JPH02120148A - Constant speed traveling controller for vehicle - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To perform proper control irrespective of something wrong in a car speed judging means outputting a shift-down signal by performing a shift-up when such a state as receiving a shift-up signal from a torque excess degree judging means has continued as long as the specified period. CONSTITUTION:A controller performs constant speed traveling control by a means A controlling throttle opening according to a difference between desired car speed and actual car speed and another means B controlling a changeover of speeds. In the above constitution, when the actual car speed is lower than the desired car speed as much as the specified value, a shift-down signal is outputted to the said means B from a car speed judging means C. In addition, when the throttle opening is less than the specified value set according to the car speed, a shift-up signal is outputted to the said means B from a torque excess degree judging means D. The said means B performs a shift-up when such a state as receiving the shift-up signal has continued as long as the specified period even when receiving the shift-down signal.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Field of Industrial Application) The present invention relates to a constant speed cruise control device for a vehicle configured to perform constant speed cruise control through throttle opening control and gear shift control. be.

(Prior Art) A constant speed cruise control device is a device for maintaining the vehicle speed at a predetermined set vehicle speed, and generally controls the throttle opening according to the difference between the target vehicle speed and the actual vehicle speed. When it is not possible to converge the actual vehicle speed to the target vehicle speed by controlling the throttle opening only, a predetermined shift control means performs shift control (i.e., gear shift control) to converge to the target vehicle speed. As disclosed in, for example, Japanese Patent Publication No. 62-381189, the above-mentioned speed change control performs a downshift by inputting a shift down signal from a predetermined vehicle speed determination means when the actual vehicle speed decreases by a predetermined value or more from the target vehicle speed. After that, when this vehicle speed deviation returns to less than a predetermined value, an upshift is often performed by canceling the downshift signal input from the vehicle speed determining means.

(Problem to be Solved by the Invention) However, in such a constant speed cruise control device, the vehicle speed determination means malfunctions due to a failure or the like, and even after the vehicle speed deviation has returned to below a predetermined value, If the downshift signal continues to be output, the vehicle will continue to drive at a low gear without being upshifted by the shift control means, resulting in deterioration in fuel efficiency and ride comfort.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and provides a constant speed driving control for a vehicle that can perform a required upshift even if an abnormality occurs in the operation of the vehicle speed determining means. The purpose is to provide a device.

(Means for Solving the Problems) A constant speed running control device for a vehicle according to the present invention performs speed change control when the throttle opening is below a predetermined value set according to the vehicle speed (that is, when there is engine torque to spare). The means is provided with a torque margin determination means for outputting a shift-up signal, and the shift control means receives a shift-up signal from the torque margin determination means and a shift-down signal from the vehicle speed determination means simultaneously for a predetermined period of time. In this case, it is assumed that an abnormality has occurred in the operation of the vehicle speed determining means, and an upshift is performed, thereby achieving the above object. In other words, the throttle opening control means (A) controls the throttle opening according to the difference between the target vehicle speed and the actual vehicle speed, and the speed change control means (A) controls the gear changeover.
B) in a constant speed cruise control device for a vehicle that performs constant speed cruise control, a vehicle speed that outputs a shift down signal to the shift control means (B) when the actual vehicle speed is lower than the target vehicle speed by a predetermined value or more; A determination means (C), and a torque margin determination means (D) for outputting a shift up signal to the shift control means (B) when the throttle opening is less than or equal to a predetermined value set according to the vehicle speed. Therefore, even when the shift control means (B) receives a downshift signal from the vehicle speed determination means (C), it receives a shift up signal from the torque margin determination means (D). The present invention is characterized in that it is configured to shift up when the condition continues for a predetermined period of time.

The above-mentioned "predetermined period" means a predetermined period of time (or a predetermined distance) from the moment when the shift control means (B) receives a shift-up signal from the torque margin determination means (D) (or from the position at this moment). The period up to the point (or point) at which the In addition, this "predetermined period" is such that the engine torque decreases due to upshifting and the vehicle speed also decreases, but it is sufficient to avoid downshifting in a short period of time due to this decrease in vehicle speed. This means a period sufficient for the vehicle speed to increase to a point where there is no possibility of gear change hunting occurring.

(Function) As shown in the above configuration, even when the shift control means (B) receives a downshift signal from the vehicle speed determination means (C), the shift control means (B) does not shift from the torque margin determination means (D). Since an upshift is performed when the up signal is received for a predetermined period of time, even if an abnormality occurs in the operation of the vehicle speed determining means (C), the required upshift will not result in gear hunting. It can be executed without

(Effects of the Invention) As described above, according to the present invention, not only when the operation of the vehicle speed determination means (C) is normal, but also when an abnormality occurs in the operation due to a failure of the vehicle speed determination means (C), etc. Even in such a case, the required upshift can be performed without causing gear hunting, which reduces fuel consumption and ride comfort caused by continued driving in a low gear without upshifting due to the above abnormality. It is possible to eliminate the disadvantages of

(Embodiments) Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 2 is an overall configuration diagram showing an embodiment of a constant speed cruise control device for a vehicle according to the present invention.

A throttle valve 3 for adjusting the amount of intake air is interposed in an intake passage 2 of the engine 1, and the throttle valve 3 is driven to open and close by a throttle actuator 4 such as a DC motor. The automatic transmission 5 also includes a plurality of shift solenoids 6a.
~6C and a lock-up solenoid 7, and the hydraulic circuit is switched by a combination of turning on and off the shift solenoids 6a to 6C, and a plurality of hydraulic engagement elements are selectively engaged, so that a plurality of shift mechanisms can be operated. The gear is changed to the following gear position. Further, a lock-up clutch (not shown) in the torque converter is engaged or released by turning on or off the lock-up solenoid 7.

A throttle control controller 8A is provided as a throttle opening control means for outputting a throttle control signal a to the throttle actuator 4, and a speed change control signal to each of the solenoids 6a to 6c and 7 of the automatic transmission 5. A shift control controller 8B is provided as shift control means for outputting a lock-up control signal C.

The throttle control controller 8A receives a vehicle speed signal Vn from a vehicle speed sensor 9 that detects the vehicle speed, an accelerator opening signal α from an accelerator sensor 11 that detects the depression fl (accelerator opening) of the accelerator pedal 10, and a brake operation signal. Brake signal B from brake switch 12 that detects
R, a throttle opening signal TH from the throttle sensor 13 that detects the opening of the throttle valve 3, a gear position signal GP from the gear position sensor 14 that detects the shift position of the transmission 5, and a signal from the mode switch 15. The speed change mode signal M is inputted, and the main switch 16, set switch 17, resume switch 18, and coast switch 1 are input as constant speed driving operation switches.
Operation signals (ON, 0FF) from 9 are respectively input. Note that the throttle controller 8A also functions as a vehicle speed determining means and a torque margin determining means, as will be described later.

On the other hand, the speed change control controller 8B receives the vehicle speed signal Vn from the vehicle speed sensor 9, the accelerator opening signal α from the accelerator sensor 11, the throttle opening signal TH from the throttle sensor 13, and the mode switch 15. A speed change mode signal M and a speed change command signal (described later) from the throttle opening control controller 8A are respectively input.

Next, the processing of the controllers 8A and 8B will be explained according to a flowchart.

FIG. 3 shows the main routine of the throttle control controller 8A. This controller 8A performs a predetermined system initialization (step Sl) at the start of operation, reads detection signals from the various sensors, and uses these to perform necessary control. Various information is input (S2).

Step S3 is automatic speed control (A
This is to determine whether the conditions for starting automatic speed control (SC) are met.The conditions for starting automatic speed control are that the main switch 16 is on, the shift position is in the D range, and the vehicle speed is at a set value (e.g. 40+a/h) or more. Further, the conditions for canceling the automatic speed control are when the above-mentioned start condition is not satisfied or when the brake is activated.

When this automatic speed control condition is satisfied, the automatic speed control is started and the set switch 17 and the resume switch 1 are activated.
8. In response to the operation of the coast switch 19 and the accelerator and brake operations, mode setting control such as vehicle speed feedback control mode, acceleration mode, etc. is performed (S4), and setting control of the target throttle opening degree To corresponding to each mode is performed (S4). S5).

Furthermore, if the automatic speed control conditions are not satisfied, the routine shifts to normal throttle control, and the throttle opening degree TO is set and controlled based on the accelerator operation amount (S6).

The throttle control signal a corresponding to the target throttle opening degree To set in step S5 or S6 as described above is output to the throttle actuator 4 (S7), and the throttle valve 3 is operated to the target opening degree TO. Furthermore, in accordance with the mode setting in step S4, a shift command (speed setting command) during automatic speed control is output to the shift control controller 8B in step S8. Further, an acceleration timer Tac is counted up for performing delay processing to be described later (S9), and the above routine is executed every predetermined time (for example, 30 m5ec).

FIG. 4 is a mode setting subroutine for automatic speed control in step S4 of the main routine.

In step 810 (corresponding to step S3 of the main routine), it is determined whether or not the automatic speed control start condition is satisfied, and when the automatic speed control condition is satisfied, 5ll-8
16, the start flag S is activated when the set switch 17 is turned on.
F is set, the acceleration timer Tac is reset, the brake release flag BF is reset, the target vehicle speed Vo is updated with the actual vehicle speed Vn, and the vehicle speed when the set switch 17 is turned off becomes the set target vehicle speed Vo.

When the target vehicle speed Vo is set as described above, automatic speed control is entered (517), the brake and accelerator are not operated (S18.519), and the set switch 17, coast switch 19, and resume switch 1
8 is not operated, steps 820 to S2
Vehicle speed feedback control mode (
(throttle opening control for constant speed driving). This vehicle speed feedback control mode (■) has an actual vehicle speed Vn and a target vehicle speed V.

The throttle opening degree Tv required to achieve the target vehicle speed Vo is calculated by PI-PD calculation etc. based on the deviation from the target vehicle speed Vo, and this is set as the target throttle opening degree TO.

Further, when the brake is operated during the vehicle speed feedback control (S18), the brake release flag BF is set (525), and the mode shifts to normal throttle control mode I (throttle opening control performed based on the accelerator operation amount). After each flag is reset (S27) even if the automatic speed control conditions are not satisfied, and also if the target vehicle speed Vo is not set (S17), the system shifts to the normal throttle control mode I. . A normal throttle control motor compensation opening degree is determined, and a target throttle opening degree To is set so that the vehicle is accelerated at a constant acceleration based on the throttle opening degree for constant acceleration on flat ground.

Further, when the coast switch 19 is turned on for deceleration, the coast switch operation process B is performed based on a YES determination in step S2L. This coast switch operation process B updates the target vehicle speed Vo and shifts to coast mode. In this coast mode, the target throttle opening To is set to 0 while the coast switch is operated, the throttle valve 3 is fully closed to perform deceleration, and the actual vehicle speed when off is set to the target vehicle speed VO to control vehicle speed feedback. Return to

Further, when the resume switch 18 is turned on in order to reset the target vehicle speed Vo to the original setting value in a state where the automatic speed control is canceled by the brake operation, step S22
If the determination is YES, the resume switch operation C is entered, and the resume operation is held while the vehicle accelerates to the original target vehicle speed Vo (523), and the resume switch action C is entered.

In this resume switch operation, when the deviation between the target vehicle speed Vo and the actual vehicle speed Vn has not converged, the target throttle opening degree To is shifted to the acceleration mode and acceleration is performed at a constant acceleration up to the target vehicle speed VO. Set.

The shift command in step s8 of the main routine shown in FIG. 3 corresponds to the control mode setting, and in the acceleration mode, a shift command is output to downshift the gear stage,
In coast mode, the system similarly outputs a gear change command to downshift the gear and increase engine braking.

Furthermore, even during a resume operation, if the vehicle speed deviation is large, a shift command is output to downshift the gear stage.

On the other hand, in vehicle speed feedback mode (2), a shift command based on the vehicle speed deviation and a shift command based on the throttle opening are output to the shift control controller 8B. That is, as shown in Fig. 5, when the vehicle speed deviation (Vo Vn) exceeds a predetermined value (8KIn/h), a shift command to 3rd gear (3rd) is issued, and when it returns to below the predetermined value (C2Km/h). A shift command to 4th speed (4th) is issued. That is, during this period, the shift control controller 8B receives a downshift signal from the throttle opening control controller 8A. In addition, the gear change command based on the throttle opening is made according to the map shown in Figure 6, and when the throttle opening falls below a predetermined value set according to the vehicle speed (when the throttle opening falls below the solid line in the figure), ) A shift command from 3rd speed to 4th speed is issued. That is, when this shift command is issued, the shift control controller 8B
receives a shift up signal from the throttle opening control controller 8A. The predetermined value of the throttle opening is set so that sufficient engine torque can be obtained even after shifting to the fourth gear.

In this way, the throttle control controller 8A functions as a vehicle speed determining means that outputs a downshift signal to the shift control controller 8B when the actual vehicle speed is lower than the target vehicle speed by a predetermined value or more, and also functions as a vehicle speed determining means to output a shift down signal to the shift control controller 8B. It also functions as a torque margin determining means that outputs a shift up signal to the shift control controller 8B when the torque is less than a predetermined value set according to the vehicle speed. In the vehicle speed feedback mode (2), the shift control controller 8B performs shift control between the third and fourth speeds based on both of the shift commands.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the details of the speed change control performed by the speed change control controller 8B in the vehicle speed feedback control (2).

The controller 8B performs a predetermined system initialization (step S31) at the start of operation, reads detection signals from the various sensors, and inputs various information necessary for control from these (S32).

Next, it is determined whether or not the SD flag (which is set when a downshift from 4th gear to 3rd gear has been performed) is set (S33), and if it is set, 838
If it is not set, it is determined whether or not a downshift signal is being received from the throttle controller 8A (S34). If it is not received, it will continue to run in 4th gear, and if it is received, it will be determined whether or not the hold flag (a cent is set when it is necessary to hold it in 4th gear) is set. (S3
5) If set, continue driving in 4th gear; if not set, downshift from 4th to 3rd gear (S3B) and set the SD flag (S37)
).

In step 838, it is determined whether or not timer flag A (set when timer A is set) is set. If it is set, the process moves to S41, and if it is not set, a shift down signal is sent. It is determined whether or not it has been received (S39).

If it has been received, 3rd gear is set as the vehicle speed deviation corresponding gear Ss (S44), and the process moves to 84G; if not, timer A is set and timer flag A is set (S40). Then, timer A is counted up (S4L), and it is determined whether 20 seconds have elapsed since timer A was set (S42). If 20 seconds have elapsed, 4th gear is set as the vehicle speed deviation corresponding gear Ss. 543), and if the time has not elapsed, the third gear is set as the vehicle speed deviation corresponding gear Ss (S45).

Note that the 20-second delay time is provided between when it is determined in S39 that a downshift signal has been received and when 4th gear is set to the vehicle speed deviation corresponding gear Ss in S43, when the shift-down signal is received. This is to prevent hunting.

Next, in step 346, it is determined whether a shift-up signal from the throttle controller 8A is being received. Then, if it has not been received, reset the retention flag (S47) and proceed to S32.
Even if the vehicle speed deviation response gear Ss is set to 4th speed, the 3-way wandering continues), and if the vehicle speed deviation response gear Ss is set to 4th gear, it is determined whether or not the vehicle speed deviation response gear Ss is set to 4th gear. (
S48).

If the determination is YES, a shift is performed from 3rd speed to 4th speed (S49), and then the SD flag, timer flag, and timer flag are reset (S59), and the process moves to S32. On the other hand, if the determination of 54g is No (that is, if the vehicle speed deviation corresponding gear Ss is 3rd speed), it is determined whether or not timer flag B (set when timer B is set) is set. is performed (S51), and if it is set, the process moves to S53; if it is not set, timer B is set and timer flag B is set (S52). Then, timer B is counted up (S53), and it is determined whether 30 seconds have elapsed since timer B was set (S54). If 30 seconds have elapsed, a hold flag is set (S55), and then the 3rd gear Shifts up from to 4th speed (S49), and if the elapsed time has not elapsed, the process moves to S32 (that is, the 3-way driving continues). As a result, even if the vehicle speed deviation corresponding gear Ss is set to 3rd speed, an upshift is performed when a shift up signal is received by a shift command based on the throttle opening for 30 consecutive seconds. In addition, 848
After it is determined that the vehicle speed deviation corresponding gear Ss is the 3rd speed in S49, the 3rd
The reason why the delay time of 0 seconds is provided is to prevent 7-nching during upshifting.

In this way, in the speed change control controller 8B,
If the downshift signal input is canceled by a shift command based on the vehicle speed deviation and the canceled state continues for 20 seconds or more, and the upshift signal is input by a shift command based on the throttle opening, an upshift is not performed. Furthermore, even if the shift-down signal input is not released, the shift-up is performed if the input state continues for 30 seconds after the shift-up signal is input. Therefore, the throttle opening control controller 8A functions as a vehicle speed determination means due to a failure or the like (a function of canceling the input of the downshift signal to the shift control controller 8B when the vehicle speed deviation becomes less than a predetermined value).
Even if it becomes impossible to achieve this, an upshift from 3rd gear to 4th gear will be performed without causing gear hunting.

In this embodiment, the reason why the input of a shift-up signal in response to a shift command based on the throttle opening is a necessary condition for a shift-up is as follows. In other words, if the only condition for upshifting is whether or not a downshift signal has been input based on a shift command based on the vehicle speed deviation, for example, if the vehicle approaches an uphill slope during constant speed driving control, When driving on a slope, the vehicle speed decreases due to the increased driving load, and a downshift is performed accordingly.
Thereafter, as the vehicle speed deviation returns to below a predetermined value due to an increase in engine torque, the gear will be shifted up, but when driving uphill, the full throttle is already reached before the shift up. In many cases, the throttle opening cannot be increased any further even after upshifting, and as a result, the vehicle speed immediately decreases due to the lack of torque, the gear is downshifted, and the vehicle speed returns due to acceleration. Shift hunting occurs, where the gear changes are repeated within a short period of time, such as an upshift followed by an immediate downshift.
Vehicle speed fluctuations may also increase and control accuracy may deteriorate. Therefore, in order to eliminate this inconvenience, in order to determine whether or not to shift up, in addition to determining whether the vehicle speed deviation has become less than a predetermined value, the throttle opening is less than a predetermined value (i.e., the engine The system determines whether there is sufficient torque or not, and performs shift control such that an upshift is performed only when both conditions are met.

However, even if both conditions are met, hunting during upshifts may occur depending on the driving conditions, so it may take up to 20 minutes from the release of the input of the downshift signal due to the shift command based on the vehicle speed deviation to the upshift. The delay time is set in seconds. In addition, when the manual release of this downshift signal cannot be performed due to an abnormality, the above 20 second delay time is meaningless when shifting up using a gear change command based on the throttle opening, so a 30 second delay is added separately. The time is set.

In this embodiment, a delay time of 20 seconds or 3 c seconds is set by counting up timer A or evening timer B, or the distance traveled is measured using a trip meter, etc., and fl[lI L corresponds to the above delay time. The distance may also be set.

[BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS] FIG. 1 is a block diagram corresponding to the claims showing the configuration of a constant speed running control device for a vehicle according to the present invention, and FIG. 2 is an overall configuration diagram showing an embodiment of the above device. , FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the operation of the throttle control controller in the above embodiment, FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a part of the flowchart in more detail, and FIGS. 5 and 6 are vehicle speed determination means of the throttle control controller. FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the operation of the speed change control controller in the above embodiment. A... Throttle opening control means B... Speed change control means C... Vehicle speed determination means D.
・Torque margin determination means 1 ・Engine 3 ・Throttle valve 4 ・
... Throttle actuators 6a, 6b, 6c... Solenoid for speed change 8A... Controller for throttle control (throttle opening control means, vehicle speed determination means, torque margin judgment means) 8B... Controller for speed change control (speed change control) Means) Figure 3

Claims (1)

[Claims] A constant speed cruise control device for a vehicle that performs constant speed cruise control using a throttle opening degree control means that controls a throttle opening degree according to the difference between a target vehicle speed and an actual vehicle speed, and a shift control means that performs gear shift control. vehicle speed determination means for outputting a downshift signal to the shift control means when the actual vehicle speed is lower than the target vehicle speed by a predetermined value or more; and when the throttle opening is below a predetermined value set according to the vehicle speed. torque margin determination means for outputting a shift up signal to the speed change control means, and the said shift control means is configured to perform said torque margin determination even when receiving a downshift signal from said vehicle speed determination means. 1. A constant speed running control device for a vehicle, characterized in that the device is configured to shift up when receiving a shift up signal from a means for a predetermined period of time.