the climbing / downhill information on the traveling route is extracted or illustrated. Uphill / downhill information may be extracted from a recording device in a center that can communicate by wireless communication or the like. If the climb / downhill is 5% or more, it is determined that the climb / downhill level is 3, and if it is 3%, the level is 2, and if it is 2%, the level is 1.
In addition, as the vehicle status (d), information regarding the replacement timing of parts such as tires, suspensions, shafts, etc. is stored in the storage device, and if the replacement timing is five years or more before the present, the vehicle state level is set. 3, level 2 if 4 years or more, level 1 if 3 years or more.
Then, the score corresponding to the level of each event is extracted, and the risk [%] is calculated from the total value of each score, thereby calculating the risk of each point to the destination.

  After calculating the risk level of each point on the travel route, the CPU 11 determines whether there is a point where the calculated risk level is equal to or higher than the predetermined risk level (step 104), and the risk level is equal to or higher than the predetermined risk level. If it is determined that there is a point, as shown in FIG. 8, the points are determined as risk points A and B and stored in the RAM 13 together with the risk level of each risk point (step 105). When setting risk points, regardless of the risk calculated from the total score corresponding to the level of each event, curves, traffic jams, road surface conditions, uphill, downhill, rain, snow, If the risk level of each event such as wind is level 3 or higher, a risk point may be set.

  On the other hand, the CPU 11 of the idling stop control device 1 executes a battery state determination program shown in FIG. 9 at regular intervals. When this program is started, first, the battery voltage, current, battery After the battery state of the liquid temperature is acquired and stored in the RAM 13 (step 201), it is determined whether or not a predetermined discharge has occurred by determining whether or not the acquired voltage has changed more than a certain value (step 202). ).

If it is determined in step 202 that the predetermined discharge has occurred, the CPU 11 calculates the battery internal resistance and stores it in the RAM 13 (step 203). That is, as shown in FIG. 10, the CPU 11 sets the individual internal resistances R0, R1,... Rn based on the sampling values of the battery voltage and current at regular intervals as follows: R0 = (V1-V0) / (I1 -I0), ...
Rn = (Vn-1-Vn) / (In-1-In)
Then, the final internal resistance R is calculated as R = (R0 + R1 +... + Rn) / n
Ask for.

  After calculating the battery internal resistance, the CPU 11 calculates the battery charge rate and stores it in the RAM 13 (step 204). That is, the CPU 11 converts the voltage into the charging rate by using the conversion table shown in FIG. 11A based on the battery voltage, and then shows the internal resistance calculated in step 203 as shown in FIG. The correction value is read using the correction value table, and the charging rate is determined by the above charging rate × correction coefficient. When the resistance is smaller than the reference value R, the charging rate is increased, so that the correction value is larger than 1.

Next, the CPU 11 determines whether or not the difference between the battery liquid temperature and the reference temperature is greater than or equal to a predetermined value (step 205), and determines that the difference between the battery liquid temperature and the reference temperature is greater than or equal to a predetermined value. The correction value according to the liquid temperature is read using the correction value table shown in FIG. 12, the charging rate is corrected by the charging rate × correction coefficient, and the corrected charging rate is stored in the RAM 13 (step 206). Exit the program.
On the other hand, if it is determined in step 202 that the predetermined discharge has not occurred, the CPU 11 determines whether or not the absolute value of the current integrated value after the previous predetermined discharge has exceeded the predetermined value (step 207). When it is determined that the current value is equal to or less than the predetermined value, the program is terminated, and when it is determined that the current integrated value is equal to or greater than the predetermined value, the correction table shown in FIG. After the rate correction value is added to the current charging rate and the charging rate is stored in the RAM 13 (step 208), the program is terminated.

Further, the CPU 11 of the idling stop control device 1 executes the safety equipment discharge amount prediction program shown in FIG. 14 at regular intervals. When this program is started, the vehicle type information shown in FIG. (Step 301), the next danger point on the travel route is extracted (step 302). Next, external information such as road information, weather information, and road surface information of the next risk point is acquired (step 303), and safety equipment is extracted from the vehicle type information (step 304), and then the risk response map shown in FIG. Based on the above, the amount of electricity discharged from the safety equipment at the next danger point is predicted and stored in the RAM 13 (step 305).
For example, in the case of a sharp curve at noon, the operation of EBD, ABS, VSC, and TRC is predicted, and when the vehicle is equipped with these safety equipment, the expected electric discharge amount is 1600 [Asec].

  Further, the CPU 11 of the idling stop control device 1 executes the electrical component usage amount prediction program shown in FIG. 15 at regular intervals. When this program is started, first, the electrical components 6 and 7 at that time are driven. The situation is acquired and stored in the RAM 13 (step 401). Next, after acquiring external information such as road information, weather information, road surface information, etc. on the travel route to the destination stored in the RAM 13 (step 402), to the next risk point based on the acquired external information 5 is used (step 403), and the current consumption of the electrical component predicted to be used is read from the current consumption table of the electrical component shown in FIG. 5, and based on the arrival time to the next danger point The amount of electricity consumed [Asec] of the electrical component is predicted and stored in the RAM 13 (step 404).

  Similarly, the CPU 11 of the idling stop control device 1 executes a power generation amount prediction program shown in FIG. 16 at regular time intervals. When this program is started, first, road information and weather information up to the next danger point are started. After acquiring external information such as road surface information (step 501), the driving mode to the next danger point based on the acquired external information, that is, the state of acceleration, constant speed, deceleration, etc. as shown in FIG. Prediction is made (step 502). Next, after predicting the transition of the engine speed based on the engine speed at that time acquired from the various sensors 21 and the predicted travel mode (step 503), based on the engine speed transition and the travel mode. The power generation amount of the alternator 4 up to the next danger point is predicted and stored in the RAM 13 (step 504). That is, since the power generation is cut during acceleration, the charging time other than during acceleration is calculated, and the power generation amount determined based on the calculated result and the correspondence table between the engine speed and the power generation amount shown in FIG. 18 is multiplied. To determine the total amount of power generated.

  On the other hand, the CPU 11 of the idling stop control device 1 executes the above-described various prediction programs and simultaneously executes the idling stop permission / prohibition determination program shown in FIG. 19 at regular intervals. After the next risk point and the risk level of the risk point are acquired from the RAM 13 (step 601), the idling according to the acquired risk level is made by referring to the correspondence table of the risk level and the determination start distance shown in FIG. A predetermined distance for starting the stop permission / prohibition determination is determined and stored in the RAM 13 (step 602).

Next, the CPU 11 determines whether or not the current vehicle position is within the range of the predetermined distance from the next danger point (step 603), and determines that the vehicle is separated from the next danger point by a predetermined distance or more. If so, it is determined whether or not a normal eco-run condition is satisfied (step 604).
That is, the CPU 11 continues the normal eco-run condition, for example, accelerator off, brake on, vehicle speed = 0, and engine idle speed in the range of 600 to 1000 rpm for a predetermined period of time, for example, 2 seconds. Is determined, the engine ECU 2 is instructed to stop idling (step 605). When it is determined that the above-described eco-run condition is not satisfied, the program is terminated.

On the other hand, when it is determined in step 603 that the vehicle is located within a predetermined distance from the next danger point, the CPU 11 acquires the capacity of the battery 3 mounted on the vehicle from the vehicle information stored in the ROM 12. (Step 606) and the charge rate of the battery 3 at that time is obtained from the RAM 13 (Step 607), and then the dischargeable amount of electricity of the battery 3 is calculated (Step 608).
For example, if the battery capacity is 198000 [Asec], the current charging rate is 90%, and the discharge end charging rate is 30%,
Dischargeable electricity = 198000 * {(90-30) / 100} = 118800 [Asec]
To calculate the amount of electricity that can be discharged.

Next, the CPU 11 obtains the expected amount of electrical equipment used up to the next danger point from the RAM 13 (step 609), and obtains the estimated power generation amount of the alternator 4 up to the next danger point from the RAM 13 (step 610). The expected charge amount is obtained from the predicted charge amount = expected power generation amount−electric component expected use amount (step 611).
After that, the CPU 11 obtains the predicted amount of safety equipment discharge at the next danger point from the RAM 13 (step 612), and then predicts the remaining battery level at the next danger point to determine whether or not idling can be stopped. (Step 613).
For example, assuming that the amount of electricity that can be discharged is 118800 [Asec], the expected amount of charge is -1000 [Asec], and the expected amount of discharge for safety equipment is 1600 [Asec], the remaining battery level is 118800 [Asec] -1000 [ Asec] −1600 [Asec] = 115400 [Asec]
Since the expected remaining battery level is greater than 0 [Asec], it is determined that idling can be stopped.

  If it is determined in step 613 that idling stop is not possible, the CPU 11 ends the program without determining whether or not a predetermined eco-run condition is satisfied, and if it is determined that idling stop is possible, the predetermined eco-run condition is satisfied. It is determined whether or not (step 604).

  As described above, environmental information such as road information, weather information, and road surface information on a driving route from a car navigation device or the like to a destination is acquired, and the risk calculated based on the acquired environmental information is predetermined. After a point that is more than the risk level is set as a danger point, it is determined whether there is enough battery capacity for the safety function required at each point. If the battery capacity is insufficient, idling stop is prohibited. Therefore, the eco-run can be performed while reliably suppressing the inability to supply power to the safety system.

In the above embodiment, whether or not the idling stop is possible is determined by determining whether or not the battery remaining amount predicted by the danger point is positive.
It is also possible to set a plurality of determination elements and change the determination elements used for determination of availability according to the risk level of each risk point.
FIG. 21 shows an example of a table in the case where a plurality of determination elements are set and the determination elements used for determination of availability are changed according to the risk level of each risk point. "?" Is used to determine whether or not the idling stop can be performed at all the risks. For example, "Slope is less than a predetermined value?" Is not used to determine whether or not the idling stop is possible when the risk is less than 20. Only in the above case, it is used to determine whether or not idling stop is possible.
In this way, by setting a plurality of determination elements and changing the determination elements used for the determination of availability according to the risk level of each danger point, it is possible to determine the availability of idling stop with higher accuracy.

In the above embodiment, when the driver sets the destination in the car navigation apparatus, the danger point setting program shown in the flowchart of FIG. 7 is executed. It is desirable to execute the danger point setting program again when there is a change, or when a predetermined time has elapsed or when traveling for a predetermined distance.
Further, in the above-described embodiment, the idling stop control device and the engine control ECU are provided separately. However, the function of the idling stop control device can also be incorporated in the engine control ECU.

The block diagram which shows the structure of the vehicle system containing the vehicle control apparatus of this invention. Vehicle information stored in ROM. Accident risk level data based on various driving environments stored in ROM. A list table of safety systems that are stored in ROM and that operate according to dangerous situations. Current consumption data of each vehicle equipment stored in ROM. The functional block diagram which represented the structure of the idling stop control apparatus with the function. The flowchart which shows the effect | action of a danger point setting program. Example of setting dangerous points on the route. The flowchart which shows the effect | action of a battery state determination program. FIG. 6 is a waveform diagram of battery voltage and current. Charge rate correction value table based on internal resistance. The correction value table of the charging rate based on battery liquid temperature. Charge rate correction table based on the integrated current value. The flowchart which shows the effect | action of a safety equipment discharge amount prediction program. The flowchart which shows the effect | action of an electrical component usage-amount prediction program. The flowchart which shows the effect | action of an electric power generation amount prediction program. An example of the prediction driving mode up to the danger point. Correspondence table between engine speed and power generation. The flowchart which shows the effect | action of an idling stop permission / prohibition determination program. Correspondence table of risk and judgment start distance. A determination element selection table for changing a plurality of determination elements according to the degree of risk.

Explanation of symbols

1 Idling stop control device 11 CPU
12 ROM
13 RAM
2 Engine control ECU
3 Battery 4 Alternator 5 Car navigation device 6, 7 Electrical component 8 Starter motor 9 Communication line 10 Power line 21 Various sensors 22 Vehicle information center 23 Other vehicle

Claims (5)

Danger point determination means for determining whether or not the position where the vehicle is scheduled to travel is a predetermined danger point;
Based on the risk level of the risk point determined by the risk point determination means, it is determined whether or not idling can be stopped by determining whether or not there is a possibility of power failure to the safety equipment equipped on the vehicle. A vehicle control device comprising an idling stop permission / prohibition determining means for determining. In the vehicle control device according to claim 1,
The idling stop permission / prohibition judgment means cannot supply power to the safety equipment by predicting the remaining battery level from the predicted electricity usage of the electrical equipment up to the danger point, the expected power generation amount, and the expected electricity discharge of the safety equipment at the danger point. A vehicle control device that determines whether or not the above occurs. In the vehicle control device according to claim 1 or 2,
The vehicle control apparatus, wherein the idling stop permission / prohibition determination means executes idling stop permission / prohibition determination only within a predetermined distance range to each danger point. In the vehicle control device according to claim 3,
The vehicle control apparatus, wherein the idling stop permission / prohibition judging means changes a predetermined distance to each danger point according to a risk level of each danger point. In the vehicle control device according to any one of claims 1 to 4,
The vehicle control apparatus, wherein the risk point determination means calculates the risk level at each point by weighting the score of each risk factor.

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