JP7408916B2 - Hybrid vehicle control device - Google Patents

Description

The present invention relates to a control device for a hybrid vehicle.

Patent Document 1 describes that in a hybrid vehicle equipped with an engine and a motor, the engine is operated when the vehicle is stopped and the motor generates electricity.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2003-235110

However, when transitioning from power generation with the vehicle stopped to electric drive, the motor is rotating together with the engine. Therefore, after the motor stops rotating, it is necessary to connect the motor to the drive wheels using a clutch, and it takes time to start the vehicle.

Therefore, it is conceivable to provide a friction clutch between the motor and the drive wheels, but in that case, the cost will increase and the mechanism will be more complicated than a mechanical clutch.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a control device for a hybrid vehicle that can shorten the time required to start the vehicle when the vehicle starts generating electricity with the driving force of the motor while the vehicle is stopped.

In order to solve the above problems, the present invention provides an engine, a motor, a drive wheel, a drive path that connects the engine and the drive wheel, and a first clutch that connects and disconnects power transmission between the engine and the motor. a second clutch that connects and disconnects power transmission between the motor and the drive wheels; and a battery that supplies power to the motor, and the motor connects and disconnects power transmission between the first clutch and the second clutch. A control device for a hybrid vehicle connected between the hybrid vehicle and the vehicle, wherein when the hybrid vehicle is stopped, the first clutch is connected, the second clutch is disconnected, and the motor is driven by the power of the engine. The first clutch is disengaged, the second clutch is engaged, and the first clutch is disengaged when the driver's intention to start is detected. The second clutch includes a control unit that starts the hybrid vehicle, and a vehicle front information acquisition unit that acquires environmental information in front of the hybrid vehicle. During power generation while stopped, if it is determined that the power generation stop condition is satisfied based on the front environmental information, the first clutch is disengaged, the rotation of the motor is decelerated , and the amount of charge of the battery is reduced. When the amount of charge of the battery is less than a predetermined value, the power generation stop condition is made stricter to continue power generation than when the amount of charge of the battery is greater than or equal to a predetermined value .

As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to shorten the time required to start the vehicle when the vehicle starts generating electricity while the vehicle is stopped and starts using the driving force of the motor.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of main parts of a control device for a hybrid vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the procedure of power generation control processing when the hybrid vehicle is stopped according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3 is a time chart showing the progress from the start of power generation at a stop to the start of the hybrid vehicle when the amount of charge of the battery is small due to the power generation control process at a stop of the hybrid vehicle control device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a time chart showing the progress from the start of power generation at a stop to the start of the hybrid vehicle when the amount of charge of the battery is large due to the power generation control processing at a stop of the hybrid vehicle control device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure of power generation control processing when the vehicle is stopped by a control device for a hybrid vehicle according to another aspect of the embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a time chart showing the progress from the start of power generation at a stop to the start of the hybrid vehicle when the amount of charge of the battery is small due to the power generation control processing at a stop of a hybrid vehicle control device according to another aspect of an embodiment of the present invention. It is a chart.

A control device for a hybrid vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention includes an engine, a motor, a drive wheel, a drive path that connects the engine and the drive wheels, and a control device that connects and disconnects power transmission between the engine and the motor. A hybrid vehicle control device comprising a first clutch, a second clutch that connects and disconnects power transmission between a motor and drive wheels, and a battery that supplies power to the motor, when the hybrid vehicle is stopped. The first clutch is connected, the second clutch is disconnected, and the motor is driven by the power of the engine to generate electricity while the vehicle is stationary and charge the battery. A second clutch includes: a control unit that starts the hybrid vehicle using power from a motor with one clutch in a disengaged state and a second clutch in a connected state; and a vehicle forward information acquisition unit that acquires environmental information in front of the hybrid vehicle; The clutch is composed of a dog clutch, and when the control unit determines that a power generation stop condition is satisfied based on the front environmental information during power generation while stopped, the first clutch is disengaged and the motor is turned off. It is configured to slow down the rotation.

As a result, the control device for a hybrid vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention can shorten the time required to start the vehicle from power generation in a stopped state to start using the driving force of the motor.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A control device for a hybrid vehicle according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

In FIG. 1, a hybrid vehicle 1 equipped with a hybrid vehicle control device according to an embodiment of the present invention includes an engine 2, a transmission 3, a motor 4, a battery 5, and a control section 6. configured.

The engine 2 is formed with a plurality of cylinders. In this embodiment, the engine 2 is configured to perform a series of four strokes consisting of an intake stroke, a compression stroke, an expansion stroke, and an exhaust stroke for each cylinder. The ignition timing and fuel injection amount of the engine 2 are controlled by the control section 6.

The transmission 3 changes the speed of the rotation output from the engine 2 and drives the drive wheels 10 via the drive shaft 11. The transmission 3 includes a constant-mesh type transmission mechanism (not shown) made of a parallel shaft gear mechanism, and an actuator (not shown).

A dry single-plate main clutch 31 is provided between the engine 2 and the transmission 3, and the main clutch 31 is in an engaged state connecting power transmission between the engine 2 and the transmission 3, or 2 and the transmission 3 is cut off.

The transmission 3 is configured as a so-called AMT (Automated Manual Transmission), and an actuator (not shown) switches gears in the transmission mechanism and connects/disconnects the main clutch 31.

A motor 4 is provided on a drive path between the engine 2 and the drive wheels 10. A first clutch 41 that connects and disconnects power transmission between the engine 2 and motor 4 is provided in the power transmission path between the engine 2 and the motor 4 .

A second clutch 42 that connects and disconnects power transmission between the motor 4 and the drive wheels 10 is provided in the power transmission path between the motor 4 and the drive wheels 10 . The second clutch 42 is configured as a dog clutch. A dog clutch is a type of clutch that transmits power using claws that engage with each other, and is called a dog clutch or the like.

The hybrid vehicle 1 is configured such that, with the first clutch 41 in a connected state and the second clutch 42 in a disengaged state, the motor 4 is driven by the power of the engine 2 to generate electricity, and the battery 5 can be charged. It has become.

The hybrid vehicle 1 can be driven by the power of the motor 4 with the first clutch 41 in a disconnected state and the second clutch 42 in a connected state.

The hybrid vehicle 1 travels using power output from at least one of the engine 2 and the motor 4.

The battery 5 is made of, for example, a nickel storage battery, a lithium storage battery, or the like, and is configured by connecting a plurality of cells in series. Battery 5 supplies electric power to motor 4 .

The battery 5 is provided with a battery condition sensor 51. The battery condition sensor 51 detects the charging/discharging current, voltage, and battery temperature of the battery 5 . Battery condition sensor 51 is connected to control section 6 . The control unit 6 is capable of detecting the amount of charge of the battery 5 based on the output of the battery state sensor 51.

The control unit 6 includes a CPU (Central Processing Unit), a RAM (Random Access Memory), a ROM (Read Only Memory), a flash memory for storing backup data, an input port, and an output port. It consists of a computer unit.

The ROM of this computer unit stores various constants, various maps, etc., as well as a program for causing the computer unit to function as the control section 6.

That is, this computer unit functions as the control section 6 in this embodiment by causing the CPU to execute a program stored in the ROM using the RAM as a work area.

In addition to the battery status sensor 51 described above, various sensors such as a vehicle forward information acquisition unit 61, an accelerator opening sensor (not shown), and a brake switch (not shown) are connected to the input port of the control unit 6.

The accelerator opening sensor detects the accelerator opening, which is the opening of an accelerator pedal (not shown) operated by the driver. The brake switch detects the driver's brake operation.

The vehicle front information acquisition unit 61 is configured with, for example, a camera, and captures an image of the front of the hybrid vehicle 1 . The vehicle front information acquisition section 61 outputs the captured image to the control section 6.

When the control unit 6 detects the driver's intention to start, the hybrid vehicle 1 is started using the power of the motor 4 with the first clutch 41 in the disconnected state and the second clutch 42 in the connected state. The time when the intention to start is detected is, for example, when it is detected that the accelerator opening has become larger than zero, or when it is detected that the brake operation is no longer performed.

In this embodiment, when the control unit 6 determines that power generation is necessary while the hybrid vehicle 1 is stopped based on the amount of charge of the battery 5, the controller 6 controls the amount of power generated until the amount of charge of the battery 5 reaches a predetermined level. , the battery 5 is charged by power generation when the vehicle is stopped.

The control unit 6 drives the motor 4 with the power of the engine 2 to generate electricity and charge the battery 5 with the first clutch 41 in the connected state and the second clutch 42 in the disconnected state.

The control unit 6 predicts the start of the hybrid vehicle 1 during power generation while stopped, and when the hybrid vehicle 1 is predicted to start, the control unit 6 disengages the first clutch 41, decelerates the rotation of the motor 4, and reduces the power of the motor 4. Preparations for starting the hybrid vehicle 1 are started.

For example, the control unit 6 predicts that the hybrid vehicle 1 will start when a predetermined condition is satisfied. Examples of the predetermined conditions include, based on the image captured by the vehicle front information acquisition unit 61, that a traffic light has changed from red to green, that the brake lamp of the vehicle in front has turned off, and the like.

After the rotation of the motor 4 has stopped, the control unit 6 starts the hybrid vehicle 1 using the power of the motor 4 while keeping the second clutch 42 in the connected state.

The control unit 6 changes the conditions for predicting that the hybrid vehicle 1 will start, depending on the amount of charge of the battery 5 during power generation when the vehicle is stopped.

For example, if the amount of charge of the battery 5 is less than a predetermined value, the control unit 6 predicts that the hybrid vehicle 1 will start and makes the conditions for stopping power generation when stopped (hereinafter referred to as "power generation stop conditions") stricter. Making the power generation stop conditions stricter means, for example, that the power generation stop condition is satisfied if any one of multiple conditions is met, but it is now considered that the power generation stop condition is satisfied if all of the multiple conditions are not met. It is to be.

For example, the control unit 6 may make the power generation stop condition stricter as the difference between the amount of charge of the battery 5 and a predetermined value is larger. For example, the greater the difference between the amount of charge of the battery 5 and the predetermined value, the greater the number of conditions that must be met.

The power generation control process when the vehicle is stopped by the hybrid vehicle control device according to the present embodiment configured as described above will be explained with reference to FIG. 2. It should be noted that the power generation control process when the vehicle is stopped, which will be described below, is started when the control unit 6 starts operating, and is executed at preset time intervals.

In step S1, control unit 6 determines whether hybrid vehicle 1 is stopped. If it is determined that the hybrid vehicle 1 is not stopped, the control unit 6 repeats the process of step S1.

When it is determined that the hybrid vehicle 1 is stopped, in step S2, the control unit 6 determines whether or not power generation while stopped is necessary based on the amount of charge of the battery 5. If it is determined that power generation while the vehicle is stopped is not necessary, the control unit 6 ends the process.

If it is determined that power generation while the vehicle is stopped is necessary, in step S3, the control unit 6 engages the first clutch 41 to bring it into a connected state.
In step S4, the control unit 6 releases the second clutch 42 to put it in a disconnected state.

In step S5, the control unit 6 starts power generation when the vehicle is stopped, which uses the power of the engine 2 to drive the motor 4 to generate power and charge the battery 5.

In step S6, the control unit 6 determines whether the amount of charge of the battery 5 is at the first level. The first level is, for example, a state in which the amount of charge of the battery 5 is less than the above-mentioned predetermined value.

If it is determined that the amount of charge of the battery 5 is at the first level, in step S7, the control unit 6 determines whether the first power generation stop condition is satisfied. The first power generation stop condition is, for example, a condition that is satisfied when all of a plurality of conditions are satisfied.

If it is determined that the first power generation stop condition is not satisfied, the control unit 6 returns the process to step S6 and repeats the process.

If it is determined in step S6 that the amount of charge of the battery 5 is not at the first level, then in step S8 the control unit 6 determines whether the amount of charge of the battery 5 is at the second level. The second level is a state where the amount of charge of the battery 5 is greater than the first level, for example, a state where the amount of charge of the battery 5 is greater than or equal to the predetermined value described above and less than the predetermined level described above.

If it is determined that the amount of charge of the battery 5 is at the second level, in step S9, the control unit 6 determines whether a second power generation stop condition is satisfied. The second power generation stop condition is, for example, a condition that is satisfied when any one of a plurality of conditions is satisfied. That is, the first power generation stop condition is stricter than the second power generation stop condition.

If it is determined that the second power generation stop condition is not satisfied, the control unit 6 returns the process to step S6 and repeats the process.

If it is determined in step S7 that the first power generation stop condition is satisfied, or if it is determined in step S8 that the amount of charge of the battery 5 is not at the second level, or if the second power generation stop condition is satisfied in step S9. If it is determined that the power generation has been performed, the control unit 6 stops power generation in step S10.

In step S11, the control unit 6 releases the first clutch 41 to put it in a disconnected state.
In step S12, the control unit 6 engages the second clutch 42 to bring it into the connected state, and ends the process.

The operation of such stoppage power generation control processing will be explained with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4. FIG. 3 shows a case where the amount of charge of the battery 5 is small.

At time T1, since the vehicle is stopped and the amount of charge in the battery 5 is less than a predetermined level, charging control is turned on, the first clutch 41 is connected, and the second clutch 42 is disconnected. The motor 4 is driven by the power of the engine 2, and power generation when the vehicle is stopped is started.

At time T2, one of the power generation stop conditions based on the forward information is satisfied, but since the amount of charge in the battery 5 is less than a predetermined value, the start prediction is not turned on and charging continues.

At time T3, when two of the power generation stop conditions based on the forward information are met, the charge amount of the battery 5 exceeds a predetermined value, so the start prediction is turned on, the charging control is turned off, and the first clutch 41 is in the disengaged state. As a result, the rotation of the motor 4 is decelerated.

When the intention to start is detected at time T4, the second clutch 42 is brought into the connected state at time T5 when the motor 4 stops rotating, and the hybrid vehicle 1 is started by the power of the motor 4.

In this way, when the amount of charge in the battery 5 is low, the power generation stop conditions are made stricter, the power generation stop is delayed, and the time for charging the battery 5 is increased, so that the intention to start can be detected while securing the charging time. This can shorten the time it takes to start the vehicle.

FIG. 4 shows a case where the battery 5 has a large amount of charge.
At time T6, since the vehicle is stopped and the amount of charge in the battery 5 is less than a predetermined level, charging control is turned on, the first clutch 41 is connected, and the second clutch 42 is disconnected. The motor 4 is driven by the power of the engine 2, and power generation when the vehicle is stopped is started.

At time T7, when one of the power generation stop conditions based on forward information is satisfied with the amount of charge of the battery 5 exceeding a predetermined value, the start prediction is turned on (it is predicted that the hybrid vehicle 1 will start) and the charging control is turned off. , the first clutch 41 is brought into the disconnected state, and the rotation of the motor 4 is decelerated.

When the intention to start is detected at time T8, the second clutch 42 is connected at time T9 when the motor 4 stops rotating, and the hybrid vehicle 1 is started by the power of the motor 4.

In this way, when it is predicted that the hybrid vehicle 1 will start, the rotation of the motor 4 is decelerated, so rather than decelerating the rotation of the motor 4 after detecting the intention to start, it is better to detect the intention to start and then decelerate the rotation of the motor 4. The time it takes to start can be shortened.

As described above, in this embodiment, when it is predicted that the hybrid vehicle 1 will start, the first clutch 41 is brought into the disconnected state and the rotation of the motor 4 is decelerated.

As a result, the hybrid vehicle 1 is predicted to start before the driver's intention to start is detected, and the rotation of the motor 4 starts to decelerate, so the rotation of the motor 4 is reduced to zero after the intention to start is detected. It is possible to shorten the time it takes for the vehicle to drop, and it is possible to suppress the sluggishness that the driver feels when starting the vehicle.

Further, the second clutch 42 can be configured as a dog clutch, and the clutch that connects the motor 4 to the drive wheel 10 can be configured to be simple and inexpensive.

Furthermore, if the amount of charge of the battery 5 is less than a predetermined value, the start/stop conditions are made stricter.
As a result, it is possible to secure charging time when the amount of charge of the battery 5 is less than a predetermined value, while shortening the time from when the intention to start is detected until the rotation of the motor 4 is reduced to zero rotation, and the driver It is possible to suppress the sluggishness felt when starting.

Furthermore, the larger the difference between the charge amount of the battery 5 and the predetermined value, the stricter the power generation stop condition.
This makes it possible to secure charging time according to the amount of charge of the battery 5, while shortening the time from detecting the intention to start to reducing the rotation of the motor 4 to zero, which the driver feels when starting. It is possible to suppress sluggishness.

As another aspect of the present embodiment, the control unit 6 determines the delay time until stopping the power generation when the hybrid vehicle 1 is stopped according to the amount of charge of the battery 5 when it is predicted that the hybrid vehicle 1 will start, and determines the time to stop the power generation. When the time comes to stop power generation, power generation is stopped when the vehicle is stationary.

The delay time is set longer as the amount of charge of the battery 5 is smaller. The control unit 6 determines the delay time, for example, according to the difference between the amount of charge of the battery 5 when it is predicted that the hybrid vehicle 1 will start and the above-mentioned predetermined value.

The power generation control process when the vehicle is stopped by the hybrid vehicle control device according to another aspect of the present embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. 5 . It should be noted that the power generation control process when the vehicle is stopped, which will be described below, is started when the control unit 6 starts operating, and is executed at preset time intervals.

Similarly to the above-described embodiment, in steps S1 to S5, when the hybrid vehicle 1 is stopped and generation of electricity during stoppage is required, the control unit 6 engages the first clutch 41 to bring it into the connected state, and 2 clutch 42 is released to be in a disconnected state, and power generation when the vehicle is stopped is started.

In step S21, the control unit 6 determines whether it is predicted that the hybrid vehicle 1 will start. If it is not predicted that the hybrid vehicle 1 will start, the control unit 6 repeats the process of step S21.

When it is predicted that the hybrid vehicle 1 will start, in step S22, the control unit 6 determines the time to stop the power generation when the vehicle is stopped, depending on the amount of charge of the battery 5.

In step S23, the control unit 6 determines whether it is time to stop power generation. If it is determined that it is not time to stop power generation, the control unit 6 repeats the process of step S23.

If it is determined that it is time to stop power generation, similarly to the above embodiment, in steps S10 to S12, the control unit 6 stops power generation, releases the first clutch 41 to be in a disconnected state, and opens the second clutch 41. 42 to establish a connected state, and the process ends.

The operation of such stoppage power generation control processing will be described with reference to FIG. 6. FIG. 6 shows a case where the amount of charge of the battery 5 is small.

At time T10, since the vehicle is stopped and the amount of charge in the battery 5 is less than a predetermined level, charging control is turned on, the first clutch 41 is connected, and the second clutch 42 is disconnected. The motor 4 is driven by the power of the engine 2, and power generation when the vehicle is stopped is started.

At time T11, when one of the power generation stop conditions based on the forward information is satisfied, the start prediction is turned on (it is predicted that the hybrid vehicle 1 will start), and the delay time A until stopping power generation when stopped is determined according to the amount of charge of the battery 5. It is determined.

At time T12 when the delay time A has elapsed, the charging control is turned off, the first clutch 41 is placed in a disconnected state, and the rotation of the motor 4 is decelerated.

When the intention to start is detected at time T13, the second clutch 42 is brought into the connected state at time T14 when the motor 4 stops rotating, and the hybrid vehicle 1 is started by the power of the motor 4.

In this way, the time to stop power generation is delayed according to the amount of charge in the battery 5, and the time for charging the battery 5 is increased, so while securing the charging time, the time from when the intention to start is detected until the start can be increased. Can be shortened.

In this embodiment, an example has been described in which the control unit 6 performs various determinations and calculations based on various sensor information, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the hybrid vehicle 1 is equipped with a communication unit capable of communicating with an external device such as an external server. Based on the detection information of various sensors transmitted from the communication section, various judgments and calculations are performed by the device outside the vehicle, and the communication section receives the judgment and calculation results. Various controls may be performed using the

Although embodiments of the invention have been disclosed, it will be apparent that modifications may be made by one skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the invention. All such modifications and equivalents are intended to be included in the following claims.

1 Hybrid Vehicle 2 Engine 4 Motor 5 Battery 6 Control Unit 10 Drive Wheel 41 First Clutch 42 Second Clutch 51 Battery Status Sensor 61 Vehicle Front Information Acquisition Unit

Claims (3)

An engine, a motor, a drive wheel, a drive path that connects the engine and the drive wheel, a first clutch that connects and disconnects power transmission between the engine and the motor, and a first clutch that connects the motor and the drive wheel. a second clutch that connects and disconnects power transmission between the two; and a battery that supplies power to the motor, the motor being connected between the first clutch and the second clutch. And,
When the hybrid vehicle is stopped, the first clutch is connected, the second clutch is disconnected, and power from the engine is used to drive the motor to generate electricity and charge the battery. a control unit that starts the hybrid vehicle using the power of the motor by causing the first clutch to be in a disconnected state and the second clutch to be in a connected state when a driver's intention to start is detected;
a vehicle front information acquisition unit that acquires environmental information in front of the hybrid vehicle,
The second clutch is composed of a dog clutch,
The control unit disengages the first clutch and decelerates the rotation of the motor if it is determined that a power generation stop condition is satisfied based on the front environmental information during the stationary power generation .
A control device for a hybrid vehicle that makes the power generation stop condition stricter so that power generation continues when the amount of charge of the battery is less than a predetermined value, compared to when the amount of charge of the battery is greater than or equal to a predetermined value . 1 . The control unit increases the number of the power generation stop conditions that must be satisfied as the amount of charge of the battery is smaller than a predetermined value and the difference between the amount of charge of the battery and the predetermined value is larger. A control device for a hybrid vehicle described in . An engine, a motor, a drive wheel, a drive path that connects the engine and the drive wheel, a first clutch that connects and disconnects power transmission between the engine and the motor, and a first clutch that connects the motor and the drive wheel. A control device for a hybrid vehicle comprising: a second clutch that connects and disconnects power transmission between the two; and a battery that supplies power to the motor;
When the hybrid vehicle is stopped, the first clutch is connected, the second clutch is disconnected, and power from the engine is used to drive the motor to generate electricity and charge the battery. a control unit that starts the hybrid vehicle using the power of the motor by causing the first clutch to be in a disconnected state and the second clutch to be in a connected state when a driver's intention to start is detected;
a vehicle front information acquisition unit that acquires environmental information in front of the hybrid vehicle,
The second clutch is composed of a dog clutch,
The control unit determines that a power generation stop condition is satisfied based on the front environmental information during the stationary power generation, and the smaller the amount of charge of the battery when it is determined that the power generation stop condition is satisfied. A control device for a hybrid vehicle that sets a long delay time, sets the first clutch to a disengaged state, and decelerates the rotation of the motor when the delay time has elapsed since it was determined that the power generation stop condition was satisfied.

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