JP7437364B2 - display control device - Google Patents

Description

This embodiment relates to a display control device.

There is a technique for displaying energy flow in a vehicle that includes a motor mounted on the vehicle and a battery that exchanges power with the motor (see Patent Document 1).

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2010-11524

When displaying energy flow, it is desirable to output appropriate information so as not to mislead the driver of the vehicle. Therefore, appropriate energy flow information is displayed.

According to one embodiment, the display control device includes a state detection unit that detects the state of the drive source, a power generation amount detection unit that detects the power generation amount of the power generation motor, and a display control device that detects the state of the drive source based on the state of the drive source and the power generation amount. a control unit that controls display/non-display of energy flow from the drive source to the drive battery, and the control unit is configured such that a value indicating the state of the drive source is equal to or greater than a predetermined first threshold value. If the first condition is not satisfied, or if the second condition is not satisfied, which is that the amount of power generation is equal to or higher than a predetermined second threshold value, the energy flow from the drive source to the drive battery is hidden. , a different threshold value for the power generation amount is set based on whether or not an energy flow is displayed.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an electric vehicle according to this embodiment. FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the display control process of the energy monitor. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the lighting state of the energy flow based on the state of the engine and the amount of power generated by the generator motor. FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of an energy monitor.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

<Electric vehicle>
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an electric vehicle 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

The electric vehicle 1 is equipped with a series type hybrid system 2. The hybrid system 2 includes an engine (ENG) 11, a generator motor (MG1) 12, a drive motor (MG2) 13, a drive battery 14, and a PCU (Power Control Unit) 15.

Engine 11 is, for example, a gasoline engine or a diesel engine. An engine output gear 22 is provided on the crankshaft 21 of the engine 11 so as to rotate together with the crankshaft 21.

The generator motor 12 is, for example, a permanent magnet synchronous motor. A generator motor gear 24 is provided on the rotating shaft 23 of the generator motor 12 so as to rotate together with the generator motor gear 24 . The generator motor gear 24 meshes with the engine output gear 22. The generator motor 12 is used as a starter motor for cranking the engine 11 when the engine 11 is stopped. After the engine 11 is started, the generator motor 12 functions as a generator that converts the power of the engine 11 into electric power.

The drive motor 13 is, for example, a permanent magnet synchronous motor larger than the generator motor 12. A motor output gear 26 is provided on the rotating shaft 25 of the drive motor 13 so as to rotate together with the rotating shaft 25 .

Motor output gear 26 is coupled to power transmission mechanism 3 mounted on electric vehicle 1. The power transmission mechanism 3 includes a counter shaft 31, a counter gear 32, an output gear 33, and a differential gear 34. The counter shaft 31 is provided parallel to the rotation shaft 25 of the drive motor 13. The counter gear 32 and the output gear 33 are provided on the counter shaft 31 so as to rotate together. The output gear 33 meshes with a ring gear 35 of a differential gear 34. Motor output gear 26 meshes with counter gear 32.

The power of drive motor 13 is transmitted to differential gear 34 via motor output gear 26, counter gear 32, and output gear 33. The power transmitted to the differential gear 34 is then transmitted to the left and right drive wheels 5 of the electric vehicle 1 via the left and right drive shafts 4 . As a result, the left and right drive wheels 5 rotate, and the electric vehicle 1 travels forward or backward.

The driving battery 14 is a battery pack that is a combination of a plurality of secondary batteries (for example, lithium ion batteries). The driving battery 14 outputs, for example, DC power of about 200 to 350 V (volts).

The PCU 15 is a unit for controlling the driving of the generator motor 12 and the drive motor 13, and includes a first inverter (MG1INV) 41, a second inverter (MG2INV) 42, and a boost converter (BstCONV) 43.

When the electric vehicle 1 is accelerating, the drive motor 13 is operated in power running, and the drive motor 13 generates power for power running. At this time, the DC power output from the drive battery 14 is boosted as necessary by the boost converter 43, the DC power output from the boost converter 43 is converted into AC power by the second inverter 42, and the AC power is is supplied to the drive motor 13. As a result, the power of the drive battery 14 is consumed.

Further, when the engine 11 is started, the DC power output from the drive battery 14 is boosted by the boost converter 43, the boosted DC power is converted to AC power by the first inverter 41, and the AC power is transferred to the generator motor 12. supplied to As a result, the generator motor 12 is motored, and the engine 11 is motored by the generator motor 12. This motoring causes the crankshaft of the engine 11 to rotate, and when its rotational speed increases to the rotational speed necessary for starting, the ignition plug of the engine 11 is sparked and the engine 11 is started.

When the generator motor 12 is operated to generate electricity while the engine 11 is operating, the generator motor 12 generates alternating current power. The AC power generated by the generator motor 12 is converted into DC power by the first inverter 41 . Then, the DC power output from the first inverter 41 is converted into AC power by the second inverter 42, and the AC power is supplied to the drive motor 13. Furthermore, when it is not necessary to supply power to the drive motor 13, the DC power output from the first inverter 41 is stepped down by the step-up converter 43, and the stepped down DC power is supplied to the drive battery 14. , the driving battery 14 is charged.

When the electric vehicle 1 is decelerating, the drive motor 13 is operated regeneratively, and the power transmitted from the drive wheels 5 to the drive motor 13 is converted into AC power. At this time, the drive motor 13 acts as a resistance in the travel drive system, and the resistance acts as a braking force (regenerative braking force) that brakes the electric vehicle 1. The AC power generated by the drive motor 13 is converted into DC power by the second inverter 42 . Then, the DC power output from the second inverter 42 is stepped down by the step-up converter 43, and the stepped-down DC power is supplied to the drive battery 14, thereby charging the drive battery 14.

Further, the electric vehicle 1 is equipped with an ECU (Electronic Control Unit) 6 that includes a microcomputer (microcontroller unit) 51 . The microcomputer 51 includes, for example, a CPU, a nonvolatile memory such as a flash memory, and a volatile memory such as a DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory). Although only one ECU 6 is shown in FIG. 1, the electric vehicle 1 is equipped with a plurality of ECUs having the same configuration as the ECU 6 in order to control each part. A plurality of ECUs including the ECU 6 are connected to enable bidirectional communication using a CAN (Controller Area Network) communication protocol.

The ECU 6 specifies the operation amount of the accelerator pedal by the driver based on the detection result of an accelerator sensor (not shown) or the like. The ECU 6 sets a required engine torque based on the operation amount of the accelerator pedal, and outputs a control signal for the required engine torque to the PCU 15 .

Additionally, the ECU 6 acquires the amount of power generated by the power generation motor 12 . For example, the ECU 6 obtains the amount of power generated by the power generation motor 12 based on the detection result of a sensor that detects the amount of power generated by the power generation motor 12 .

The ECU 6 causes an energy monitor to be displayed on a display device 52, which will be described later, based on the required engine torque and the amount of power generated by the generator motor 12. Energy monitor is information indicating the movement of energy. The energy monitor includes, for example, an energy flow indicating the movement of energy from the engine to the drive battery. The ECU 6 controls display/non-display of the energy flow based on the required engine torque and the amount of power generated by the power generation motor 12.

A display device 52 is disposed inside the vehicle interior of the electric vehicle 1. The display device 52 may be, for example, a touch panel. The display device 52 may have a configuration in which a pressure-sensitive or capacitive transparent film switch is attached to a liquid crystal display, and displays various information such as vehicle setting information of the electric vehicle 1, navigation information, music information, etc. It may also be provided as a multi-information display that displays.

Next, the display control process of the energy monitor by the ECU 6 will be explained using the flowchart shown in FIG.

The ECU 6 sets a required engine torque based on the amount of operation of the accelerator pedal (step S1). Subsequently, the ECU 6 acquires the amount of power generated by the power generation motor 12 (step S2). If the engine request torque is not equal to or higher than the predetermined value (threshold value) (step S3: No), the ECU 6 displays the energy monitor on the display device while turning off the energy flow indicating the movement of energy from the engine to the drive battery. 52 (step S4).

In step S3, the ECU 6 determines whether the engine torque is equal to or greater than a predetermined value (step S3: Yes), and when the amount of power generated by the generator motor 12 is not equal to or greater than the threshold value A (step S5: No), the ECU 6 determines whether the engine The energy monitor is displayed with the energy flow indicating the movement of energy to the battery turned off (step S4). Note that a different threshold value A may be set based on whether or not an energy flow is displayed. For example, when the energy flow is in the light-off state, the threshold value A may be set to 2 kW, and when the energy flow is in the light-on state, the threshold value A may be set to 1 kW. That is, the threshold value A may be provided with hysteresis. Further, hysteresis may be provided for threshold value B and threshold value C, which will be described later. Thereby, the ECU 6 can prevent frequent switching between display and non-display of the energy flow.

In step S5, if the power generation amount of the generator motor 12 is equal to or greater than the threshold value A (step S5: Yes), the process proceeds to step S6. In step S6, if the power generation amount of the generator motor 12 is not equal to or greater than the threshold value B (step S6: No), the ECU 6 sets the magnitude of the energy flow indicating the movement of energy from the engine to the drive battery to the smallest state among the three levels. Then, it is displayed on the energy monitor (step S7).

In step S6, if the power generation amount of the generator motor 12 is equal to or greater than the threshold value B (step S6: Yes), the process advances to step S8. In step S8, if the power generation amount of the power generation motor 12 is not equal to or higher than the threshold value C (step S8: No), the ECU 6 sets the magnitude of the energy flow indicating the movement of energy from the engine to the drive battery to the middle value among the three levels. Now, it is displayed on the energy monitor (step S9). Further, in step S8, if the power generation amount of the power generation motor 12 is equal to or higher than the threshold value C (step S8: Yes), the ECU 6 selects one of three levels of the magnitude of the energy flow indicating the movement of energy from the engine to the drive battery. Display it on the energy monitor at the largest size (step S10).

Next, FIG. 3 shows the lighting state of the energy flow based on the state of the engine and the amount of power generated by the power generation motor 12. The state in which the engine is in a fuel cut state shown in FIG. 3 indicates that the required engine torque is less than a predetermined value. Further, the state in which the engine is injecting fuel indicates that the required engine torque is equal to or greater than a predetermined value. Furthermore, the fact that the power generation motor 12 is in the power generation state indicates that the amount of power generated by the power generation motor 12 is equal to or greater than the threshold value A. As shown in FIG. 3, when the engine is in fuel injection mode and the MG1 is in a power generation state, the ECU 6 displays the energy flow.

Next, an example of an energy monitor is shown in FIG. As shown in FIG. 4, the energy monitor includes an engine icon 71, a driving battery icon 72, and a tire icon 73. The ECU 6 displays the energy flow 74 when the engine required torque is equal to or greater than a predetermined value and the amount of power generated by the generator motor 12 is equal to or greater than a threshold value A.

As explained above, when the torque of the engine 11 does not satisfy the condition that the torque of the engine 11 is equal to or greater than the predetermined value, the ECU 6 determines that the torque of the engine 11 satisfies the condition that the torque of the engine 11 is equal to or greater than the predetermined value, and that the torque of the engine 11 is transmitted from the engine 11 to the driving battery. When the energy flow is hidden and the amount of power generated by the power generation motor 12 satisfies the conditions based on the threshold value, the energy flow 74 from the engine 11 to the drive battery 14 is displayed. In this way, the ECU 6 causes the energy monitor to be displayed on the display device 52 (described later) based on the engine required torque and the amount of power generated by the generator motor 12, so that the energy flow can be displayed in consideration of the state of the engine 11. can.

For example, in the electric vehicle 1, after the engine 11 stops fueling, the generator motor 12 generates electricity in order to quickly pass through the resonance region of the engine 11 while the engine speed decreases. In this case, the generator motor 12 will generate electricity even though the engine 11 is stopped, but since the energy flow display is controlled based on the state of the engine 11, even if the engine 11 is stopped. It is possible to avoid displaying the energy flow regardless of the situation. Thereby, the electric vehicle 1 can output appropriate information so as not to mislead the driver of the vehicle.

In addition, when the amount of power generation satisfies a condition based on a threshold value A, the ECU 6 controls the energy flow from the engine 11 to the drive battery 14 depending on whether the amount of power generation satisfies a condition based on a threshold value B different from the threshold value A. Change the display mode. Thereby, the ECU 6 can indicate the amount of power generation.

In the above-described embodiment, a case has been described in which the ECU 6 controls the display/non-display of the energy flow based on the required engine torque. Energy display/non-display may be controlled based on the energy consumption.

Although several embodiments of the invention have been described, these embodiments are presented by way of example and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. These novel embodiments can be implemented in various other forms, and various omissions, substitutions, and changes can be made without departing from the gist of the invention. These embodiments and their modifications are included within the scope and gist of the invention, as well as within the scope of the invention described in the claims and its equivalents.

1 electric vehicle, 2 hybrid system, 6 ECU, 12 power generation motor, 13 drive motor, 14 drive battery, 15 PCU.

Claims (4)

a state detection unit that detects the state of the drive source;
a power generation amount detection unit that detects the amount of power generated by the generator motor;
a control unit that controls display/non-display of energy flow from the drive source to the drive battery based on the state of the drive source and the amount of power generation,
The control unit controls the control unit when the value indicating the state of the drive source does not satisfy a first condition that is equal to or greater than a first predetermined threshold, or when the amount of power generation is equal to or greater than a second predetermined threshold. A display control device that hides the energy flow from the drive source to the drive battery when a certain second condition is not satisfied, and sets a different threshold for the power generation amount based on whether the energy flow is displayed. . The display control device according to claim 1, wherein torque of the drive source is detected as the state of the drive source. The display control according to claim 2, wherein the control unit changes a display mode of the energy flow from the drive source to the drive battery based on the power generation amount when the first condition and the second condition are satisfied. Device. The display according to claim 1, wherein the control unit hides the energy flow even when detecting the power generation amount while the rotation speed of the drive source decreases after the drive source stops fueling. Control device.

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