JPH1194072A - Vehicular driving force controller - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To restrain the change of vehicle behavior in the curve end as well as to decrease unconfortableness in shifting to normal gear shift after curve passing, in a vehicular driving force controller for automatically setting the gear ratio on the low side suitable for curve traveling in curve traveling. SOLUTION: A vehicular driving force controller is provided with a gear ratio setting means 3 for automatically setting the gear ratio to the low side when it is detected that a driver's own vehicle is traveling on the curved road, and a gear ratio releasing means 7 for releasing the gear ratio set in curve traveling when the specified releasing condition is satisfied after curve passing. Therefore, control is shifted to normal speed change control simultaneously with curve finish, and therefore, unconfortableness is prevented from being given caused by gear shift not intended by the driver, and vehicle behavior is prevented from being changed on the curve end.

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 characteristic mounted on a vehicle, and more particularly, to a driving force for improving operability and drivability of the vehicle in accordance with road conditions during traveling. The present invention relates to a control device for appropriately controlling characteristics.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, traction control systems, electronically controlled transmissions, and the like have been used in vehicles to match their running characteristics to road conditions and driving characteristics of drivers.
Various driving characteristics adjusting means such as 4WS are provided, and the driver appropriately switches the driving characteristics mode according to the situation to realize optimal driving.

Some of these running characteristic adjusting means automatically change the mode of the running characteristics. For example, the automatic transmission control device disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 7-125566 discloses an automatic transmission control device. Is determined based on the road curvature information and the vehicle speed, and when it is determined that the vehicle cannot pass through the road in advance, a warning or deceleration is automatically performed.

While the vehicle is traveling in a curve area, the speed ratio is automatically set to a lower side (ie, a higher gear ratio side) than usual, which is suitable for curve traveling, and the vehicle travels in the curve area. There is also known a driving force control device that enhances performance.

[0005]

[Problems to be solved by the invention]
In such a shift control, the shift to the normal shift control is performed at the same time as the end of the curve, regardless of the driver's intention. Therefore, if the speed ratio set in the normal speed control is different from the speed ratio set during the curve traveling, The shift is performed simultaneously with the end of the curve.

For example, when traveling in a curve area at the second speed, if the vehicle speed drops significantly at the time of passing the curve, the downshift to the first speed is performed even if the accelerator pedal operation amount by the driver is constant. May be affected. vice versa,
If the vehicle speed is increasing, there is a possibility that the upshift will be performed to the third speed.

[0007] When the gearshift is performed, the driving force changes. When the gearshift is performed simultaneously with the end of the curve and the driving force changes, not only does the driver feel uncomfortable, but also the vehicle behavior changes. Occurs. This tendency is particularly remarkable when downshifting is performed.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in view of such a problem, and in a vehicle driving force control device for automatically setting a low-side gear ratio when traveling on a curve, the vehicle shifts to a normal gear change control after the end of the curve. It is an object of the present invention to reduce a sense of discomfort at the time of turning, suppress a change in vehicle behavior at a curve exit, and realize a stable curve running.

[0009]

A first aspect of the present invention is a curve traveling detection for detecting the current position of a vehicle and detecting that the vehicle is currently traveling on a curve based on map information stored in advance. Means, gear ratio setting means for automatically setting the gear ratio to the low side when it is detected that the vehicle is currently traveling on a curve, and when a predetermined release condition is satisfied after passing the curve. The gear ratio set during traveling on a curve is released.

[0010] In a second aspect based on the first aspect, the speed ratio setting means changes the speed ratio to a lower speed range than normal when it is detected that the vehicle is currently traveling on a curve. The ratio is fixed.

According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the first or second aspect, there is provided an accelerator operation amount detecting means for detecting an operation amount of an accelerator pedal by a driver, and the speed ratio canceling means is provided with an accelerator operating means for controlling the accelerator operation from the end of the curve. When the change amount of the operation amount exceeds a predetermined value, the speed ratio set during the curve running is released.

According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the first to third aspects, a shift lever position detecting means for detecting a position of the shift lever is provided.
When the driver detects that the shift lever has been operated, the gear ratio set during curve running is released.

According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the first to fourth aspects, there is provided a normal speed ratio calculating means for calculating a speed ratio set in the normal speed control from a relationship between a vehicle speed and an accelerator operation amount,
The gear ratio canceling means cancels the gear ratio set during the curve running when the gear ratio calculated by the normal gear ratio calculating means is equal to the gear ratio set during the curve running after passing through the curve. It is characterized by the following.

In a sixth aspect based on the first to fifth aspects, the vehicle further comprises a normal speed ratio calculating means for calculating a speed ratio set in the normal speed control from a relationship between the vehicle speed and the accelerator operation amount,
The gear ratio release means is configured to set the gear ratio set during the curve running when the gear ratio calculated by the normal gear ratio calculating means becomes higher than the gear ratio set during the curve running after passing through the curve. Is canceled.

In a seventh aspect based on the first to sixth aspects, there is provided a normal speed ratio calculating means for calculating a speed ratio set in the normal speed control from a relationship between a vehicle speed and an accelerator operation amount,
The gear ratio canceling means is configured to change the gear ratio set during the curve running when the gear ratio calculated by the normal gear ratio calculating means is lower than the gear ratio set during the curve running even during the curve running. The ratio is canceled.

[0016]

According to the first aspect of the present invention, the speed ratio is automatically set to the low side while traveling on a curve, so that a marginal driving force is ensured, the engine braking effect is enhanced, and the vehicle travels in a curve area. Sex is enhanced. After passing through the curve, the control does not shift to the normal shift control until the predetermined release condition is satisfied, so that the shift is performed at the same time as the end of the curve, the driving force suddenly changes, and unintended acceleration / deceleration occurs, and It is possible to prevent the driver from feeling uncomfortable or changing the vehicle behavior.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, the speed ratio is fixed to the low side during the curve running, and the speed change operation is not performed.
A change in driving force due to gear shifting can be suppressed, and stable curve running can be performed.

According to the third aspect, after the end of the curve, the control shifts to the normal shift control at the timing when the driver performs the accelerator operation. Even if the shift is performed as a result, the shift is performed in accordance with the driving force demand of the driver. And give the driver little discomfort.

According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the shift to the normal shift control is performed at the timing when the driver performs the shift operation after the end of the curve. And there is little discomfort to the driver.

According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the shift operation is not performed even after the transition to the normal shift control after the end of the curve, so that the driver does not feel uncomfortable.

According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, even if the shift to the normal shift control is performed, the shift-up operation with a small change in the vehicle behavior occurs, so that the driver can be less uncomfortable.

According to the seventh aspect of the invention, even when the vehicle is traveling on a curve, when the driver requests a large driving force, the process shifts to the normal shift control, and the downshift is performed accordingly. Can be handled.

That is, in the present invention, the timing for shifting to the normal shift control is not the end of the curve, but the timing at which the driver performs some driving operation or the timing at which the driver does not care even if the shift is performed. Thus, it is possible to prevent a feeling of strangeness and a change in vehicle behavior when shifting to the normal shift control.

[0024]

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, the vehicle driving force control device according to the present embodiment includes a current position detecting unit 1 for detecting a current position of the own vehicle, and a current position detected by the current position detecting unit 1. Curve traveling detecting means 2 for detecting that the own vehicle is currently traveling on a curve based on the stored map information, and that the own vehicle is currently traveling on a curve by the curve traveling detecting means 2 In this case, a gear ratio setting means 3 for automatically setting a low gear ratio suitable for curve running, an accelerator operation amount detecting means 4 for detecting an operation amount of an accelerator pedal by a driver, and a shift lever position detection A shift lever position detecting means 5, a normal speed ratio calculating means 6 for calculating a speed ratio set by normal speed control from a relationship between a vehicle speed and an accelerator operation amount, an accelerator operation amount detecting means 4, A gear ratio canceling means 7 for canceling a gear ratio set during curve running according to a detection result of the lever position detecting means 5 and a calculation result of the normal gear ratio calculating means 6; A speed change control means 8 whose speed is controlled by the speed ratio release means 7.

The specific structure will be described below.

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).

At the rear of the vehicle, a G for receiving a signal from a satellite
A PS antenna 113 is provided, and information obtained from the PS antenna 113 is transmitted to the position information processing device 54 to grasp the current position of the vehicle.

The position information processing device 54 stores map information incorporating geographical attributes and the like in advance as a recording medium such as a CD-ROM.
According to the signal from the S antenna 113, information on the area where the vehicle is currently located is collected and the external environment information processing module 5 is collected.
Send to 2.

The external environment information processing module 52 appropriately summarizes the current vehicle environment and transmits the result to the power train control module (PCM) 50.

The PCM 50 includes a signal from the external environment information processing module 52 and an accelerator opening sensor 1.
Accelerator pedal opening signal from the automatic transmission 103
, An output shaft speed and gear position information, a select range signal from the range selection lever 107, and the like, and control the gear position and the like of the automatic transmission 103 based on these.

Next, the driving force control, which is a main part of the present invention, will be described with reference to FIGS.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart showing the processing performed by the curve running detecting means.

First, in step S11, the position information processing device 54 detects the current position of the host vehicle based on information obtained from the GPS antenna 113 and map information stored in advance. Step S12
Then, the curvature at the current position of the currently traveling road is detected based on the current position of the host vehicle and the map information.

In step S13, it is determined whether or not the detected road curvature is larger than a predetermined road curvature. If the road curvature is larger than the predetermined road curvature, step S
Proceeding to 14, it is determined that the vehicle is currently traveling on a curve. On the other hand, when the road curvature is smaller than the predetermined road curvature, the process proceeds to step S15, and it is determined that the host vehicle is not currently traveling on a curve.

Therefore, by processing the flowchart shown in FIG. 3, it can be determined whether or not the host vehicle is currently traveling on a curve.

In this case, it is determined that the vehicle is traveling on a curve from the curvature of the road. However, the traveling direction of the vehicle may be detected and the vehicle may be determined on the basis of the amount of change.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing a shift control at the time of running on a curve, which is executed at predetermined intervals.

First, in step S21, the curve traveling detecting means detects whether or not the vehicle is currently traveling on a curve. If it is detected that the vehicle is traveling on a curve, step S22
Conversely, if it is not detected that the vehicle is traveling on a curve, the process proceeds to step S23.

In step S22, the gear ratio is set to a low gear ratio suitable for curve running. The gear ratio is fixed at this gear ratio until it passes through the curve.

In step S23, it is determined whether or not the speed ratio is set to the low side. If the speed ratio is set to the low side, the process proceeds to step S24. Conversely, when the gear ratio is not set to the low side, this routine ends.

In step S24, the operation amount of the accelerator pedal by the driver is detected from the accelerator opening sensor 105.

In step S25, the amount of change in the accelerator operation amount from the end of the curve is determined, and it is determined whether the amount of change exceeds a predetermined value. When the change amount exceeds the predetermined value, the process proceeds to step S26, where the low-side speed ratio is released, and the process proceeds to the normal speed control. Conversely, if the amount of change does not exceed the predetermined value, the low speed ratio is maintained as it is, and the routine ends.

Next, the operation will be described.

When the vehicle enters a curve from a straight road,
Since the gear ratio is set to the low side, the marginal driving force and the engine braking effect are enhanced, and the traveling performance in the curve area is improved. Further, the speed ratio is fixed to the low side speed ratio until the vehicle passes the curve, so that the speed is changed during traveling on the curve, the driving force changes, and the vehicle behavior is prevented from changing.

Then, the vehicle does not shift to the normal shift control immediately after passing through the curve, but shifts to the normal shift control when the driver depresses the accelerator pedal or at the timing when the accelerator pedal is released. Even if the driving force changes, the driver does not feel uncomfortable because the driving force changes in accordance with the driving force request of the driver.

FIG. 5 shows a second embodiment of the present invention, and is a flowchart showing shift control during curve running, as in FIG. 4, which is executed at predetermined time intervals.

In particular, in this embodiment, the conditions for canceling the gear ratio are different. That is, the shift lever position is detected based on the select range signal from the range selection lever 107 (step S34), and when it is determined from the detection result that the driver has performed the shift operation, the low gear ratio is released (step S35). .

Therefore, in this embodiment, the low-side gear ratio is released at the timing when the driver operates the shift lever after passing through the curve. This is in accordance with the intention, and it is possible to shift to the normal shift control without giving the driver an uncomfortable feeling.

FIG. 6 shows a third embodiment of the present invention, and is a flowchart showing shift control during curve running, similar to FIG. 4, which is executed at predetermined time intervals.

This also differs from the gear ratio release conditions.
After the end of the curve, a speed ratio set in the normal speed control (hereinafter referred to as a normal speed ratio) is obtained from the vehicle speed and the accelerator operation amount (step S44), and when it is equal to the speed ratio set during the curve running, Alternatively, the low-side gear ratio is released when the gear is on the high side (step S45).

Therefore, in this embodiment, the shift is not performed even if the shift to the normal shift control is performed, or the shift up is performed with little change in the vehicle behavior even if the shift is performed.
The discomfort given to the driver can be reduced. Further, when the normal gear ratio is lower than the gear ratio set during the curve running, the gear ratio is not released, so that it is possible to avoid a downshift with a large change in driving force.

FIG. 7 shows a fourth embodiment of the present invention, and is a flowchart showing shift control during curve running, similar to FIG. 4, which is executed at predetermined time intervals.

In this embodiment, even when the vehicle is traveling on a curve, the normal speed ratio is calculated from the vehicle speed and the accelerator operation amount (step S53), and the normal speed ratio is lower than the speed ratio set during the curve running. When the vehicle is on the side, the gear ratio set during curve running is released and the routine shifts to normal gear shift control (step S54).

Therefore, in this embodiment, even when the vehicle is traveling on a curve, the speed ratio set by the normal speed change control such as when the driver depresses the accelerator pedal is lower than the speed ratio set during the curve running. When it becomes, the shift to normal shift control is performed and downshifting is performed, so it is possible to respond to the driver's large demand for driving force, and it is not possible to obtain the expected driving force while depressing the accelerator pedal The discomfort can be avoided.

As described above, the conditions for releasing the low-side gear ratio set during running on a curve include the case where an accelerator operation is performed, the case where a shift operation is performed, and the relationship between the normal gear ratio and the gear ratio during curve running. As mentioned above, combining these,
The release condition may be set so that the release is performed when at least one or some of the conditions are satisfied.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a schematic configuration of a vehicle driving force control device according to an embodiment.

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;

FIG. 3 is a flowchart illustrating a process performed by a curve detection unit.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing shift control at the time of running on a curve.

FIG. 5 shows a second embodiment of the shift control during curve running.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a third embodiment of a shift control during curve running.

FIG. 7 shows a fourth embodiment of the shift control during curve running.

[Explanation of symbols]

 2 Curve running detecting means 3 Gear ratio setting means 7 Gear ratio canceling means 54 Position information detecting means 103 Automatic transmission 105 Accelerator opening sensor 107 Range selection lever 113 GPS antenna

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Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. Curve running detecting means for detecting a current position of a host vehicle and detecting that the host vehicle is currently running on a curve based on map information stored in advance, and a host vehicle running on a current curve. Gear ratio setting means for automatically setting the gear ratio to the low side when it is detected that the gear ratio has been set, and canceling the gear ratio set during curve running when a predetermined canceling condition has been satisfied after passing through the curve. A driving force control device for a vehicle comprising: 2. The speed ratio setting means fixes the speed ratio to a speed ratio lower than normal when it is detected that the vehicle is currently traveling on a curve. Item 4. The vehicle driving force control device according to Item 1. 3. An accelerator operation amount detecting means for detecting an operation amount of an accelerator pedal by a driver, wherein the speed ratio canceling means is provided when an amount of change in the accelerator operation amount from the end of the curve exceeds a predetermined value. 3. The driving force control device for a vehicle according to claim 1, wherein the gear ratio set during the curve running is released. 4. A shift lever position detecting means for detecting a position of a shift lever, wherein the gear ratio canceling means is configured to detect a shift lever operation by a driver after passing the curve, and to perform the operation when the vehicle is traveling on a curve. The vehicle driving force control device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the set gear ratio is released. 5. A normal speed ratio calculating means for calculating a speed ratio set by normal speed control from a relationship between a vehicle speed and an accelerator operation amount, wherein the speed ratio canceling means is provided by the normal speed ratio calculating means after passing through a curve. The vehicle according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein when the calculated gear ratio is equal to the gear ratio set during curve running, the gear ratio set during curve running is released. Driving force control device. 6. A normal speed ratio calculating means for calculating a speed ratio set by normal speed control from a relationship between a vehicle speed and an accelerator operation amount, wherein said speed ratio canceling means is provided by the normal speed ratio calculating means after passing through a curve. 6. The speed ratio set during curve running is released when the calculated speed ratio becomes higher than the speed ratio set during curve running. 4. The driving force control device for a vehicle according to claim 1. 7. A normal speed ratio calculating means for calculating a speed ratio set by normal speed control from a relationship between a vehicle speed and an accelerator operation amount, wherein the speed ratio canceling means is provided with a normal speed ratio even when traveling on a curve. 7. The speed ratio set during curve running is released when the speed ratio calculated by the calculating means is lower than the speed ratio set during curve running. A driving force control device for a vehicle according to one aspect.