JPS60116532A - Display unit for car's fuel consumption improvement - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To make a display unit so as to call upon a driver to do his shift-up motion, by letting an electronic control unit judge 'proper' or 'improper' for the gear shifting step on the basis of an engine speed signal and an accelerator pedal opening signal and, when 'improper' is the case, lighting a pilot lamp. CONSTITUTION:An operating amount theta of an accelerator pedal 8 is outputted out of a potentiometer 8b as an analog value. An electronic control unit 12 detects this value, calculating the opening of a throttle valve 9 and generating a command so as to make the valve open as much as necessary. Speed of an engine 1 is detected by an engine speed sensor 7 and stored in the control unit 12. A display unit for car's fuel consumption improvement repeatedly performs sequency motions for displaying the fuel consumption improvement according to a program being housed in a control program memory 12b. If a degree of return in the accelerator pedal 8 is little and the speed of the engine 1 still remains in being high, the control unit 12 lights a shift-up lamp 10 and gives warning to a driver.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION (Field of Industrial Application) The present invention relates to a fuel efficiency improvement display device for a vehicle that warns of a decrease in fuel efficiency of a running vehicle and also prompts a gear change operation.

(Prior Art) Conventionally, devices have been developed that instruct a driver of a car to perform driving operations that are efficient in fuel efficiency. For example, JP-A-51-132
The optimum fuel efficiency driving instruction device described in Publication No. 538 includes a fuel flow meter that generates a signal proportional to fuel consumption;
The vehicle speed sensor, a divider that divides the No. 48 value from the vehicle speed sensor by the fuel flow rate, and the signal from the divider and the signal from the vehicle speed sensor are compared with a predetermined determination reference amount separately determined, The vehicle has a comparison/discrimination circuit that determines the gear position that provides the best fuel efficiency and smoothest running, and a display section that displays the L feeding gear position based on a signal from the comparison/discrimination circuit.

(Problems with the prior art) However, the above device has a divider that divides the signal value from the vehicle speed sensor by the fuel flow rate, and the signal from the divider and the signal from the vehicle speed sensor are separately defined. There is a drawback that means for comparing with a predetermined determination reference amount is required, and the procedure for displaying the gear position based on the signal from the comparison/determination circuit is complicated.

(Objective of the Invention) The present invention aims to improve the above-mentioned drawbacks, and its purpose is to provide a fuel efficiency improvement display device for a vehicle with a simple configuration.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a fuel efficiency improvement display device for a vehicle that is capable of displaying not only the optimum gear change position above -rise but also the optimum gear change position one step above.

(9, Outline of Ming) This invention provides a table in the Kameko control device to determine the optimum gear change stage of the transmission based on the engine speed and the accelerator pedal opening, and the engine speed input to the electronic control device. Based on the number signal and the accelerator pedal opening signal, the electronic control unit uses the table to determine whether the gear change stage is appropriate or not, and if it is inappropriate, it lights up an indicator lamp to prompt the driver to shift up. . Furthermore, this display is not limited to simply displaying the most recent upper shift up, but also displays prompting for a skip shift up.

(Example) Examples of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram for explaining one embodiment of the present invention. In the figure, 1 is an engine, which has a cooling fan la at the front, and a clutch 2 and a transmission 3 at the rear. is included. 2a is a clutch actuator. A shift lever 3a for changing gears is provided at the top of the transmission 3. 4 and 5 are gear position switches, which are configured to operate in conjunction with the shift lever 3a. Of these, the position switch 4 is turned on when the shift lever 3a is in the forward 1st or 2nd speed position; is turned on when the shift lever 3a is in the third or fourth forward speed position. Reference numeral 6 denotes a clutch switch, which is turned on when the clutch actuator 2a operates and the clutch 2 is connected, that is, when the power of the engine 1 is transmitted to the transmission 3. Reference numeral 7 designates an engine rotation sensor disposed inside the clutch latch 2, which consists of a magnet and a pickup coil wound around the magnet. is configured to generate a pulse each time it passes near the 8 is an accelerator pedal which, when depressed by the foot, rotates in the direction of the arrow around pivot 8'a. 8b
is a potentiometer that detects the rotational position of the accelerator pedal 8. 8C is a WOT switch, 8d is an idle switch, and the accelerator pedal 8 is in the idle position (3%
When the cam 8e rotates together with the accelerator pedal 8, the cam 8e turns on.
In addition, when the accelerator pedal 8 is depressed more than 95%, the WOT switch is activated by a cam 8 that rotates together with the accelerator pedal 8.
It is activated by e and turns on. 9 is a throttle valve actuator. 10 is a shift up lamp, 11
is a skip shift up lamp. 12 is an electronic control device configured with a microcomputer;
In addition to controlling the operations of other parts, the fuel efficiency improvement display device according to the present invention is also controlled. The electronic control device 12 includes a processing device 12a, a control program memory 12b storing a computer control program, a data memory 12c storing various data, and a processing device 12.
Random access memory 12d, input capo) 12e, output capo h, 12, which stores the calculation results calculated by a and data taken from sensors in various parts of the vehicle.
Consists of f. Note that 12g is a pass line.

FIG. 2 is a characteristic diagram illustrating a table for the fuel efficiency improvement display device, and this table is stored in the data memory 12c. This table takes the rotational speed N of the engine l on the horizontal axis, and the depression amount θ of the accelerator pedal 8 in percent E%] on the vertical axis, and expresses the accelerator pedal depression amount θ and the engine rotational speed N as a function. line segment ab,
With bc, cd, de, and ef as boundaries, the upper side is the area where the shift up lamp is off, and the lower side is the line segments ab, bc, c.
The area between d, de, ef and line segment gh is defined as the area where the shift up lamp is on. Here, the area below the line segment gh is the area where consideration has been taken to prevent the shift-up lamp from lighting up when the accelerator pedal 8 is released to apply engine braking, and the area below the line segment cd, de,
The range surrounded by ef and fc is the area where the upshift lamp is on, but the gear change is not the most immediately higher gear, but is skipped, for example, from 1st forward to 3rd forward, or from 2nd forward to 4th forward. This is an area where the gears are shifted up by skipping from the third forward gear to the fifth forward gear.

Since this range is particularly large in both engine load and engine speed, there is no problem in terms of power performance even if the gear 9 is shifted up by skipping in this manner.

Next, the operation of one embodiment of the present invention will be explained in detail with reference to the flowchart shown in FIG.

In a normal running state of the vehicle, the accelerator pedal 8 is depressed to a predetermined position, and the depression amount θ is outputted from the potentiometer 8b as an analog quantity. The electronic control unit 12 detects this, calculates the opening degree of the throttle valve 9, and issues a command to open the throttle valve by a certain amount. The engine 1 rotates at a rotation speed balanced with the load. This rotation speed is detected by the engine rotation sensor 7 and taken into the electronic control device 12. In addition, in such normal driving conditions, when the gears of the transmission 3 are engaged at forward 1st to 4th forward speeds (gear meshing position), either position switch 4.5 is turned on. Since the clutch 2 is also in the engaged state, the clutch switch 6 is also on.

Assuming that such a driving condition is, for example, climbing a steep slope in light rain, the accelerator pedal 8 is depressed deeply to about 95%, and the engine 1 is also at 3000 rpm.
m] (3Krpm) (point P in Figure 2). The transmission 3 is in the forward l-speed position.

The fuel efficiency improvement display device for a vehicle according to the present invention repeatedly performs a sequence operation for displaying fuel efficiency improvement according to a program stored in the control program memory 12b. In the above operating state, steps (A) to (E) in the flowchart of FIG.
From step (e) to step (to) to step (g). Therefore, none of the shift up lamp 10, the skip shift door, and the plunger 11 lights up to inform the driver that the vehicle is being driven at an appropriate gear ratio. Note that the sequence operation returns to step (a).

At this point, the vehicle has finished climbing the steep slope and the load on the vehicle has become lighter, so the amount of depression of the accelerator pedal 8 is reduced by, for example, 50%.
Assuming that the proximal position has been returned and the operating point has moved to point Q in Figure 2,
It is assumed that the number of times the accelerator pedal 8 is returned is small and the rotational speed of the engine 1 remains high and does not change. In such a case, in Figure 3, step (a) to step (
From step (e) to step (he), step (chi), and step (su). For this reason, the electronic control unit 12 lights up the shift-up lamp 10 to warn the driver to perform a gear cutting operation of the transmission 3 from the first forward gear to the second forward gear (the immediately higher gear).

Further, it is assumed that the number of times the accelerator pedal 8 is returned is even less, and the depression 1-1 remains at about 65%. Assume that the load on engine l has been reduced, so its rotational speed has increased, and its operating point has moved to point R in FIG. In such a case, in Figure 3, proceed from Step (A) to Step (E), and from Step (E) to Step (N).
, step (ru), step (chi), step (wo). For this reason, the electronic control unit 12 lights up the skip shift up lamp 11 to warn the driver to perform a skip gear switching operation of the transmission 3 from the first forward gear to the skip shifted third forward gear.

Assume that the vehicle moves from climbing a steep slope to a slightly gentler climbing operation as described above, the load on the engine 1 decreases a little, and the operating point moves to point 3 in FIG. 2. In such an operating state, step (a) in the flowchart of Fig.
Proceed from Step (Ho) to Step (Go).

Step (g) is reached. Therefore, none of the shift up lamps 10, 11 are lit to notify the driver that the vehicle is being driven at an appropriate gear ratio.

When you stop pressing down on the accelerator pedal 8 to apply the engine brake, the operating points are all below the line segment gh in Figure 2, so the operating steps are from step (A) to step (T) in Figure 3. ). Therefore, the shift amplifier lamp 10 and the skip shift door
None of the lamp lamps 11 is lit.

Incidentally, when the transmission 3 is at the neutral position and the fifth forward gear position, when the clutch 2 is in a disengaged state, or when the pack is in gear, the position switch 4.5 and the clutch switch 6 are all turned off.

Therefore, the electronic control unit 12 detects this state and stops the operation of the fuel efficiency improvement display device. Therefore, for example, even if a shift operation is performed with the shift lever 3a in neutral, neither the shift up lamp LO nor the skip shift up lamp 11 will turn on.

(Effects of the Invention) As described above in detail, the present invention allows the electronic control device to use the table to make a particularly appropriate adjustment to the gear shift based on the engine rotation speed signal and the accelerator pedal opening signal that are input to the electronic control device.・The structure is configured to determine whether the device is unsuitable, and if it is unsuitable, an indicator lamp lights up to prompt the driver to shift up, so the configuration is simpler than the conventional device, and the price of the device is lower than that of the conventional device. It has become possible to manufacture it at a lower cost compared to other products. In addition, the table that determines the optimum gear change speed for the transmission based on the engine speed and accelerator pedal opening has an area for determining the transmission's skip shift, so this display simply displays the most recent upper shift up. Not only that, but it is now possible to display a message that prompts you to skip upshifting.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a characteristic diagram illustrating a table for a fuel efficiency improvement display device, and FIG. 3 is a flow chart. 1. Engine 2. Clutch 3. Transmission 4.5. Φ position switch 6. Clutch switch 7. Engine rotation sensor 8. Accelerator pedal 8b @ potentiometer 10. ψ shift up lamp 11.・Skip shift up lamp 12...Electronic control device patent applicant Chair? Jidosha Co., Ltd. Representative Patent attorney Minoru Tsuji (1 other person)

Claims (2)

[Claims] (1) A table is provided in the electronic control device to determine whether the gear change stage of the transmission is appropriate or not based on the engine speed and the accelerator pedal opening, and the engine rotation speed signal input to the electronic control device and the accelerator pedal opening are set in the electronic control device. 1. A device for improving fuel efficiency of a vehicle, characterized in that an electronic control device uses the table to determine whether a gear change step is appropriate or not based on a speed signal, and lights up an indicator lamp if the gear change step is inappropriate. (2) The table has an area for determining a skip shift of the transmission.
1) A fuel efficiency improvement display device for a vehicle as described in item 1).