JP7216329B2 - vehicle controller - Google Patents

Description

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a vehicle control device, and more particularly to operation control of an engine mounted on a vehicle.

Vehicles, such as hybrid vehicles and plug-in hybrid vehicles, which can be driven by an electric motor and are equipped with an engine for power generation or driving are known. In this way, in a vehicle equipped with an engine and an electric motor, there is a series mode in which the electric motor runs while the engine is operating to generate electricity, and a parallel mode in which the engine and the electric motor run while the engine is running. Vehicles have been developed that are capable of a running engine running drive mode.

On the other hand, as in Patent Document 1, in an open car that can be switched between a closed state in which the passenger compartment is covered by the roof and an open state in which the passenger compartment is opened without being covered by the roof, the air conditioner operates in the closed state and the open state. A controller is disclosed that automatically switches modes.

JP-A-7-266841

In an open car such as that disclosed in Patent Document 1, when the car is open, passengers tend to hear external noise. Even in vehicles other than convertibles, when the windows of the passenger compartment are open, external noise is likely to be heard, which may impair the comfort of the occupants.
In the above-described engine operation driving mode, the vehicle runs while the engine is operating. Therefore, in the open state, the operation noise of the engine is easily heard by the passengers. Therefore, there is a demand for a technique for suppressing the noise that enters the passenger compartment. .

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve such problems, and provides a vehicle control apparatus capable of suppressing noise during travel and improving passenger comfort in a vehicle capable of running in an engine-operated travel mode. That's what it is.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides an engine, a storage battery, a generator driven by the engine to generate power, and driving wheels of the vehicle powered by power supplied from the storage battery or the generator. and an electric motor for driving the vehicle, and is capable of an engine operation driving mode in which the engine is operated to drive the driving wheels, wherein the vehicle compartment of the vehicle is opened and closed. an open/closed state detection unit that detects an open/closed state detection unit that detects the engine operation running mode, a control unit that reduces the rotational speed of the engine when the vehicle interior is in the open state compared to when the vehicle interior is in the closed state; characterized by comprising

As a result, in the engine operating driving mode, when the engine is in the open state, in which noise is likely to enter the vehicle interior from the outside, the rotational speed of the engine is lower than in the closed state. can be suppressed.
Preferably, the engine operation running mode is a power generation mode in which the engine drives the generator to generate power while the running drive electric motor drives the running drive wheels to run.

As a result, in the power generation mode, when the vehicle interior is open, the rotational speed of the engine is lower than when the vehicle interior is closed, so noise entering the vehicle interior can be suppressed. In addition, since it is in the power generation mode, it is possible to avoid affecting the running of the vehicle even if the rotational speed of the engine is changed.
Preferably, in the engine operation running mode, when the vehicle compartment is in an open state, the control unit reduces the rotation speed of the engine as the running speed of the vehicle decreases.

As a result, the rotation speed of the engine changes based on the running speed of the vehicle, so that the rotation speed of the engine can be increased or decreased in accordance with the increase or decrease in running noise due to the change in running speed, thereby effectively reducing the noise. For example, by reducing the rotation speed of the engine as the driving speed decreases, it is possible to effectively improve the comfort of the occupants by reducing the operating noise of the engine when the driving noise is low, while the driving speed increases. By increasing the rotational speed of the engine along with this, it is possible to increase the amount of power generated by the generator and suppress the power consumption of the storage battery.

Preferably, a charging rate detection unit for detecting a charging rate of the storage battery is provided, and the control unit detects when the charging rate of the storage battery is equal to or higher than the predetermined value when the charging rate of the storage battery is equal to or lower than the predetermined value. It is preferable to increase the power generation amount of the generator by increasing the drive torque of the engine.
As a result, the amount of power generated by the generator increases when the storage battery is in a low state of charge, so charging of the storage battery can be promoted. In addition, since the drive torque of the engine is increased to increase the amount of power generated by the generator, it is possible to suppress an increase in engine noise compared to increasing the rotational speed of the engine to increase the amount of power generated by the generator.

Preferably, a detection unit for detecting an exhaust component in an exhaust passage of the engine, a motoring control unit for forcibly driving the engine by operating an electric motor for driving the engine with electric power from the storage battery, and a failure determination unit that switches between supply and stop of supply of fuel to the engine while the motoring is being performed, and determines a failure of the detection unit, wherein the control unit determines that the vehicle compartment is in an open state. In this case, the motoring for executing the failure determination may be restricted.

As a result, when the passenger compartment is in the open state, the motoring for fault determination is regulated. rate reduction can be suppressed.

According to the vehicle control device of the present invention, when the vehicle interior is open in the engine running mode, the rotational speed of the engine is lower than when the vehicle interior is closed, thereby reducing noise entering the vehicle interior. Since it can be suppressed, it is possible to improve the comfort of the occupant in the passenger compartment.

1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a plug-in hybrid vehicle according to one embodiment of the present invention; FIG. It is an example of a driving mode switching map. 4 is a flowchart showing a control procedure for engine rotation speed change control; It is an example of an engine rotation speed setting map in the series mode. It is an example of a map for engine torque setting based on the state of charge SOC of the driving battery.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
FIG. 1 is a schematic configuration diagram of a plug-in hybrid vehicle (hereinafter referred to as vehicle 1) equipped with a control device according to one embodiment of the present invention.
The vehicle 1 of the present embodiment can run by driving the front wheels 3 by the output of the engine 2, and an electric front motor 4 (electric motor) for driving the front wheels 3 (driving wheels) and rear wheels 5 (driving wheels). It is a four-wheel drive vehicle equipped with an electric rear motor 6 (electric motor) that drives the drive wheels.

The engine 2 can drive the drive shaft 8 of the front wheels 3 via the speed reducer 7, and can drive the motor generator 9 (generator, electric motor for driving the engine) via the speed reducer 7 to generate electricity. It is possible.
The front motor 4 is driven by being supplied with high-voltage electric power from a drive battery 11 (storage battery) mounted on the vehicle 1 and a motor generator 9 via a front inverter 10 . drive the drive shaft 8; The speed reducer 7 incorporates a clutch 7a capable of switching power transmission between the output shaft of the engine 2 and the drive shaft 8 of the front wheel 3.

The rear motor 6 is driven by being supplied with high voltage power from the drive battery 11 and the motor generator 9 via the rear inverter 12 and drives the drive shaft 14 of the rear wheel 5 via the speed reducer 13 .
Electric power generated by the motor generator 9 can charge the driving battery 11 via the front inverter 10 and can also supply electric power to the front motor 4 and the rear motor 6 .

The drive battery 11 is composed of a secondary battery such as a lithium ion battery, and has a battery module (not shown) composed of a plurality of battery cells. It is provided with a battery monitoring unit 11a for monitoring SOC (hereinafter referred to as SOC) and the like. Note that the battery monitoring unit 11a corresponds to the charging rate detector of the present invention for detecting the charging state of the driving battery 11. FIG.

The front inverter 10 has a front motor control unit 10a and a generator control unit 10b. The front motor control unit 10a controls the output of the front motor 4 based on the control signal from the hybrid control unit 20 (control section). The generator control unit 10 b has a function of controlling the power generation amount of the motor generator 9 based on the control signal from the hybrid control unit 20 .

The rear inverter 12 has a rear motor control unit 12a. The rear motor control unit 12 a has a function of controlling the output of the rear motor 6 based on the control signal from the hybrid control unit 20 .
Furthermore, the motor generator 9 is supplied with electric power from the drive battery 11 based on the control signal from the hybrid control unit 20 to drive the engine 2, and functions as a starter motor for the engine 2. have

The vehicle 1 is also provided with a charger 21 that charges the drive battery 11 with an external power supply.
The hybrid control unit 20 is a control device for performing comprehensive control of the vehicle 1, and includes an input/output device, a storage device (ROM, RAM, nonvolatile RAM, etc.), a central processing unit (CPU), and the like. Configured.

The input side of the hybrid control unit 20 includes a battery monitoring unit 11a for the drive battery 11, a front motor control unit 10a and a generator control unit 10b for the front inverter 10, a rear motor control unit 12a for the rear inverter 12, an engine control unit 22, An accelerator opening sensor 40 for detecting the amount of accelerator operation is connected, and detection and operation information from these devices are input.

On the output side of hybrid control unit 20, front motor control unit 10a and generator control unit 10b of front inverter 10, rear motor control unit 12a of rear inverter 12, reduction gear 7 (clutch 7a), and engine control unit 22 are provided. It is connected.
Then, the hybrid control unit 20 calculates the vehicle required output required for driving the vehicle 1 based on the various detection amounts and various operation information such as the accelerator opening sensor 40, the engine control unit 22, the front motor Control unit 10a, generator control unit 10b and rear motor control unit 12a, send a control signal to the speed reducer 7, running mode ((EV mode: electric vehicle mode), (series mode: power generation mode), parallel mode) It controls the output of the engine 2, the front motor 4 and the rear motor 6, and the output (generated electric power) of the motor generator 9.

In the EV mode, the engine 2 is stopped and the electric power supplied from the drive battery 11 drives the front motor 4 and the rear motor 6 to drive the vehicle 1 .
In the series mode, the clutch 7a of the speed reducer 7 is disengaged and the motor generator 9 is operated by the engine 2. The electric power generated by the motor generator 9 and the electric power supplied from the drive battery 11 are used to drive the front motor 4 and the rear motor 6 to run the vehicle. In the series mode, the operating points (rotational speed and engine torque) of the engine 2 are set based on a map storing operating points with high efficiency in terms of output and fuel consumption, and surplus electric power is supplied to the drive battery 11 for driving. The battery 11 is charged.

In the parallel mode, the clutch 7a of the speed reducer 7 is connected, and power is mechanically transmitted from the engine 2 through the speed reducer 7 to drive the front wheels 3. Further, the front motor 4 and the rear motor 6 are driven by electric power generated by operating the motor generator 9 by the engine 2 and electric power supplied from the drive battery 11 to make the vehicle run.
The hybrid control unit 20 sets the running mode to the parallel mode in areas where the efficiency of the engine 2 is high, such as high-speed areas. Further, in a region other than the parallel mode, that is, in the middle/low speed region, switching is made between the EV mode and the series mode based on the driving torque of the vehicle 1 and the charging rate SOC of the driving battery 11 .

FIG. 2 is an example of a driving mode switching map.
For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the hybrid control unit 20 sets the parallel mode when the vehicle speed (running speed of the vehicle 1) is equal to or higher than a first predetermined value Va, and the vehicle speed is lower than the first threshold Va and the vehicle 1 is in the parallel mode. When the driving torque is equal to or greater than the second threshold value Tb, the series mode is automatically selected, and when the vehicle speed is lower than the first threshold value Va and the driving torque of the vehicle 1 is less than the second threshold value Tb, the EV mode is automatically selected.

The hybrid control unit 20 further forcibly drives the engine 2 to generate power when the state of charge SOC of the drive battery 11 falls below a third threshold value Sc set near the lower limit of the allowable range. It has a function of charging the battery 11 for use.
In addition, the hybrid control unit 20 includes a motoring control unit 20a that controls not to supply fuel to the engine 2 via the engine control unit 22, and performs motoring that forcibly drives the engine 2 by the motor generator 9. ing. Further, the hybrid control unit 20 switches between supplying and stopping the supply of fuel to the engine 2 while the engine 2 is forcibly driven by executing motoring by the motoring control unit 20a, thereby reducing the exhaust components of the engine 2. A failure determination unit 20b is provided for determining a failure of the exhaust sensor 50 based on a change in the detected value of the exhaust sensor 50 such as a NOx sensor.

In addition, the vehicle 1 can be switched between a closed state (closed state) that covers the passenger compartment and an open state (open state) that opens the passenger compartment by a roof forming part such as a soft top or a hard top. Switching between the closed state and the open state is performed, for example, by operating a roof actuator (not shown) or manually. The vehicle 1 is provided with a roof state detection switch 51 (open/closed state detection section) for detecting whether the vehicle interior is open or closed, that is, whether the vehicle interior is closed or open. In the case of a vehicle in which the passenger compartment is switched between the closed state and the open state by the operation of the roof actuator, the state of the closed state or the open state can be determined from the operation signal of the operation switch that operates the roof actuator. may be detected.

The hybrid control unit 20 in this embodiment receives an operation/detection signal from the roof state detection switch 51 and executes engine rotation speed change control to change the engine rotation speed in the above series mode.
FIG. 3 is a flow chart showing a control procedure of engine rotation speed change control executed in the hybrid control unit 20. As shown in FIG.

The engine rotation speed change control is repeatedly executed when the power of the vehicle is turned on.
As shown in FIG. 3, first, in step S10, it is determined whether or not the running mode of the vehicle 1 is the series mode. When the running mode of the vehicle 1 is the series mode, the process proceeds to step S20. If the running mode of the vehicle 1 is not the series mode, the routine ends.

In step S20, a detection signal from the roof state detection switch 51 is input to determine whether or not the roof of the vehicle 1 is open. If the roof is open even a little, it is set to an open state, and the process proceeds to step S30. If the roof is completely closed, the closed state is assumed and the process proceeds to step S50.
In step S30, the map storing the operating points of the engine 2 in the series mode is opened by storing the operating points for opening at which the engine rotation speed is lower than the normal map storing the normal operating points with high efficiency in terms of output and fuel consumption. Set the map for Then, the process proceeds to step S40.

In step S40, the motoring (OBD motoring) for performing failure determination of the exhaust sensor 50 by the failure determination unit 20b is prohibited. Then, the routine ends.
In step S50, the map storing the operating points of the engine 2 in the series mode is set to the normal map storing the normal operating points with high efficiency in terms of output and fuel consumption. Then, the process proceeds to step S60.

In step S60, the prohibition of OBD motoring executed in step S40 is canceled. That is, motoring by the motoring control section 20a becomes possible, and failure judgment of the exhaust sensor 50 becomes possible by the failure judging section 20b. Then, the routine ends.
As described above, the vehicle 1 can operate in the EV mode in which the engine 2 is not operated, the series mode in which the engine 2 is operated, and the parallel mode. Automatic switching based on one driving condition.

Further, the vehicle 1 is an open car whose roof can be switched between an open state and a closed state. Based on these roof states, the operating point of the engine 2 in the series mode is changed. Specifically, when the roof of the vehicle 1 is in the open state, the rotation speed of the engine 2 is reduced more than when it is in the closed state.
In the series mode, the motor generator 9 is driven without mechanically driving the front wheels 3 of the vehicle by the engine 2, so the rotation speed of the engine 2 can be arbitrarily set. In this embodiment, when the series mode is set and the vehicle compartment is open, the rotational speed of the engine 2 is reduced, so that the operation noise of the engine 2 can be reduced. As a result, in the series mode, it is possible to suppress the intrusion of operating noise of the engine 2 into the vehicle interior, thereby improving the comfort of the occupants.

In addition, in the present embodiment, when the vehicle compartment is open in the series mode, OBD motoring is prohibited. Consumption can be avoided, and a decrease in the charging rate of the driving battery 11 can be suppressed.
FIG. 4 is an example of an engine rotation speed setting map in the series mode. FIG. 4 shows a setting example of the engine rotation speed Rc when closed, the engine rotation speed Ro1 when open, and the engine rotation speed Ro2 when open which is set based on the vehicle speed.

As shown in FIG. 4, in the series mode, the engine rotation speed Ro1 in the open state is set lower than the engine rotation speed Rc in the closed state.
The hybrid control unit 20 preferably changes the engine rotation speed Ro1 in the open state based on the vehicle speed. Specifically, as shown by the engine rotation speed Ro2 in FIG. 4, in the series mode, the engine rotation speed Ro2 in the open state is set to decrease as the vehicle speed decreases.

By setting the engine rotation speed Ro2 to decrease as the vehicle speed decreases in this way, the operation noise of the engine 2 is decreased at low vehicle speeds when the running noise of the vehicle 1 decreases, thereby improving the comfort of the occupants. can be further improved, and the reduction in the charging rate of the drive battery 11 can be suppressed by increasing the amount of power generation by increasing the engine rotation speed at high vehicle speeds. It should be noted that the engine rotation speed Ro2 may be increased or decreased stepwise as the vehicle speed increases or decreases, or may be increased or decreased continuously.

FIG. 5 is an example of an engine torque setting map based on the charging rate of the driving battery 11. As shown in FIG.
In the series mode, the hybrid control unit 20 may further input the charging rate SOC of the drive battery 11 and change the engine torque (driving torque of the engine 2) based on the charging rate SOC.

As shown in FIG. 5, in the series mode, when the charging rate SOC of the driving battery 11 is equal to or higher than a predetermined value S1, the hybrid control unit 20 sets the engine torque to a normal value T1 that is normally set, When the charging rate SOC is less than the predetermined value S1, the engine torque is set to the high set value T2 higher than the normal value T1. The hybrid control unit 20 controls the motor generator 9 via the generator control unit 10b so that the amount of power generated increases as the engine torque is set to the high set value T2.

As a result, when the state of charge SOC of the drive battery 11 is less than the predetermined value S1, the engine torque is increased to increase the amount of power generation. can be achieved. In addition, since the engine torque is increased to increase the power generation amount, it is possible to suppress the increase in the engine noise compared to increasing the rotation speed of the engine 2 to increase the power generation amount of the motor generator 9, thereby reducing noise. Further reduction can be achieved.

In addition, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment.
For example, in the above embodiment, in the series mode, control is performed so that the engine rotation speed is reduced in the open state, but the present invention can also be applied to the parallel mode.
Application to the parallel mode is possible by providing a transmission capable of switching the gear ratio between the engine 2 and the driving wheels (front wheels 3). The hybrid control unit 20 changes the gear ratio of the transmission in accordance with the decrease in the engine rotation speed when the engine rotation speed is lowered in the open state of the roof, so that the overall transmission between the engine 2 and the driving wheels is controlled. so that the gear ratio of the

As a result, noise can be reduced by lowering the engine rotation speed in the open state, and the influence on running of the vehicle 1 due to the lowering of the engine rotation speed can be avoided.
Further, in the above embodiments, the present invention is applied to an open car that switches the roof between the closed state and the open state, but the present invention can be applied to other than the open car. For example, it may be determined whether or not at least a portion of the window of the vehicle is open, and if the window is partially open, the engine speed may be reduced. Alternatively, even in an open car whose roof is switched between a closed state and an open state, it is preferable to further control the engine speed based on the opening and closing of the window.

The vehicle of the above embodiment is a four-wheel drive vehicle in which the front wheels 3 and rear wheels 5 are driven by the front motor 4 and the rear motor 6, but it is a two-wheel drive vehicle in which either the front wheels or the rear wheels are driven by an electric motor. Even if there is, the present invention can be applied.
INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The present invention can be widely applied to vehicles capable of an engine-operated travel mode in which the engine is operated to drive the vehicle.

1 vehicle 2 engine 4 front motor (electric motor)
6 rear motor (electric motor)
9 Motor generator (generator, electric motor for engine drive)
11 drive battery (storage battery)
11a battery monitoring unit (charging rate detector)
20 hybrid control unit (control unit)
20a motoring control unit 20b failure determination unit 50 exhaust sensor (exhaust gas detection unit)
51 Roof state detection switch (open/closed state detector)

Claims (5)

An engine, a storage battery, a generator driven by the engine to generate electricity, and an electric motor supplied with power from the storage battery or the generator to drive driving wheels are installed, and the engine is operated. A control device for a vehicle capable of an engine operating travel mode in which the power generator is driven to generate power or the engine is operated to drive the travel drive wheels,
an open/closed state detection unit that detects an open/closed state of the compartment of the vehicle;
a control unit that reduces the rotation speed of the engine when the vehicle interior is in the open state in the engine operation driving mode compared to when the vehicle interior is in the closed state;
A control device for a vehicle, comprising: 2. The vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the engine operation driving mode is a power generation mode in which the engine drives the generator to generate power while the electric motor drives the driving wheels to drive the vehicle. controller. The control unit
3. The engine operation driving mode according to claim 1, wherein when the vehicle interior is in an open state, the rotational speed of the engine is reduced as the driving speed of the vehicle decreases. Vehicle controller. A charging rate detection unit that detects the charging rate of the storage battery,
When the charging rate of the storage battery is less than a predetermined value, the control unit increases the drive torque of the engine more than when the charging rate of the storage battery is equal to or higher than the predetermined value, thereby increasing the power generation amount of the generator. 4. The vehicle control device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the vehicle is raised. a detection unit that detects an exhaust component of the engine;
a motoring control unit for executing motoring for forcibly driving the engine by operating an engine-driving electric motor with electric power from the storage battery;
a failure determination unit that switches between supply and stop of supply of fuel to the engine during execution of the motoring, and determines a failure of the detection unit;
5. The vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the control unit regulates the motoring for executing the failure determination when the vehicle interior is in an open state. Control device.

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