JPH10176566A - Vehicle drive force controller - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To prevent an unpleasant feeling from being produced when driving force characteristics are changed, by changing a gain of opening of a throttle valve according to the property of the region in which a vehicle runs. SOLUTION: This controller detects the present position of a vehicle itself by present position detection means and the property of the region in which the vehicle runs. A target value of a throttle gain is switched by driving force characteristics changing means when the property of the region is changed and the throttle gain is changed stepwise by a predetermined width of change to the target value. This prevents the driving force characteristics from being changed rapidly.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an apparatus for controlling a driving force of a vehicle, and more particularly, to an apparatus for appropriately controlling the driving force of a vehicle in order to enhance the operability and drivability of the vehicle in accordance with the attributes of a running region. The present invention relates to a control device for controlling.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a vehicle is provided with various driving characteristic adjusting means for matching the driving characteristics of the vehicle with the road conditions and the driving characteristics of the driver.

[0003] Such running characteristics adjusting means include a power steering system for adjusting the steering weight, an electronic control throttle for adjusting a throttle target opening with respect to an accelerator pedal opening, an electronic control transmission for controlling a shift, and traction. A traction control system for controlling, a 4WS for varying a ratio of a rear wheel turning angle to a front wheel turning angle, and the like are known, and a vehicle driver sets a mode of each of these driving characteristic adjusting means provided in a driver's seat. For this purpose, the operation switch is appropriately operated to select a mode, the traveling characteristics are manually changed, and the traveling suitable for road conditions or the like is performed.

However, with the recent diversification of traveling preferences and various technological innovations, the traveling characteristic adjusting means has also been diversified and the traveling characteristics to be set have been increased, and as a result, the number of operation switches for setting the traveling characteristics has also increased. I am doing it. For this reason,
The operation of all these operation switches is very complicated for the driver, and it is difficult to operate these switches while traveling. The fact is that they are not able to fully demonstrate.

[0005] In view of this, there has been proposed a driving force control device for a vehicle that obtains the state of the road on which the vehicle is currently traveling from a navigation device and automatically controls the output of the engine in accordance with the road condition (for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H11-157556). JP-A-5-180023). In this device, for example, when the navigation device detects that the vehicle is traveling on a backstreet or a narrow bend in a residential area other than the main road, the engine output is controlled to be small according to the road conditions. Is done.
As a result, the acceleration force of the vehicle is limited, so that the driver can appropriately drive the vehicle according to road conditions other than the main road.

[0006]

However, when the area attribute where the vehicle travels is changed, for example, when the vehicle travels on a road condition such as a back road or a curved road other than the main road, the driving force characteristics are automatically changed. In such a configuration, for example, when the driving force of the vehicle is relatively increased in accordance with a change in the area attribute, a driving force larger than the driving force required by the driver is suddenly generated, and the driving feeling is uncomfortable. May occur.

The present invention has been made in view of such circumstances, and has as its object to provide a vehicle driving force control device capable of appropriately controlling the driving force characteristics of a vehicle in accordance with the attribute of a region in which the vehicle is traveling. It is assumed that.

[0008]

A first aspect of the present invention is a vehicle driving force control device for controlling a driving force of a vehicle, wherein a local attribute detecting means for detecting a local attribute in which the own vehicle is traveling, Accelerator operation amount detecting means for detecting an accelerator operation amount operated by a driver; and driving force characteristic switching means for switching a target value of a throttle gain for the accelerator operation amount based on a regional attribute detected by the regional attribute detecting means. And a gain changing means for changing the current throttle gain stepwise by a predetermined change width until the target value is reached when the gain is switched.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the first aspect of the present invention, a local attribute storing means for storing a local attribute relating to a main road in advance and detecting position information used for obtaining a current position of the own vehicle. Position information detecting means to perform, a current position calculating means for calculating and determining a current position of the own vehicle based on a detection result of the position information detecting means, a regional attribute in the regional attribute storage means, Detecting means for comparing the result of the calculation with the calculating means to detect an area attribute in which the host vehicle is traveling.

A third aspect of the present invention is characterized in that, in the second aspect of the present invention, the area attribute storage means stores area attributes related to a predetermined area on a map in advance.

The invention of claim 4 is the invention of claim 1, 2 or 3.
In the invention, when the accelerator operation amount detecting means detects that the accelerator is operated by the driver, the target value switching prohibition for prohibiting the switching of the target value of the throttle gain by the driving force characteristic switching means is prohibited. Means are further provided.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the first to fourth aspects of the present invention, the gain changing means detects that the accelerator operation amount is changed from a non-zero state to zero by the accelerator operation amount detecting means. The throttle valve gain is changed by the predetermined change width.

According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, in the first to fifth aspects of the present invention, the driving force characteristic switching means further includes a pattern changing means for changing a shift pattern of the automatic transmission according to the regional attribute. It is characterized by the following.

[0014]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the local attribute in which the vehicle is traveling is detected by the local attribute detecting means. The driving force characteristic switching means switches the target value of the throttle gain based on the detection result by the area attribute detecting means. At this time, since the throttle gain is changed stepwise by a predetermined change width by the gain changing means,
Even if the regional attribute is changed, the throttle gain is not changed abruptly but is changed gradually by a predetermined change width. Therefore, the driving force does not suddenly change during running and the vehicle speed does not suddenly change, so that the driving can be performed without discomfort.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the current position of the own vehicle is detected by the position information detecting means, and the detection result is compared with the regional attribute stored in the local attribute storing means to determine whether the own vehicle is in the predetermined position. It is determined whether the vehicle is traveling in the area. Here, if the area information relating to the predetermined area is stored in advance in the area attribute storage means as in the invention of claim 3, the own vehicle travels based on the area information and the detection result by the position information detection means. Is detected. The driving force characteristic switching means switches the driving force characteristics so as to be suitable for the attribute of the area where the vehicle is traveling. As a result, it is possible to drive the vehicle according to the road condition based on the driving force characteristics according to the area attribute. In addition, the local attribute can be determined more quickly and accurately than when the surrounding situation is determined based on the correlation between the accelerator operation amount and the vehicle acceleration.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, when the accelerator operation amount detecting means detects that the accelerator is operated, the target value switching prohibiting means sets the target throttle gain even if the regional attribute is changed. Since the setting of the value is prohibited, the driving force of the vehicle cannot be switched unless the accelerator operation amount is set to zero. Therefore, even if the regional attribute is changed, the driving force does not suddenly change during driving and the vehicle speed does not suddenly change against the driver's will, thereby making it possible to drive without discomfort. Conversely, when the regional attribute is changed, the driving force characteristics of the vehicle are changed when the accelerator operation amount is zero, so that the driving force characteristics can be switched smoothly with substantially equal outputs.

According to the present invention, when the accelerator operation amount detecting means detects that the accelerator operation amount has changed from a non-zero state to zero, the throttle gain is changed by a predetermined change width each time. For this reason, even when the regional attribute is changed, the driving force does not suddenly change during driving and the vehicle speed does not suddenly change, contrary to the driver's will, thereby making it possible to drive without discomfort. Further, when the accelerator operation amount is set to zero, the throttle gain is changed only by a predetermined change width, so that the driving force characteristics are gradually changed, and the driving force characteristics change greatly when the accelerator is operated next time. The driving force characteristics can be changed without any problem.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, by changing the shift pattern of the automatic transmission according to the regional attribute, the gear position is prevented from frequently changing, for example, for the same amount of accelerator operation. Depending on the accelerator operation amount and the vehicle speed such as on an uphill road, even if the margin of the driving force corresponding to the gear position becomes small, the driving speed is reduced in advance so that the driving force has a margin. For example, it is possible to make the driver not feel any trouble at the time of shifting according to the area attribute, such as a shifting pattern separated to the side. Therefore, the driver can drive more comfortably.

[0019]

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

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a vehicle driving force control device according to the present embodiment. As shown in FIG. 1, a vehicle driving force control device according to the present embodiment includes a position information detecting unit 1 that detects position information used for obtaining a current position of the host vehicle, and a position information detection unit. Means 1
Current position detecting means 2 such as a navigation device for calculating and determining the current position of the own vehicle based on the detection result of the vehicle, a local attribute storing means 3 preliminarily storing a local attribute relating to a local attribute in which the vehicle travels, and a local attribute storing means Driving force characteristic switching for switching and setting a target value of a throttle valve opening gain (hereinafter referred to as a throttle gain) with respect to an accelerator operation amount on the basis of the regional attribute stored in 3 and the detection result by the current position detecting means 2. Means 4 and gain changing means 5 for changing the current throttle gain stepwise by a predetermined change width until reaching the target value.

That is, the vehicle driving force control device according to the present embodiment has such a structure, and detects the current traveling position of the vehicle by the current position detecting means 2 such as a navigation device. A local attribute stored in advance in a ROM or the like is compared with the current traveling position of the vehicle, and according to the regional attribute in which the vehicle is currently traveling,
This is to change the driving force characteristic by changing the throttle gain. At this time, the target value of the throttle gain with respect to the accelerator operation amount is switched by the driving force characteristic changing means 4, and the gain changing means 5 changes the throttle gain stepwise by a predetermined change width until reaching the target value. .

Hereinafter, a specific configuration of the present embodiment will be described.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of a vehicle to which the vehicle driving force control device according to the present embodiment is applied. The output of engine 101 is supplied to driving wheels via an automatic transmission 103 with a built-in torque converter. (Not shown).

An electronically controlled throttle valve 102, which is opened and closed by a motor or the like, is interposed in the intake passage of the engine 101. The intake air amount of the engine 101 is adjusted according to the opening of the electronically controlled throttle valve 102. Thus, the output torque of the engine 101 is controlled. The electronically controlled throttle valve 102 is operated by a control signal from a throttle control module (TCM) 51.

The TCM 51 has a power train
An opening command signal indicating the opening of the electronically controlled throttle valve 102 is transmitted from a control module (hereinafter referred to as PCM) 50, and the TCM 51 converts the opening command signal into a motor drive voltage and calculates the actual throttle valve 102.
The electronic control throttle valve 102 is feedback-controlled so that the opening of the electronic control throttle valve 102 becomes the opening obtained by the opening command signal from the PCM 50.

The PCM 50 includes an accelerator pedal opening from an accelerator pedal opening sensor 105, a brake operation signal from a brake operation switch 106, and an automatic transmission 103.
A select range signal from the range selection lever 107 is input to control the fuel supply amount to the engine 101, the ignition timing, the gear position control or the hydraulic control of the automatic transmission 103, the brake actuator 1
In step 04, hydraulic control of each wheel brake is performed.

On the other hand, above the windshield of the vehicle,
Camera 1 for capturing the situation in front of the vehicle as a video
11 are provided. The image captured by the camera 111 is input to the image processing device 53 and processed as a road condition, a vehicle condition, obstacle information, and the like in front. The processing result is transmitted to the external environment information processing module 52.

Further, a GPS antenna 113 for receiving a signal from a satellite is provided at a rear portion of the vehicle. GPS
Information obtained from the antenna 113 is input to the position information processing device 54. The position information processing device 54 is a CD-R storing map information in which geographical attributes are incorporated in advance.
A storage medium such as an OM is stored.
Based on the signal from PS antenna 113, the position where the vehicle is currently traveling is detected. Then, the detection result is transmitted to the external environment information processing module 52. Further, a signal from the position information processing device 54 is also displayed on a monitor 112 provided in the driver's seat.

The external environment information processing module 52 converts a signal representing the current vehicle environment into a PC based on the signals input from the image processing device 53 and the position information processing device 54.
Send to M50. The PCM 50 receives this signal and controls the output of the engine 101, the shift of the automatic transmission 103, and the like. Conversely, the PCM 50 transmits output torque information of the engine 101, gear position information of the automatic transmission 103, signals from the accelerator pedal opening sensor 105 and the brake operation switch 106, and the like to the external environment information processing module 52. The external environment information processing module 52 may receive this signal to increase the accuracy of determining the external environment or estimate the driver's mental state.

Next, the operation of the present embodiment will be described.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing an example of processing performed in the vehicle driving force control device according to the present embodiment.

First, in step S1, the external environment information processing module 52 determines the attribute of the area where the vehicle is currently traveling.

FIG. 4 shows the external environment information processing module 52.
5 showing a region attribute determination process in FIG.
7A and 7B are diagrams illustrating images displayed on a monitor 112. FIG.

As shown in FIG. 4, first, in step S11
, The position coordinates C (x, y) of the vehicle on the map are detected based on the satellite reception information from the GPS antenna 113. In addition, as shown in FIG. 5A, determination on which road on the surrounding road the vehicle is located is also performed on the map.

In the next step S12, it is determined which of the pre-stored regional attributes (city area, non-city area, etc.) the position coordinates C (x, y) detected in step S11 belong to. For example, the vehicle is shown in FIG.
When the vehicle exists at the position of the coordinates C (x, y) shown in FIG. 5A, it is determined that the own vehicle belongs to the attribute A (for example, an urban area) in the attributes on the map as shown in FIG. Is done.

Then, in step S13, information relating to the attribute of the own vehicle at the current position determined in step S12 is transmitted to the PCM 50, and the process ends.

Returning to FIG. 3, in the next step S2, the PCM 50 changes the throttle gain. FIG. 6 is a flowchart of the first embodiment showing the throttle gain changing process. Note that the throttle gain changing process in the present embodiment is performed, for example, for 10
ec is executed at a rate of one task. First,
In step S21, the position where the vehicle is currently running, which is obtained in step S1, is detected from the external environment information processing module 52. Then, in step S22, based on information on the current position of the vehicle detected in step S21, regional attribute information is detected, and the regional attribute is stored in a memory provided in PCM 50.

Next, in step S23, the TCM 51 responds to the signal detected by the accelerator pedal opening sensor 105 in accordance with the regional attribute information stored in the memory.
The magnification of the throttle valve opening signal to be transmitted is switched, and the switched throttle valve opening is set as a target value of the throttle gain and stored in the memory. For example, as shown in FIG. 7, when the attribute A corresponding to the city area is set to be larger than the attribute B corresponding to the area other than the city area, the ratio of the throttle valve opening to the accelerator opening is set to be larger, so that the engine in the city area driving is performed. Set the throttle gain target value to increase the output torque sensitivity. This makes it possible to perform high-response driving with high output during city driving,
Improve the vehicle's emergency avoidance performance by driving comfortably with sufficient driving and braking power even in urban areas where it is often necessary to avoid obstacles due to sudden jumps from sideways or to use engine braking, even in urban areas. be able to.

In the next step S24, it is determined whether or not the current throttle gain is smaller than the target value of the throttle gain set in step S23. If the current throttle gain is the same as the target value or if the target value is reduced by switching the throttle gain, step S24 is denied and the process proceeds to step S25, where the target value is used as it is as the throttle gain. The process ends.

On the other hand, if step S24 is affirmed, the process proceeds to step S26, in which a predetermined amount of change is added to the current throttle gain at a predetermined timing every predetermined time, and the throttle gain is increased in steps until the target value is obtained. Then, the process is terminated.

As described above, in the first embodiment, even if the regional attribute is changed in step S22 and the target value of the throttle gain is changed in step S23, the target throttle gain is set in step S26. Since the value is changed stepwise, the throttle gain is not changed abruptly even if the area attribute is changed, but is gradually changed according to a predetermined change width. Therefore, the driving force does not suddenly change during running and the vehicle speed does not suddenly change, so that the driving can be performed without discomfort.

Here, in the first embodiment, when the target value decreases in step S25, the throttle gain is immediately changed to the target value without changing the throttle gain stepwise. Does not mean that even if the throttle gain is reduced, the driving force is immediately reduced due to the inertia of the vehicle and the vehicle speed is not suddenly reduced,
This is because it does not cause much discomfort during driving. Note that, even when the target value is smaller than the current throttle gain, the throttle gain may be changed stepwise as performed in step S26.

Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a throttle gain changing process performed in the second embodiment of the present invention. In steps S31 and S32, as in steps S21 and S22 of the flowchart shown in FIG. 6, the current position of the vehicle is detected, and local attribute information is detected. In step S33, it is determined whether the accelerator operation amount is zero based on a signal from the accelerator pedal opening sensor 105. If the accelerator operation amount is zero, the process proceeds to step S34 assuming that the target value of the throttle gain may be switched and newly set. Conversely, if the accelerator operation amount is not zero, the process ends without setting the target value of the throttle gain. In step S34, a target value of the throttle gain is set in the same manner as in step S23 of FIG. Hereinafter, in steps S35 to S37, processing is performed in the same manner as in steps S24 to S26 in FIG.

As described above, in the second embodiment, when the accelerator operation amount is not zero, the setting of the target value of the throttle gain is prohibited even if the regional attribute is changed. Unless set to zero, the driving force of the vehicle cannot be switched. Therefore, when the regional attribute is changed, the driver does not suddenly change the driving force during driving and suddenly changes the vehicle speed, contrary to the driver's intention, unless the accelerator operation amount is intentionally set to zero. Thus, driving can be performed without feeling uncomfortable. Conversely, when the regional attribute is changed, the driving force characteristics of the vehicle are changed when the accelerator operation amount is zero,
The driving can be smoothly performed while the driving force characteristics are switched in a state where the outputs are substantially equal.

Next, a third embodiment of the present invention will be described.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a throttle gain changing process performed in the third embodiment of the present invention. In steps S41 to S43, the current position of the vehicle is detected, the area attribute information is detected, and the target value of the throttle gain is set as in steps S21 to S23 of the flowchart shown in FIG. In step S44, it is determined whether or not the accelerator operation amount is zero based on a signal from the accelerator pedal opening sensor 105. If the accelerator operation amount is zero, the process proceeds to step S45 assuming that the throttle gain may be changed. Conversely, if the accelerator operation amount is not zero, the process ends without changing the throttle gain.

In step S45, it is determined whether or not the current throttle gain is smaller than the target value of the throttle gain set in step S43.
If the current throttle gain is the same as the target value or if the target value is reduced by switching the throttle gain, step S45 is denied and the process proceeds to step S46, where the target value is used as it is as the throttle gain. The process ends.

On the other hand, when step S45 is affirmed, the process proceeds to step S47, and it is determined whether or not the accelerator operation amount was zero in the previous processing. If the previous accelerator operation amount is zero, the process ends without changing the throttle gain. Conversely, if the previous accelerator operation amount is not zero, it is determined that the accelerator operation amount has become non-zero to zero, and step S4 is performed.
Then, the process proceeds to step S49, where a predetermined amount of change is added to the current throttle gain to change the throttle gain, and
Proceed to. In step S49, it is determined whether or not the throttle gain has reached the target value. If step S49 is negative, it is determined in step S50 whether or not the accelerator operation amount is not zero. When step S50 is affirmed, the process proceeds to step S44, and the processing of steps S44 to S49 is repeated. on the other hand,
If step S49 is affirmed, the process ends.

As described above, in the third embodiment, when it is detected that the accelerator operation amount has become zero from a non-zero state, the throttle gain is changed by a predetermined change width each time. For this reason, even when the regional attribute is changed, the driving force is not suddenly changed during driving and the vehicle speed does not suddenly change against the driver's will, so that the driving can be performed without feeling uncomfortable. Further, when the accelerator operation amount is set to zero, the throttle gain is changed only by a predetermined change width, so that the driving force characteristic does not suddenly change when the accelerator is operated next time, so that driving can be performed without discomfort. It can be carried out.

In the first to third embodiments, the throttle gain is changed according to the regional attribute. However, in addition to the change in the throttle gain, the shift pattern of the automatic transmission 103 is further changed. You may.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a driving force characteristic changing process by changing the shift pattern of the automatic transmission 103. The processing illustrated in FIG. 10 is performed, for example, in the background. As shown in FIG. 10, in step S51, the automatic transmission 1 based on the relationship between the speed of the vehicle and the signal of the accelerator pedal opening sensor 105 according to the regional attribute information stored in the memory described above.
Change the 03 shift pattern. For example, as shown in FIG. 11, when the attribute C corresponds to a hill area, a lower gear is selected even at the same vehicle speed and the same accelerator opening than when the attribute A corresponds to an urban area. By setting the shift pattern, the marginal driving force for each gear is larger in the case of the attribute C than in the case of the attribute A, and the shift pattern is suitable for traveling on an uphill or downhill.

As described above, by changing the shift pattern of the automatic transmission 103 in addition to the change of the throttle gain, it is possible to prevent the gear position from frequently changing for the same amount of accelerator operation, for example. Also, depending on the accelerator operation amount and the vehicle speed, such as on an uphill road, even if the margin of the driving force according to the gear position becomes small, the low-speed side so that the driving force can have a margin in advance. For example, it is possible to make the driver not feel any trouble at the time of shifting according to the area attribute, for example, by setting a shifting pattern that is separated from the driver. Therefore, the driver can drive more comfortably.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a vehicle to which the vehicle driving force control device according to the embodiment is applied;

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing processing performed in the present embodiment.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a region attribute determination process.

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example of a map displayed on a monitor.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing a first embodiment of a throttle gain changing process;

FIG. 7 is a graph showing a relationship between an accelerator opening and a throttle valve opening;

FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing a second embodiment of the throttle gain changing process.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing a third embodiment of the throttle gain changing process.

FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing a shift pattern changing process of the automatic transmission.

FIG. 11 is a graph showing a shift pattern in a relationship between a vehicle speed and an accelerator pedal opening.

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Position information detecting means 2 Current position detecting means 3 Regional attribute storing means 4 Driving force characteristic switching means 5 Gain changing means 50 PCM 51 TCM 52 External environment information processing module 54 Position information processing apparatus 101 Engine 102 Electronic control throttle valve 103 Automatic Transmission 111 camera

──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (51) Int.Cl. ⁶ Identification code FI // F16H 59:66

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A vehicle driving force control device for controlling a driving force of a vehicle, comprising: a region attribute detecting means for detecting a region attribute in which the own vehicle is traveling; and an accelerator operation amount operated by a driver. Accelerator operation amount detecting means, driving force characteristic switching means for switching a target value of a throttle gain for an accelerator operation amount based on a regional attribute detected by the regional attribute detecting means, and the target value when the gain is switched. And a gain changing means for changing the current throttle gain in a stepwise manner by a predetermined change width up to a predetermined change width. 2. The local attribute detecting unit includes: a local attribute storing unit that stores a local attribute of a main road in advance; and a positional information detecting unit that detects positional information used to determine a current position of the host vehicle. Means, a current position calculating means for calculating and determining a current position of the own vehicle based on a detection result of the position information detecting means, a regional attribute in the local attribute storing means, and a calculation result by the current position calculating means 2. The vehicle driving force control device according to claim 1, further comprising: a detection unit configured to detect an area attribute in which the host vehicle is traveling by comparing 3. The vehicle driving force control device according to claim 2, wherein the area attribute storage means stores area attributes related to a predetermined area on a map in advance. 4. A target value switch for inhibiting switching of a target value of the throttle gain by the driving force characteristic switching means when the accelerator operation amount detecting means detects that an accelerator is being operated by a driver. 4. The vehicle driving force control device according to claim 1, further comprising prohibiting means. 5. The gain changing means changes the throttle valve gain by the predetermined change width each time the accelerator operation amount detecting means detects that the accelerator operation amount becomes non-zero to zero. The vehicle driving force control device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein: 6. The driving force characteristic switching means further comprises a pattern changing means for changing a shift pattern of the automatic transmission according to the regional attribute.
6. The vehicle driving force control device according to claim 5.