JPH01156143A - Constant travelling controller - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To enable acceleration meeting travelling requirements to be easily obtained by selecting freely the acceleration increment of constant speed travelling control corresponding to the number of times of operations of an acceleration control switch when said switch is repeatedly operated for a predetermined time of period. CONSTITUTION:A constant speed travelling controller displaces a diaphragm A4 against a spring A3 by a negative pressure signal introduced into a negative pressure chamber A1 in a negative pressure actuator AC, to control the opening of a throttle valve SV through a rod B1 and focus vehicle speed to desired one. Surge tank ST negative pressure is introduced into the negative pressure chamber A1 through a control valve V1, vent valve V2 and release valve V3 which are respectively controlled by CPU according to the running condition. Then, when an acceleration switch SW7 is repetitively operated for a predetermined period of time set in a timer means, set vehicle speed is adapted to increase according to the number of times of the repetition.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to a constant speed cruise control device that controls constant speed travel by controlling the opening and closing of a throttle valve so that the current traveling vehicle speed travels at a predetermined set speed. It is something.

[Prior art] This type of conventional constant speed traveling control device is disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 59-1
There is a technique published in the 68236 publication.

This technology relates to a vehicle speed control method that controls the opening degree of a throttle valve of a vehicle prime mover so that the vehicle speed reaches a preset vehicle speed. The control valve's solenoid is energized so that it opens by a predetermined amount.

By doing so, the vehicle speed can be accelerated while the resume switch continues to be in the on state.

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] However, with the above technology, the driver accelerates the vehicle by opening the throttle valve by a predetermined amount specified by the manufacturer. It was not possible to respond to such matters. Further, in the case of speed increase, the time required to set the speed to a predetermined speed is uniformly determined, and there is a problem in that it is not possible to adjust the speed to suit the driving conditions of the vehicle or the driver's preference.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide a constant speed cruise control device that can freely select the increasing speed of constant speed cruise control.

[Means for Solving the Problems] The constant speed cruise control device according to the present invention increases the set vehicle speed of the constant speed cruise control means that controls the traveling vehicle speed so as to eliminate the vehicle speed deviation between the set vehicle speed and the current vehicle speed. a counting means for counting the number of operations of the acceleration control switch means during a predetermined time period set in a timer means for measuring the progress from the operation of the acceleration control switch means; and the counting means. and acceleration setting means for increasing the set vehicle speed in accordance with the value of.

[Operation] In the present invention, the traveling vehicle speed is controlled by the constant speed traveling control means so as to eliminate the vehicle speed deviation between the set vehicle speed and the current vehicle speed. Then, the set vehicle speed is increased by a predetermined value by operating the acceleration control switch means. At this time, the number of operations of the acceleration control switch means is counted by the counting means during a predetermined time period set in the timer means for measuring the time period that has elapsed since the operation of the acceleration control switch means.

Then, the acceleration setting means determines the rate of increase in the set vehicle speed in accordance with the count value of the counting means, and constant acceleration is performed at the rate of increase. Therefore, by preparing a plurality of accelerations corresponding to the old teaching value of the old teaching means, the driver can obtain an acceleration that matches the driving conditions or an acceleration of his/her preference depending on the number of times the acceleration control switch means is operated.

[Example] Hereinafter, an example showing a specific example of the constant speed cruise control device of the present invention will be described.

FIG. 1 shows an overall configuration diagram of a constant speed cruise control device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In this configuration, the electronic control circuit CPU is composed of a single-chip microcomputer. The electronic control circuit CPU includes a reed switch SW2 for detecting a vehicle speed signal, a clutch switch SW3 for detecting depression of a clutch (not shown), a brake switch SW6 for detecting depression of a brake (not shown), and a set switch SW4. , the output of the resume switch SW5 is input.In addition, a vacuum pump BP generates negative pressure to operate a negative pressure actuator AC that controls the opening degree of the throttle valve S■, and a surge tank ST is provided to store the negative pressure. The output of vacuum switch SW7 is input.

Here, the resume switch SW5 is used to restart the once-released constant speed running control again at the recorded/reserved controlled vehicle speed, and in this embodiment, it also functions as a Karo speed switch. Further, the clutch switch SW3 and the brake switch SW6 are constant speed traveling control release switches.

A permanent magnet PM connected to a speedometer cable (not shown) is arranged near the reed switch SW2, and when the permanent magnet PM rotates as the vehicle moves,
The contacts of the reed switch SW2 open and close, and a pulse (vehicle speed signal) with a frequency proportional to the vehicle speed is sent to the electronic control circuit CPU.

The clutch switch SW3 opens and closes in conjunction with the vehicle's clutch pedal, and the brake switch SW6 opens and closes in conjunction with the vehicle's brake pedal.A stop lamp L is connected to the brake switch SW6, and the brake switch SW6 opens and closes in conjunction with the vehicle's brake pedal. When the switch is turned on (closed), the stop lamp L lights up.

set switch SW4 and resume switch SW5,
The acceleration set switch SW7 is a push button switch, and is arranged at a position that is easy for the driver to operate. By suppressing the set switch SW4, the vehicle speed at that time is memorized and constant speed traveling control is started, and constant speed traveling is canceled by operating the brake switch SW6 or clutch switch SW3. The vehicle speed remains. When the resume switch SW5 is pressed, constant speed driving control is started at the memorized vehicle speed before constant speed driving is canceled. By repeating the switch operation of the acceleration set switch SW7 during a predetermined time period set in the timer means, the speed can be increased at an acceleration corresponding to the number of repetitions.

Note that power is supplied to the brake switch SW6 via the fuse F, and power is supplied to the electronic control circuit CPU via the power switch SW1.

A solenoid for a control valve V1 that controls a negative pressure actuator AC, which will be described later, is connected to the output port of the electronic control circuit CPU via a drive circuit (not shown) as necessary.
Similarly, the solenoid of the vent valve v2 and the solenoid of the release valve V3 are connected, respectively. Then, it is connected to the motor of the vacuum pump BP, etc. via a drive circuit.

On the other hand, the negative pressure actuator AC of the constant speed cruise control device of this embodiment is constructed and operated as follows.

The negative pressure actuator AC constitutes a negative pressure chamber A1 sealed by a diaphragm A4 disposed within the housing A5, and the opposite side of the diaphragm A4 is an atmospheric side A2. The diaphragm Δ4 is energized by a compression coil spring A3 disposed on the side of the negative pressure chamber A1. The diaphragm A4 is connected to the throttle valve 1 to the throttle valve B1 which open and close the valve B2 of the throttle valve SV.

Further, the negative pressure uA1 of the negative pressure actuator AC includes:
Negative pressure from the surge tank ST is introduced through a control valve V1, a pen mill valve V2, and a release valve v3.

The control valve V1 sends the negative pressure of the surge tank ST to the negative pressure actuator AC side when the solenoid is in an energized state, and shuts it off when the solenoid is in a non-energized state. Furthermore, when the solenoid is in an energized state, the vent valve V2 sends the negative pressure sent from the control valve V1 side to the negative pressure actuator AC side, and when the solenoid is in a de-energized state, it sends out the negative pressure on the negative pressure actuator AC side. Emitted into the atmosphere. When an abnormality occurs in the control system and proper control becomes impossible, the release valve V3 discharges the negative pressure in the negative pressure chamber A1 of the negative pressure actuator AC to the atmosphere, increasing the negative pressure chamber A1. This is to create an atmospheric pressure state. At this time, the throttle valve SV is connected to the throttle rod B1.
is pushed back to close valve B2. Normally, the solenoid of the release valve v3 is in an excited state, and the vent valve V2 and the negative pressure chamber A1 of the negative pressure actuator AC are in communication.

Control valve (1) and vent valve (V2) are controlled by an electronic control circuit (CPU). That is, during constant speed driving control, the stored vehicle speed and the current vehicle speed are compared in the electronic control circuit CPU, and signals for exciting the solenoids of the control valve V1 and the vent valve V2 are determined so that the difference between the two is equal. . For example, when deceleration is required, the proportion of time for communicating the atmosphere from the vent valve V2 to the negative pressure actuator AC is greatly increased.
Close throttle valve SV by means of diaphragm A4. Conversely, when acceleration is required, control valve V
1, the time period during which negative pressure is communicated to negative pressure actuator AC is increased, and thrower 1 hell valve SV is opened by negative pressure actuator AC.

Next, the control operation of the electronic control circuit CPU of the constant speed cruise control device of the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 will be explained using the flowcharts shown in FIGS. 2 to 8.

This routine clears the memory used when processing this program by Star 1, initializes each port, and sets the initial control state S-0.

First, when the power switch SW1 is turned on, this program starts. In step 1, the memory and each output port are initialized. At this time, the "standby state control flow" of the control state S-O of the control state branching program is set. Then, in step 2, the status of each boat is read.

Step 3 is a branching step in which the control state S is determined and a processing function is selected accordingly.

That is, this program branches according to each control state,
Since it is programmed to function according to the branched program, the control state S is specified for each function and the flow processing of each control state is started. Step 1
Since the control state S=O is set in step 3, the "standby state control flow" with S=O is entered.

Control state S=O; lr standby state control flow" When entering this flow, first, in step 01, all valves, that is, control 1 to roll valve V1, vent valve V2, and release valve V3, are turned off, and the negative pressure actuator is turned off. Stop AC control.

Control state S-1: II'Full-on control flow'' This flow performs prospective control in order to quickly drive the negative pressure actuator AC to a predetermined position. That is,
In the "deceleration control flow" of control state S=4, the control valve ■] is turned off, the pressure in the negative pressure chamber A1 of the negative pressure actuator AC is decreasing, and in the "standby control flow", the main control valve is turned off. When the speed control is entered or
Since the negative pressure in the negative pressure chamber A1 of the negative pressure actuator AC does not match the set speed, restart the constant speed traveling control and close the control valve ■1. This is because even if the duty ratio is controlled, the predetermined throttle opening cannot be reached immediately. Therefore, in step 11, it is determined whether this flow is entered for the first time, and when it is entered for the first time, all valves V1, V2, and V3 are turned on in step 12, and step 13
The full-on control time is set in advance to be longer in proportion to the vehicle speed. After entering this flow in step 11 and setting the full-on control time, step 1
Check the progress of the full-on control time set in step 4. When the full-on control time has elapsed, first, in step 15, the control valve V1 is turned off, and in step 16, the control state S=2 is set, and the "constant speed control flow" is entered.

Control state S=2; If 'constant speed control flow' This flow is for performing constant speed driving at the recorded vehicle speed.In step 21, the vehicle speed is obtained from the pulse of reed switch SW2, and the vehicle speed is determined. From this, the duty ratio for opening and closing the control valve V1 and vent valve V2 is determined.

Then, when the set switch SW4 is turned on in step 22, the "deceleration control flow" of control state S=4 is set in step 23. In step 24, clutch switch S
When W3 is on, clutch switch S is turned on in step 25.
Control state of cancel function due to turning on of W3 S=5
"Cancellation control flow" is set. Step 2
When the brake switch SW6 is turned on at step 6, a "cancellation control flow" with control state S=5 is set at step 27.

Control State S=3: ff' Acceleration Control Flow This flow is for accelerating the vehicle during constant speed driving control and updating the desired constant speed to a new set vehicle speed. The speed increase corresponds to the number of times the acceleration set 1 to switch SW7 are operated within a predetermined period of time. The control characteristics of this embodiment are shown in the explanatory diagram of FIG. 9 which shows a control example of the constant speed cruise control device.

First, in step 301, all the valves, ie, the control valve V1, the vent valve V2, and the release valve V.
3 is turned on, the negative pressure in the negative pressure chamber A1 of the negative pressure actuator AC is increased, and the throttle valve SV is opened.
At step 02, it is determined whether the acceleration set switch SW7 remains on. When it is determined in step 302 that the acceleration set switch SW7 is on, in step 303, the acceleration timer Tα, which sets the time to increase the number of consecutive operations of the acceleration set switch SW7 to h''l, is cleared and simultaneously started.In step 304, the acceleration timer Tα is started. It is determined whether the acceleration flag AF, which stores the on/off operation of the set switch SW7, is set (“H”).At the beginning of this routine, the acceleration flag A
F is descending, and in step 307, using "1 (clear value)" of the count value "C" of the acceleration counter at that time, target acceleration - C x reference target acceleration is calculated.

Next, in step 308, the control valve V1 and the pen 1 to valve V are adjusted so that the vehicle acceleration becomes the target acceleration.
Turn 2 on and off.

Then, when it is determined in step 302 that the acceleration set switch SW7 is off, the acceleration flag AF is turned off in step 309.
is set (“'H”), and the acceleration timer Tα is set at step 310.
determine the end of the When rejecting the selection of the target acceleration, the driver selects the acceleration sensor 1 to switch SW7.
Since the acceleration timer Tα has not ended, the “constant speed control flow” with control state S=2 is set in step 314, and the current vehicle speed at that time is changed to constant speed driving control in step 315. The vehicle speed is stored as the set vehicle speed.

Note that the explanation of the above routine is based on the acceleration set switch S.
The same thing happens when W7 is turned on and off only once and the initially set target acceleration is selected to increase the speed. At this time, for example, if the acceleration set switch SW7 is turned off after the acceleration timer Tα ends, or after the acceleration set switch SW7 is turned off, the acceleration timer Tα
If the time is up, the acceleration counter is cleared in step 311 (Ni1), the acceleration timer is cleared in step 312, and the acceleration flag AF is lowered ("L") in step 313, but other processing remains the same. .

When the acceleration set switch SW7 is turned on and off again before the acceleration timer Tα times up, it is first determined in step 302 that it is on, and then in step 30
3, the acceleration timer Tα, which sets the time for counting the number of consecutive operations of the acceleration set switch SW7, is cleared and started at the same time. In step 304, it is determined that the acceleration flag AF is set ("H"). Thereby, in step 305, the acceleration flag AF is lowered to "'L"), and in step 306, the count value "C" of the acceleration counter is incremented.

In step 307, the count value of the acceleration counter at that time "C
” is used to calculate target acceleration - 2 x reference target acceleration, and in step 308 control valve V1 and vent valve V are calculated according to the increasing duty ratio.
2 is on/off.

Further, when the acceleration set switch SW7 is turned off, it is determined in step 302 that the acceleration set switch SW7 is turned off, and similarly to the former case, the acceleration flag AF is set (“H”) in step 309, and the acceleration timer Tα is set before the end in step 310. Then, in step 314, the "constant speed control flow" with control state S=2 is set, and in step 315, the current vehicle speed at that time is recorded to be the set vehicle speed for constant speed driving control.

In this way, before the acceleration timer Tα times up,
When the acceleration set switch SW7 is turned on and off again,
Correspondingly, the count value "C" of the acceleration counter increases each time, and the target acceleration increases.

Normally, when increasing the traveling speed in the selected target acceleration state, if the acceleration set switch SW7 is kept on, the control valve V1 and vent valve V2 are turned on and off at the duty ratio of the selected target acceleration. When the acceleration set switch SW7 is turned off, the acceleration timer Tα has ended at that time, so the acceleration counter is cleared in step 311, the acceleration timer is cleared in step 312, and the acceleration flag is lowered in step 313 (" L”). Then, in step 314, control state 5-=
2, the "constant speed control flow" is set, and the vehicle speed at that time is recorded in the memory in step 315.

Control state S=4: "Deceleration control flow" This flow is a flow for decelerating the vehicle speed by 1 lil ill during constant speed driving control and restarting constant speed driving control. is turned on, the control state S=4
Then, this "deceleration control flow" is entered. Step 4
In Step 1, it is determined whether either the clutch switch SW3 or the brake switch SW6, which has a canceling function, is on, and if either one is on, in Step 42, all valves VL V2 and V3 are turned off.
The constant speed running control is stopped after entering the "deceleration control flow". When neither the clutch switch SW3 nor the brake switch SW6 is turned on in step 41, the control valve V1 and vent valve V2 are turned off and the release valve V3 is turned on in step 43.

In this way, when the negative pressure supply from the negative pressure actuator AC is cut off, the throttle valve SV gradually closes, and the vehicle speed gradually decreases. In step 44, it is detected that the set switch SW4 is turned off, and in step 45, the vehicle speed at the time when the set switch SW4 was turned off is stored. Then, in step 46, unless either the clutch switch SW3 or the brake switch SW6, which has a canceling function, is turned on again and exits from the constant speed driving control,
At step 48, the control state S=1 is set and a "full-on control flow" is entered. That is, the deceleration control continues while Sera 1 to SW4 are turned on, and the deceleration control continues while the set switch SW4 is turned on.
4 resumes constant speed driving at the vehicle speed at the time it was turned off.

When either clutch switch SW3 or brake switch SW6 is turned on in step 46, step 4
At step 7, the control state S=5 is set and the "cancellation control flow" is entered. Then, in step 44, the set switch SW
If 4 is on, a vacuum pump flag is set in step 49 (Pato 1'').

Control state S=5; It' cancel control flow" This flow is executed when clutch switch SW3 or brake switch SW
When 6 is turned on, constant speed driving control is canceled.

When the clutch switch SW3 or the brake switch SW6 having a cancellation function is turned on in step 51, the "Samurai state control flow" with control state=S=O is selected in step 52, and in step 53 all valves ■1, V2 ,
Turn V3 off.

The above is an explanation of each control state flow.

Note that the "vacuum pump control subroutine" is not directly related to the gist of the present invention and will therefore be omitted.

As mentioned above, during the constant speed driving control of this embodiment, the constant speed driving control means comprises an electronic control circuit CPU such as a microcomputer, which controls the traveling vehicle speed so as to eliminate the vehicle speed deviation between the set vehicle speed of ml and the current vehicle speed. , an acceleration control switch means such as an acceleration switch or a resume switch SW5 that increases the set vehicle speed; a timer means such as an acceleration timer lower α that measures a time limit from the operation of the acceleration control switch; and a predetermined time set in the timer means. A counting means such as an acceleration counter that counts the number of times the acceleration control switch means is operated during a time period of , and an acceleration setting means that increases a set vehicle speed in response to a count value "C" of the counting means. It is something.

Therefore, depending on the number of times the acceleration control switch means is operated within a predetermined period of time, acceleration corresponding to the number of operations can be obtained. Therefore, it is possible to change the set vehicle speed for predetermined constant speed driving control with an acceleration that matches the driving conditions of the vehicle and the driver's preference.

By the way, the running vehicle speed is changed to i! so as to eliminate the vehicle speed deviation between the set vehicle speed of the constant speed cruise control device of the above embodiment and the current vehicle speed. 1l
ll. A constant speed running control means for controlling the crane 11, a timer means for measuring the time limit from the operation of the acceleration control switch, and a counter for counting the number of times the acceleration control switch means is operated during a predetermined time period set in the timer means. and an acceleration setting means for increasing the set vehicle speed in accordance with the count value of the counting means is an electronic control circuit CP constituted by a microcomputer.
However, when implementing the present invention, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and each independent constant speed traveling control circuit, digital or analog timer, digital or analog It can be used as a counting circuit or an acceleration setting circuit.

In addition, the acceleration control switch means for increasing the set vehicle speed of the constant speed running control Il device of the above embodiment may also be used as a resume switch SW5, or when implementing the present invention, the acceleration switch or the main As in the embodiment, the resume switch SW5 may also be used. Naturally, rather than providing a dedicated switch, using a switch that also has the speed increasing function requires fewer parts, and the constant speed cruise control device of the present invention can be made at a lower cost.

The timer means for measuring the time limit from the operation of the acceleration control switch of the constant speed cruise control device of the above embodiment uses a timer means built in an electronic control circuit CPU constituted by a microcomputer. When implemented, the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, and since it is sufficient to be able to measure a predetermined time period, it is possible to use an analog timer such as a C-R timer, a digital counter, or the like.

Furthermore, the counting means for counting the number of operations of the acceleration control switch means during a predetermined time period set in the timer means of the constant speed running control device of the above embodiment also includes an electronic control circuit CPU constituted by a microcomputer. However, when implementing the present invention, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and since it is sufficient to simply measure the number of times, and the counted value is not large, the capacitance is used. Counting means using , digital counters, etc.!
I can use thousands of means.

Furthermore, the acceleration setting means for increasing the set vehicle speed in accordance with the count value of the counting means of the constant speed cruise control device of the above embodiment uses the count value "C" of the acceleration counter which is the counting means, to determine the target. Acceleration-CX reference target acceleration is being calculated. In this example, depending on the driving conditions,
This suppresses the increase in acceleration when the vehicle is traveling at high speeds, so even if the driver makes an operational error, large accelerations will not occur.

However, when implementing the present invention, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and the increasing acceleration unit may be directly set, for example, 1 km/h/s, 2 km/h/5199. and set the control valve V to obtain that acceleration.
1, vent valve V2, and release valve V3 can also be controlled. In this case, since the setting is based on acceleration, the driver can know from the specifications how much the acceleration will change depending on the number of times the acceleration control switch means is operated.

[Advantageous Effects of the Invention 1] As described above, the constant speed cruise control device of the present invention includes a constant speed cruise control means for controlling the traveling vehicle speed so as to eliminate the difference between the set vehicle speed and the current vehicle speed, and the set vehicle speed. a timer means for measuring a time limit from the operation of the acceleration control switch means for increasing 7 JD, and a predetermined time limit set in the timer means;
comprising a counting means for counting the number of times the acceleration control switch means is operated; and an acceleration setting means for increasing a set vehicle speed in accordance with the count value of the counting means; By repeating this, it is possible to freely select an increase in acceleration for constant speed driving control in accordance with the number of times the operation is performed. Therefore, by preparing a plurality of accelerations corresponding to the count values of the counting means, the driver can obtain an acceleration that matches the driving conditions or an acceleration of his/her preference depending on the number of times the acceleration control switch means is operated.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

Figure 1 shows constant speed running control according to an embodiment of the present invention! Figures 2 to 8 are flowcharts of the constant speed cruise control operation of the electronic control circuit shown in Figure 1, and Figure 9 is a control example of the constant speed cruise control device according to the embodiment of the present invention. This is an explanatory diagram showing. In the figure, Vl: Control valve, ■2: Vent valve, V3: Release valve, SV: Throttle valve, AC: Negative pressure actuator, CPU: Electronic control circuit, SW5: Resume switch, SW7: Acceleration set switch, be. In the figures, the same reference numerals and the same symbols indicate the same or corresponding parts. Patent applicant Aisin Seiki Co., Ltd.

Claims (1)

[Claims] (1) Constant speed running control means for controlling the traveling vehicle speed so as to eliminate the vehicle speed deviation between the set vehicle speed and the current vehicle speed, an acceleration control switch means for increasing the set vehicle speed, and a time limit from the operation of the acceleration control switch means. a timer means for measuring the number of times the acceleration control switch means is operated during a predetermined time period set in the timer means; a counting means for counting the number of operations of the acceleration control switch means; and increasing a set vehicle speed in accordance with the count value of the counting means. A constant speed traveling control device comprising: acceleration setting means;