JPS6230940B2 - - Google Patents

Description

[Detailed description of the invention]

[Technical Field to Which the Invention Pertains] The present invention relates to an improvement in a device for displaying to a driver that the driving of an automobile will be economical in terms of fuel efficiency or acceleration performance. In particular, the present invention relates to a device that displays whether or not an automobile equipped with a diesel engine is driving economically when traveling on an uphill road. [Description of the Prior Art] The present applicant has devised a device that displays whether or not driving a car is economical based on the magnitude of the load on the car engine or the rotational speed of the engine, and whether or not the exhaust brake is activated. Applications for utility model registration were filed with Utility Model Application No. 6-38706 and Utility Model Application No. 56-38707. However, in the conventional device described above, the engine load and engine rotation speed, which are the standards for economical driving conditions, are uniformly set, so if fuel efficiency is emphasized, acceleration performance during pitching will decrease, and conversely, acceleration performance will be reduced. If you put too much emphasis on it, it had the disadvantage of worsening fuel efficiency on flat roads. [Object of the Invention] The present invention improves this point by displaying more concisely whether the driving conditions selected by the driver are economical in terms of fuel efficiency or acceleration performance even when the vehicle is on a road. The object of the present invention is to provide an economical driving display device that is easy for drivers to view. [Summary of the Invention] The present invention provides a slope sensor that detects the slope of a road on which a vehicle is traveling as an electrical signal, and an engine that receives the output signal of the slope sensor and adjusts the slope according to the upward slope of the road stored in a storage device. The present invention is characterized by comprising a control circuit that reads each economical running value of the load or the rotational speed of the engine and variably sets a reference value for comparison with the output signal of the rotation sensor or the load sensor. [Explanation based on Examples] Hereinafter, a detailed description will be given based on the drawings of the examples. FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a rotation sensor that detects the rotational speed of the engine as an electrical signal. The output of this rotation sensor 1 is connected to a comparison input of a first comparator 3 via an AD converter 2. The output of this comparator 3 is connected to one input of an OR circuit 5. Further, 6 is a load sensor that detects the engine load as an electrical signal. The output of this load sensor 6 is connected to a comparison input of a second comparator 8 via an AD converter 7. The output of this comparator 8 is connected to the other input of the OR circuit 5. The output of this OR circuit 5 is the AND circuit 10
connected to one input of the A characteristic configuration of the present invention is that each reference input of the first comparator 3 and the second comparator 8 is provided with a reference voltage corresponding to an output signal of a slope sensor 11 that detects the upward slope of the traveling road as an electric signal. It's there to be given. FIG. 2 is a detailed configuration diagram of this gradient sensor 11. The gradient sensor 11 is composed of a U-shaped tube 12, a conductive liquid 13, a resistance wire 14, a copper wire 15, a balanced bridge circuit 16, and a time constant circuit 17. The U-shaped tube 12 is made of non-conductive plastic, and a resistance wire 14 is inserted into the left riser tube, and a copper wire 15 is inserted into the right riser tube.
A conductive liquid 13 such as mercury is filled up to the middle of the riser of this U-shaped tube 12. This resistance wire 14
is selected so that its electrical resistance value changes linearly depending on its length. The resistance wire 14, the copper wire 15, and the conductive liquid 13 constitute the input resistance of the balanced bridge circuit 16. The U-shaped tube 12 is attached to a frame 19 parallel to the direction of travel of the vehicle. This frame 19
is held horizontally as shown in Figure 2 with no road slope. The balanced bridge circuit 16 is configured to maintain a balance with respect to the resistance value of the resistance line 14 at this time. This balanced bridge circuit 16
The output of is connected to an output terminal 20 via a time constant circuit 17. With such a configuration, first the balanced bridge circuit 16
The resistance value of the variable resistor 21 is changed so that the output voltage of the bridge circuit 16 becomes zero when the vehicle is in a horizontal state. Next, as shown in FIG. 3, when the vehicle travels on a road with an upward slope, the conductive liquid 13 in the U-shaped tube 12 changes to maintain a horizontal state, so that the resistance wire 14 comes into contact with the conductive liquid 13. The length of the unbalanced portion changes according to the slope, and an output voltage corresponding to the road slope is obtained at the output of the balanced bridge circuit 16. Minute changes contained in the output signal of the balanced bridge circuit 16 are removed by the time constant circuit 17, and a signal representing a central gradient change appears at the output terminal 20. Returning to FIG. 1, the output terminal 20 of the gradient sensor 11 is connected to the input interface 25 of the AD converter 23 and the microcomputer 24.
Connected to CPU26. A storage device 27 is connected to this CPU 26 . This storage device 27 has
Engine load and engine rotational speed, which are economic driving conditions depending on the uphill slope of the road, are stored in a matrix. Table 1 shows an example of each numerical value stored in this storage device 27.

[Explanation of application examples]

Note that the numerical values stored in the storage device shown in the above example are not limited to the numerical values in Table 1, and these values can be determined according to the performance of the engine. Further, the color emitted by the light emitting diode is not limited to red and green, but may be any other color as long as the two colors are different. In addition, if the loaded weight of the vehicle changes frequently and the inclination of the vehicle frame or engine load changes each time, a known loaded weight sensor 45 can be used as an AD converter as shown by the broken line in FIG. 46 to the microcomputer 24, the output of this sensor 45 corrects the stored information in the storage device 27, and the CPU 26 outputs the data to the comparators 3 and 8.
It is also possible to compensate each reference voltage. [Effects of the Invention] As described above, according to the present invention, the reference value of the economical driving condition can be variably set according to the output of the slope sensor that detects the slope of the driving road as an electric signal. As a result, on a flat road, a reference value emphasizing fuel efficiency commensurate with the running resistance can be obtained, and on an uphill road, a reference value emphasizing acceleration performance commensurate with the slope can be obtained. As a result, even when there is a slope such as a boarding road, the slope can be added to the economical driving conditions using a simple electric circuit, and depending on the actual road conditions, the current driving conditions can be adjusted to improve fuel efficiency or acceleration performance. It has the effect of displaying whether it is economical or not.

[Brief explanation of the drawing]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a detailed configuration diagram of the gradient sensor. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the main parts of the gradient sensor in use. 1... Rotation sensor, 2, 7, 23, 46... AD converter, 3, 8... Comparator, 5... OR circuit, 6
...Load sensor, 10...AND circuit, 11...Gradient sensor, 24...Microcomputer, 31...Accelerator switch, 32...Clutch switch, 33
...Exhaust brake switch, 34...Exhaust brake operating circuit, 35...Solenoid valve, 36...Inverter,
37, 41... Transistor, 38, 42... Light emitting diode, 45... Load weight sensor.

Claims (1)

[Scope of Claims] 1. A rotational speed sensor that detects the rotational speed of the vehicle's engine; a load sensor that detects the load of the vehicle's engine; and a preset reference value for the output signals of the rotational speed sensor and the load sensor. an uneconomical driving display circuit that operates when the load on the engine of the vehicle or the rotational speed of the engine increases; and an uneconomical driving display circuit that operates when the load on the engine or the rotational speed of the engine decreases. An economical driving display circuit comprising: a gradient sensor mounted on the vehicle that detects the gradient of the road on which the vehicle travels as an electrical signal; and an output signal of the gradient sensor that is captured and stored in a storage device. and a control circuit that reads an economical driving value of the engine load or the engine rotational speed according to the uphill slope of the road, and variably sets a reference value for comparison of the rotation sensor or the load sensor. Economical driving display device. 2. An exhaust brake operating circuit that operates when the accelerator pedal is released, the clutch pedal is released, and the exhaust brake switch is on, and when this exhaust brake operating circuit detects the operation of the exhaust brake, the engine load and/or The economical driving display device according to claim 1, comprising: an electric circuit that operates the economical driving display circuit regardless of the rotational speed of the engine.