JP6693617B2 - Vehicle coasting control system. - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a control system that contributes to improvement of fuel efficiency by utilizing inertia when a vehicle is running.

Both manufacturers and users are interested in improving the fuel efficiency of automobiles, and the current situation is that each manufacturer is surpassing the goal by extending the mileage per liter by 1 km.

JP, 2015-58783, A control device of a hybrid vehicle. JP, 60-60372, A Vehicle control device and its control method. JP, 2012-47148, A Control device for vehicles.

A clutch 4 is provided between the engine 2 and the motor 3, and the motor 3 is connected to the drive wheel 9 side to form the hybrid truck 1. When the start condition of the coast travel control is satisfied based on the driver's operation of turning off the accelerator pedal 14, etc., the transmission 5 is returned to neutral and the engine 2 and the motor 3 are disconnected from the drive wheel 9 side to coast the vehicle 1. .. During this coasting control, the fuel of the engine 2 is cut off, and then the motor 3 is driven to keep the engine 2 at the idle rotation speed to continue the operation of the auxiliary machinery 2a. The engine is restarted by driving the motor 3 when the coasting control is completed.
The vehicle ECU 13 acquires these various types of information from the navigation device 31 and the communication device 32, and executes coasting control based on the road condition on the traveling route of the vehicle based on the prediction. There is a technique (for example, Patent Document 1) relating to that coast traveling control can also be performed based on the above.

* The technical difference between Patent Document 1 and the present application is that, in Patent Document 1, fuel is cut during coasting control in which the vehicle 1 coasts and the engine 2 is kept at an idle rotation speed by driving the motor 3. However, even if the fuel is cut, the electricity for idling operation of the engine 2 is consumed (the engine is in the intake->compression->explosion-> exhaust-exhaust cycle even when the fuel is cut). While the present invention is started by driving the motor 3 with the end of the coasting control , the present application is restarted by an operation (pushing technique) simply turning on the drive force connection (clutch) during coasting. The points are different.

  In step S303, the controller 12 determines whether the road ahead is a downhill road and the slope θ of the downhill road is smaller than a predetermined slope θ1, that is, whether the slope θ of the downhill road is gentle in the downward direction. .. When the vehicle travels on a downhill road and the brake pedal 52 is depressed while the engine 1 is stopped, the predetermined gradient θ1 is a braking force shortage due to the assistance of the brake booster 83 using the negative pressure generated by the electric vacuum pump 9. It is the minimum value of the gradient that does not occur. If the road surface slope θ is smaller than the predetermined slope θ1, the process proceeds to step S304, and if the road surface slope θ is equal to or larger than the predetermined slope θ1, the process proceeds to step S305. Here, the slope θ indicates that the larger the slope θ is, the steeper the road surface slope in the downhill direction is. The smaller the slope θ is, the smaller the road surface slope is in the downhill road. There is a technique (for example, Patent Document 2) indicating that the road is a road.

* It is a braking means during coasting in which the engine is stopped by generating a negative pressure with the electric vacuum pump described in Patent Document 2, and the "driving force connection is turned off in the automatic control means A and B described in the present application. This is a technology equivalent to "a braking device that can brake the speed when the engine is turned off."

A vehicle control device capable of ensuring a long running time and a long running distance in a running vehicle by coasting, wherein the device has a vehicle speed V within a vehicle speed range determined by a lower limit vehicle speed V0 and an upper limit vehicle speed V1. If the vehicle speed V is higher than or equal to the vehicle speed V0, the engine is stopped by fuel cut and the clutch is released to allow the vehicle to travel by coasting. When it is necessary to stop the vehicle by engaging and accelerating (constant speed free run), stop the engine by fuel cut until the vehicle stops and release the clutch to run the vehicle by coasting (stop). Free run), the clutch is engaged, and braking is applied by engine braking and brake operation. As a result, there is a technology (for example, Patent Document 3) that can secure a long traveling time and traveling distance by coasting and improve fuel efficiency.

* Although this application also employs the inertial traveling technique described in Patent Document 3, it can be said that the difference is that the engine braking is not used.

Many systems have been disclosed that automatically control the running mode that utilizes inertial force during running that contributes to the improvement of the fuel efficiency of a vehicle, but after the engine is stopped, the clutch is released, and the vehicle is run by coasting ( Engine stop free run) Developed engine restart means technology that restarts the engine without using the starter when the driving force connection is turned on. Furthermore, when the running speed of the car is below the set value, the clutch is released to coast. It is unavoidable that the engine is turned on during running to allow idling, but it is a problem to provide an engine idling speed automatic control means for automatically lowering the engine idling speed during idling.
Further that only find a structure to adapt to electric vehicle driving means that utilizes the inertia force.

The first invention is
An automatic control means (A and A for automatically controlling ON / OFF of a driving force connection when a traveling speed of the vehicle is a set speed or more by utilizing a inertial force of the vehicle when traveling on a public road. The automatic control means B) is provided, and the automatic control means ( A and automatic control means B) stops the engine while the driving force connection is OFF, and when the driving force connection is turned ON, the starter Is equipped with a restarting means (pushing technology) for restarting the engine even if it is not used, and the traveling speed of the automobile is set to a set value during the cycle traveling by the automatic controlling means (A and automatic controlling means B). In the following cases, the automatic operation is canceled when any one of the accelerator operation, the driving force connecting operation, and the driving force releasing operation is entered, and the automatic operation means (A and the automatic control means B) is set to the manual operation. Drive force connection Comprising a braking device capable braking speed (eg corresponding to a brake booster using a negative pressure generated by the electric vacuum pump 9 according to the patented document 2) in traveling with the engine OFF to FF, and, during downhill running Provides a vehicle coasting control system characterized in that the braking operation is performed by a driver who does not use engine braking . ..

* The automatic control means A is
When the vehicle is started and the accelerator pedal operation is in the holding state (vehicle speed holding state / accelerator OFF), the driving force connection is set to "OFF" / engine "OFF" and the vehicle runs by inertia due to the inertia force of the vehicle. This cycle is a cycle in which the drive force connection is turned "ON" and the engine is turned "ON" when the speed decreases from the running speed in the accelerator pedal holding state by about 1 to 5% to return to the speed in the holding state. It is an object to be automatically controlled, and when the speed becomes less than the set value or a manual operation of the accelerator operation, the driving force connection operation or the driving force release operation is entered, the automatic control is canceled and the engine is turned “ON”. Then, an additional accelerator is applied to return to the automatic control means A, or the automatic control means C (described later) shifts to idling speed control when the driving force connection is “OFF” (or manually. A control system that either operation as either).
The speed equal to or less than the set value is a speed corresponding to the set value when the driving force is not "shattered" when the driving force is connected (for example, 40 km / h). It is preferable that a value obtained by increasing a few% of the speed at which the impact is not felt (for example, 45 km / h) is set as the lower limit set value.
* Restarting means (pushing technology) that restarts the engine without using the starter means that about 30 years ago, the battery went up because the headlight was forgotten about 30 years ago. When the car stops working, put the driver in the car, put the change into 1st or 2nd speed, put the clutch on, and push the car from behind with 4-5 people to reach the speed of 4-5km / H. It is a technology (release technology) that releases the clutch petal when the engine starts, and starts the engine by turning the crankshaft with an external force (starter motor, etc.), which causes intake to compress in the engine. → Explosion → The engine itself starts to move while the exhaust is being generated → → That is, the engine will start if there is fuel, air and sparks on the crankshaft by rotating the crankshaft 2-5 times. As an alternative to a starter that rotates the crankshaft during traveling, the engine is restarted just by connecting the driving force if there is a rotational force after the clutch that is traveling with only inertial force when the clutch is "OFF". of the Satoshi weight because the inertial force is different vehicle speed when driving force connection that does not feel little impact to "Gakun" when the driving force connection varies by Satoshi vehicle weight, the implementation speed intensive inertia force operation Most of them are 40 to 50 km / H or more, but since the inertial force is different between the large 20Ton vehicle and the light passenger vehicle that are loaded, the inertial force that differs depending on the weight of the vehicle is taken into consideration.

* The automatic control means B is the automatic control means B that utilizes the potential energy of the vehicle, but the automatic control means A that utilizes the inertial force of the vehicle is driving power connection “OFF” traveling or “ON” traveling. When the speed increases without acceleration operation, the vehicle is downhill. If the speed at this time is more than the set value and the vehicle accelerates further, the driving force connection is turned off and the engine is turned off. gradient of slope in the traveling mode of traveling by inertia of slope of length, is a manual operation for curving so by braking or additional acceleration of the traveling path (for additional acceleration automatic control is released), the position When the speed at coasting utilizing energy is less than or equal to the specified value or the next idle travel was cancels the automatic control engine to "oN", or the automatic control hand to the additional accelerator A control system for whether to shift to the idling rotational speed control when the driving force connection A or the automatic control unit B running either automatic control unit C "OFF · Engine ON" (or manual operation with either).

Second aspect of the present invention
In the vehicle coasting control system according to the first invention,
An engine in which the traveling speed of the automatic control means (A automatic control means B) is equal to or less than a set value, and the engine is turned on when the driving force connection of the automatic control means (A automatic control means B) is off. An engine idling speed automatic control means C for automatically controlling the engine idling speed during idling is provided. The engine idling speed automatic control means C charges the battery while the driving force connection is turned off. The engine idling speed control means C is provided to control the engine idling speed to a low speed by automatically controlling ON / OFF of one or both of the generator and the coolant pump depending on the amount and the coolant temperature. A vehicle coasting control system is provided.
* What is the engine idling speed automatic control means C?
The automatic control means C is a traveling mode under the speed set values of the automatic control means A and the automatic control means B, and when traveling (and stopping) in the traveling mode, the engine is turned “ON” and the driving force is connected. In the idling speed control of the engine at the time of "OFF", the driving force connection is performed by providing "idling speed control means for reducing the idling speed" of the engine in a traveling mode in which the driving force connection is "ON / OFF". It reduces fuel consumption when "OFF".
The automatic control means C does not drive either one or both of the generator E, which uses the rotational force of the engine when the drive force connection is "OFF", and the pump P for circulating the coolant, so that the idling speed is increased. Is to automatically control to lower the
Specifically, the generator E is provided with a means that does not operate when the charge amount of the battery is equal to or more than the lower limit set amount while the driving force connection is "OFF" during the inertia running and the vehicle stop, and the power generation amount of the generator is reduced. The engine rotation speed is reduced (the idling rotation speed is reduced), and the coolant circulation pump P is provided with a means for not operating the coolant temperature within the upper limit set temperature of the coolant temperature. It is a control that can lower the engine speed by the driving force of
* For example, the power transmission of the generator E and the coolant circulation pump P is performed by a V-belt (in most automobiles), but a planetary pulley is provided between the V-belt pulleys and the pulleys are pressed in the V-belt tension direction. If the condition of driving (stopping) either the generator E to be controlled or the coolant circulation pump P by the configuration of pulling back to the ON loosening direction and turning it off is set, the generator E or the coolant circulation pump P Either one or both of them are driven (stopped) so that the idling speed of the engine can be reduced when the driving force connection is "OFF".
* As another additional configuration above, there are many opportunities (time) to further reduce the idling speed of the engine by either increasing the storage capacity of the battery or changing the quality and quantity of the coolant. I can.
* The engine when coasting when you see a traffic light in front of you yellow or red, when you see a small traffic jam ahead due to an accident or under construction, or when the traffic lane is reduced Control to reduce idling speed of.
* To have a braking device that can withstand the expected number of operations on a long downhill
Drum brakes and disc brakes (4 pot piston fixed caliper system and ventilated disc system with ventilation structure added to the inner surface of disc rotor are also in practical use) -Pneumatic brake and various types of brakes It can be handled by adopting a method that the pad does not overheat even if it is heavily used. For example, in the case of a vehicle that uses a pneumatic brake, when the pressure of the air tank reaches the lower limit set value, the engine is started and the pressure of the air tank is reduced. It is also possible to add a control circuit that raises the air pressure to avoid insufficient air pressure in the tank.

A third invention is a vehicle inertial running control system including the vehicle inertial running control system according to the first invention,
A traveling mode of the automatic control means (A and the automatic control means B) adapted to electric drive,
Electric drive (because the driving force is a motor, there is no engine "ON" / "OFF" / engine restart means (pushing technology) in the above automatic control means A / B, and the power supply is always "ON") The automatic control means D for automatically controlling ON / OFF of the driving force connection of the vehicle is provided, and the automatic control means D turns the driving force connection ON when the driving force connection is “OFF”. When the accelerator is operated, the automatic control means D is ready for operation, and when the accelerator operation, the driving force connection operation, the driving force release operation, or the brake operation is entered during the cycle running of the automatic control means D, the automatic control means D is operated. The present invention provides a vehicle inertial running control system characterized by being operated as a brake operation by a driver who does not perform control equivalent to engine braking running when traveling downhill.
* The automatic control means D is a driving mode in which the consumption of electricity stored in the battery is reduced by utilizing the inertial force of a vehicle (for example, an electric vehicle) running on electricity as a power source. While the control means A and B save the fuel by driving the inertia force in the driving mode in which the driving force connection is "OFF" and the engine is "OFF", the automatic control means D uses electricity instead of the engine. Therefore, it is not necessary to turn the engine "OFF" when the driving force connection is "OFF" in the automatic control means A and B (the power source is "ON"), and the driving force connection is "ON" when the accelerator operation is performed. Since the engine is accelerated (or started), the engine restarting means (pushing technique) in the automatic control means A and B is not required, and the driving force connection “OFF” is the coasting, and the driving force connection “ ON ”to accelerate It is configured to be operable, and is used as a driver's brake operation that does not perform control equivalent to engine brake traveling when traveling downhill.

* The driving force connection “ON” / “OFF” of the automatic control means D is, for example, a state in which the speed of 66 to 68 Km / h is set to the accelerator “OFF” state when the desired traveling speed (desired set speed) is 65 Km / h. When the driving force connection is "OFF", the vehicle travels by inertial force, and when the speed decreases by 2 to 3 km / h, the driving force connection is turned "ON" and the speed is returned to 66 to 68 Km / h by the accelerator operation. (The shorter the interval at which the inertial force travel starts and the drive force connection is turned "ON", for example, 1 to 3 seconds, the less the speed irregularity becomes.)

* The point of the automatic control means D is that when traveling on a substantially flat road, a driving force connecting portion is provided between an electric driving portion (driving force is, for example, a motor) and driving wheels, and the driving force connecting portion is "ON" or "OFF". Is automatically controlled. The driving force connection section "ON" is set to the speed you want to travel by operating the accelerator "ON" (desired setting speed), and when the desired setting speed is reached, the driving force connection is "OFF" and the vehicle runs with inertia force. When the speed is lowered by 2 to 3 km / h, the driving force connection is set to "ON" and the cycle for returning to the set speed is automatically controlled. During the automatic control running, the driver manually connects the driving force to "ON", "OFF", accelerator. automatic control of the automatic control means D the operation enters is configured to be released.
* The driving force connection on the above-mentioned almost flat road is downhill when accelerating even if the vehicle does not operate the accelerator when driving ON / OFF, and "driving on a downhill slope" is a driving force connection that accelerates when the vehicle does not operate the accelerator. in traveling OFF "state is the traveling mode to control the speed at the driver's brake operation (manual), to migrate into the substantially flat road running if the state can not be accelerated to be an accelerator operation after the brake operation ..

* The regenerative braking system, which reuses deceleration energy, originally decelerates when the brake is stepped on by rotating the motor with the rotational force of the wheels and using it as a generator to coordinate the regenerative brake with the hydraulic brake. The kinetic energy that is discarded as heat is converted into electric energy and collected in a battery for reuse as running energy. Since a traveling pattern in which acceleration / deceleration is repeated, such as traveling in the city, has a high effect of energy recovery, it is preferable to preferentially use the regenerative brake in a low speed region (for example, a low speed set speed).

* While the engine braking is not used in the present application while the automatic control means B is running on the downhill coasting force, a control for generating a braking force equivalent to the engine braking (braking force at the time of engine braking) may be used. However, there is a comparison between downhill inertia force → conversion to electricity → electricity storage in a storage battery → electricity used as driving force and comparison with a situation where electricity is not used with only downhill inertia force (for example, expected operation on a long downhill Any means can be selected (due to equipment costs, etc. with a braking device that can withstand the number of times).

* The published technologies related to the above regenerative braking system are:
For example, the regenerative braking control device described in "Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2011-234540" is suitably applied to a vehicle having a rotating electric machine configured to generate a regenerative braking force during braking. The control means performs control to generate a braking force equivalent to the engine braking when the accelerator is turned off, using at least the regenerative braking force. Specifically, the control means performs control such that the engine braking-equivalent braking force generated when the accelerator is off becomes larger as the vehicle speed becomes lower than when the vehicle speed is high. As a result, the amount of deceleration energy recovered by regeneration can be increased. Therefore, regeneration efficiency can be improved and fuel consumption can be improved. * In addition, in the description of "Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2014-50245 Vehicle and Generator", in the power generation method during traveling, in addition to regenerative power generation, a vehicle having a power generation method that does not consume traveling energy is An air pipe 4 for air supplied from the air tank 2 to the air brake 3 or an air pipe 4 between the air brake 3 and the atmosphere and an air outlet 17, which is driven by air pressure or air flow Is described, and it is possible to generate electricity by air pressure or air flow.

Fuel consumption improved by at least 5% in the test run of the automobile driving mode.
(Fuel consumption in a trial run of a privately owned vehicle "commercial vehicle using a 1500 cc gasoline engine": 5-10% improvement in fuel consumption from 5 to 6 times between full tank and full tank. Among the means A and B, the "engine off" traveling control and the idling control means of the above-mentioned automatic control means C are not provided.

Preferably, the automatic control means A, the automatic control means B, the automatic control means C, and the driver are made to recognize that the vehicle is traveling by the normal driving means (for example, a colored light beam, a sound, a slight vibration, etc. are provided. ) Add structure.

In addition, there may be situations in which saving travel is not being performed (rushing driving), so it is possible to provide multiple patterns of running modes so that the driver can select and use, or the driver can select multiple patterns of running modes. It may be possible to set it,
As an example of the pattern to be selected, in the case of the automatic control means A, the driving force connection is turned "OFF" after the accelerator pedal operation is in the holding state (vehicle speed holding state) in the cycle of the driving force connection "ON / OFF". Then, for example, a selection operation unit is provided which can select a setting such as what percentage the driving speed connection should be turned “ON” when the vehicle speed is reduced by 4 seconds after traveling and the pattern in which the saving operation is not performed. Is preferred.

* The desired set speed can be obtained, for example, from the speed limit of the public road of car navigation (or GPS) or set by the driver's manual accelerator operation (for example, press the button when entering the highway and reaching 80 km / h) The width of the driving force connection “OFF” / “ON” set in advance based on the speed set by doing etc. (eg, driving force connection “OFF” at 82 Km / h and driving force connection “ON” at 79 Km / h) You can also set it.

* This is another embodiment of the driving force connection C traveling, and the means for turning the driving force connection traveling "OFF" when at least the first red or yellow signal in the front direction is visually recognized is red or yellow. When you see a traffic light or when you see a car that is temporarily stopped waiting for an oncoming vehicle to pass right while you are trying to make a right turn, you are narrowed down to one lane during construction or an accident (small traffic condition) When visually recognizing conditions such as when visually recognizing, switch by manual operation of the driver when visually recognizing, for example, by attaching a switching switch to the shift lever of the transmission and switching by driver operation (for example, pushing a push button) can also configure traveling by inertia until stopped Te (if the inertia force is insufficient additional accelerator used).
The operation related to the departure after the vehicle is stopped is the normal driving operation of the driver and is the operation from the start.

In order to start a 4-5 ton truck around 1952, an engine starting tool in which a round bar was bent in a crank shape was inserted from the insertion opening for inserting the engine starting tool provided in the front center of the bonnet truck. The engine was started by turning the engine start tool 3 to 4 times to the right (or left). That is, the engine starting force is such that one adult can start the engine. There is a large difference between the rotational force (rotation speed * torque) after the drive force connection part that is traveling only by inertia when the clutch is "OFF → ON" and the engine starting force (the force required for starting is constant). Since there is a theory that the greater the rotational force after the drive force connection portion is, the greater the proportion of absorbing the engine starting force, the test run was performed to confirm the above theory.
In the test run, it was confirmed that the engine can be restarted by the "pushing technique" if "engine ON" and "driving force connection ON" are changed from "engine OFF" and "driving force connection OFF".

  The control of the automatic control means A and the automatic control means B is mainly a control of "driving force connection OFF / engine OFF" and "driving force connection ON / engine ON" at the time of traveling, and this control is also operation. The vehicle is operated manually because it is assisted by the operator, and if the driver operates the accelerator or the driving force is connected / released during the cycle, the automatic control is canceled and the driver's operation is prioritized. It is normal driving.

Preferably, in the above-mentioned automobile traveling mode, when the vehicle is following the preceding vehicle, the automatic control means A and B are used to perform the braking operation for maintaining the inter-vehicle distance, and the additional acceleration operation causes the automatic control means A and B to temporarily By canceling and then returning to the traveling of the automatic control means A and B again, the vehicle following traveling mode in which the inter-vehicle distance is secured is obtained.

A detailed example of the automatic control means A will be described. For example, when traveling on a substantially flat road at a speed of 60 km (desired set speed), the speed is increased to 63 to 65 km (about 2 to 5 seconds). With the accelerator petal operation held, set the accelerator pedal holding state and set the drive force connection to "OFF" and the engine "OFF" (The engine can be restarted at any time if the drive force connection is set to "ON". It will run for about 3 to 7 seconds, depending on the flatness and curvature of the road surface. It will be driven by the inertia of the car, and the driving force connection will be "ON" / engine "ON" at a speed of 60km. It is a cycle of repeating the operation, and the automatic control is mainly "ON driving force connection / engine ON""driving force connection OFF / engine OFF" and other operations related to running Is that rolling user performs (normal operation operation).
For example, the shorter the time for turning off the driving force connection for this cycle interval (for example, 1 to 3 seconds), the more the speed unevenness disappears and the following vehicle or the parallel vehicle does not feel that it is coasting. Can be done.

  Many of the current trucks are equipped with a braking device that can brake when the drive force is connected to "OFF" and the engine is "OFF". Therefore, the truck is first expanded from the tractor to the passenger car, commercial vehicle, electric vehicle, and motorcycle. Is preferred.

Anything using a configuration that can be easily conceived from the scope of rights described in the claims of the present application is the scope of the present application.

Claims (3)

An automatic control means for automatically controlling ON / OFF of the driving force connection when the traveling speed of the vehicle is a set value or more and is a traveling mode of the vehicle utilizing the inertial force of the vehicle when traveling on public roads The automatic control means is provided with restarting means for restarting the engine without using the starter when the engine is stopped while the driving force connection is turned off and the driving force connection is turned on. Further, when the traveling speed of the automobile becomes less than or equal to a set value during the cycle traveling by the automatic control means, any one of the accelerator operation, the driving force connecting operation and the driving force releasing operation is input, the automatic control is canceled manually. The automatic control means is equipped with a braking device that can brake the speed when the engine is turned off by turning off the driving force connection in the automatic control means. Characterized in that dwell as a manual operation without using the driver of the key, car coasting control system.
A vehicle inertial running control system comprising the vehicle inertial running control system according to claim 1,
In the traveling mode when the traveling speed of the automatic control means is less than or equal to a set value, the engine idling speed during engine idling with the engine turned on when the driving force connection of the automatic control means is off is automatically reduced. An engine idling speed automatic control means C is provided, and the engine idling speed automatic control means C, depending on the charge amount of the battery and the coolant temperature, either or both of the generator and the coolant pump while the driving force connection is OFF. An engine coasting control system for an automobile, characterized in that engine idling speed control means C for controlling the engine idling speed to a low speed by automatically controlling ON / OFF of the operation is provided.
A vehicle inertial running control system comprising the vehicle inertial running control system according to claim 1,
The driving mode of the automatic control means is adapted to electric drive, and an automatic control means D for automatically controlling ON / OFF of the driving force connection of the automobile is provided. When the driving force connection is turned on when the power connection is "OFF", the accelerator is immediately ready for operation, and during the cycle running by the automatic control means D, the accelerator operation, the driving force connection operation, or the driving force release is performed. When the operation or the braking operation is entered, the automatic control means D is released, and when the vehicle is traveling downhill, the vehicle is inertially operated by a driver who does not perform the control equivalent to the engine braking traveling. Driving control system.