KR20050019246A - Control device and method for efficient start mode of an automobile at the entry of inclined path - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A startability improving device of a vehicle for the slope and the method are provided to effectively distribute fuel by controlling RPM(Revolution Per Minute) of an engine according to gradient and load of the vehicle. CONSTITUTION: A startability improving device of a vehicle for the slope is composed of a position sensor(14) for measuring position change of a clutch master cylinder(32) while a clutch pedal(30) is pressed and power for an engine(E) and a transmission(TM) is cut off; a gradient sensor(10) for measuring gradient of the slope; and a vehicle load sensor(12) for measuring load of the vehicle. The position sensor comprises a control unit(C) for deciding RPM of the engine based on measuring values received from the gradient sensor and the vehicle load sensor and an engine throttle valve(50) for regulating the amount of fuel to be supplied to the engine by an output signal for engine RPM judged by the control unit.

Description

Control device and method for efficient start mode of an automobile at the entry of inclined path}

The present invention relates to an apparatus for improving startability at the start of a gradient of a vehicle. More specifically, the present invention relates to a control apparatus and a method for improving the startability of a vehicle by controlling the engine speed of the vehicle based on factors such as a gradient angle and a vehicle load when the vehicle starts a slope.

Among the commercially available vehicles, especially CNG (compressed natural gas) buses, due to the hassle and difficulty of clutch operation at the start of an uphill slope, it is often the main reason for the cost loss due to the frequent start-up or excessive friction of the clutch disc. Indeed, diesel engines have six to eight months of clutch disc replacement cycles, while CNG buses are only two to four months long. This is because in the case of CNG vehicles, CNG used as a fuel source, the response by the depression of the electronic accelerator pedal is sensitive, the engine speed is increased rapidly, it is difficult to control the stroke by the depression of the clutch pedal. In particular, in the early stages of driving the ramp, it is more difficult to secure a proper use area of the engine speed.

As a technique for starting a vehicle auxiliary device for starting a gradient ramp, for example, refer to Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 63-89871, which uses a brake sensor, a clutch sensor, and a parking brake sensor to communicate with an oil cylinder. A technique for performing the opening and closing operation of a has been proposed. However, no prior art including this suggests a technique for adjusting the engine speed in consideration of factors such as a road draft angle, a vehicle load, and a moving position of the clutch master cylinder, which act as a substantial load on the engine when the vehicle is driven. .

Therefore, the present invention provides a control apparatus and method for greatly improving the startability of a vehicle by controlling the engine speed of the vehicle based on factors such as a gradient angle and a vehicle load when the vehicle starts a slope. The purpose.

The apparatus for improving the starting of the vehicle when the vehicle of the present invention for driving the inclined gradient for achieving the above object, the clutch master cylinder on the basis of the state in which the power of the engine and the transmission is cut off by the clutch pedal depressed Position sensor for measuring the degree of change of the position, gradient sensor for measuring the gradient angle of the inclined slope, vehicle load sensor for measuring the load of the vehicle and measurements from the position sensor, gradient sensor and vehicle load sensor And an engine throttle valve configured to adjust the amount of fuel to the engine based on the output signal according to the engine speed determined by the controller.

Furthermore, the present invention is characterized in that it further comprises a vehicle speed sensor is installed on the output side of the transmission to measure the traveling speed of the vehicle to transmit to the control unit.

Furthermore, the present invention discloses an overall control method performed by the engine speed control apparatus.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The present invention is particularly suitable for the engine speed control mechanism of the CNG bus.

Figure 1 shows the overall configuration of the engine speed adjustment mechanism of the present invention.

The engine E is provided with a throttle valve 50. The solid line position indicates the idle state before the vehicle enters the gradient. The vehicle speed sensor 60 is provided on the output side of the transmission TM. An electronic control unit (ECU) C is composed of an input unit, an output unit, a memory unit, and a program unit, and controls the overall operation of the engine speed control mechanism of the present invention. A known shift lever position sensor 22 is positioned to be connected to the shift lever 20, and a detection signal of the sensor is transmitted to the transmission TM through the ECU C to operate the transmission at a predetermined speed ratio. .

Under the clutch pedal 30, the clutch master cylinder 32 communicates with the release cylinder which is not shown in figure. The internal structure of the clutch master cylinder is disclosed, for example, in Utility Model Registration No. 213888. The present invention is characterized in that it comprises a position sensor 14 in the master cylinder (32). The position sensor 14 is for measuring a qualitative state in which the master cylinder returns to its original position on the basis of the state in which the power of the engine E and the transmission TM are cut off when the clutch pedal 30 is depressed. To this end, the position sensor 14 measures the movement distance of the front end portion of the piston in the master cylinder 32 or measures the movement distance of the push rod directly connected to the clutch pedal, and transmits a quantitatively measured signal to the ECU C. do.

The engine speed control mechanism of the present invention further includes a gradient detection sensor 10 and a vehicle load detection sensor 12. Gradient detection sensor 10 measures the inclination angle of the road that the vehicle enters on the basis of a horizontal plane parallel to the ground, vehicle load sensor 12 measures the total weight of the vehicle, including the number of passengers or unloading quantity. The gradient detection sensor 10 may be used in any known manner as the tilt angle sensor, for example, there is a rotary potentiometer. In addition, the vehicle load sensor 12 may be changed to measure only the load of the increase except the weight of the vehicle itself.

Reference numeral 40 is a warning lamp for informing the driver of the fact that the inclination angle of the gradient detection sensor received by the ECU C exceeds a predetermined range or the engine speed is being controlled.

A control method of the engine speed regulating mechanism of the present invention having the above configuration will be described with reference to FIG. 2 based on the control operation of the ECU (C).

First, the driver depresses the power of the engine (E) and the transmission (TM) by depressing the clutch pedal at the moment the vehicle enters the inclined gradient section and moves the shift lever 20 to select the most suitable gear ratio (usually 1 Gears of the first to second stages). The ECU C receives the position value of the shift lever 20 and outputs a driving signal to the transmission TM (S10). The vehicle then starts to run at the speed of rotation. At the same time, a signal detected by the gradient detection sensor 10 is transmitted to the ECU C, and the ECU C reads the gradient value G based on the signal (S20). Here, step S20 may be executed before step S10. Next, ECU C compares whether the gradient value G is equal to or greater than a predetermined value (for example, 5%), and if it is positive, the moving position value Cm and the vehicle load value L of the clutch master cylinder are respectively determined. Received through the sensor (S40 and S50). Here, steps S40 and S50 may be performed before step S30 or may be performed in parallel at the same time. In this way, the gradient value G, the clutch master cylinder moving position value Cm, and the vehicle load value L become the main variables of the engine speed regulating mechanism and are input to the ECU C. On the other hand, if the comparison of step S30 is negative, the flow returns to the routine S20 for measuring a gradient value again. This is because there is no need to adjust the engine speed if the inclination angle is a small gradient.

The ECU C determines the most suitable engine speed Er in step S60 based on the three variables. The engine speed Er is a value previously written in the memory table of the ECU C, and these values are the most optimized values for the vehicle model through various tests in consideration of the field situation. For example, if the gradient value G is 6%, the vehicle load is 13 tons, and the clutch master cylinder has a moving position of 6 mm, the engine speed Er is set at 900 rpm. Under the same conditions, the clutch master cylinder has a moving position. If it is 7 mm, the engine speed Er is set to 950 rpm. In general, the higher the gradient, the higher the engine speed Er is set. The ECU C transmits a signal corresponding to the engine speed Er determined as described above to a throttle valve controller (not shown) (S70), whereby the opening position of the throttle valve 50 installed in the engine E is controlled. The rotation speed of the engine E is adjusted, and the vehicle starts to run in accordance with the adjusted engine speed. The dotted line position of the throttle valve 50 of FIG. 1 conceptually illustrates this adjusted state.

In the initial state in which the vehicle is traveling on the slope, it is preferable that the position of the throttle valve is operatively blocked from the accelerator pedal so that the engine speed value does not change even when the driver steps on the accelerator. In addition, the technique for adjusting the engine speed of the vehicle by using an interlocking means such as a throttle lever can adopt various known technologies, for example, as disclosed in Utility Model Registration No. 250886.

Thereafter, the ECU C proceeds to step S80 after a predetermined time has elapsed, and receives the current traveling speed V from the vehicle speed sensor 60 of the transmission, which is equal to or greater than a predetermined reference value Vt (for example, 3 kph). If it is determined that the recognition (S90), and if affirmative, it is determined that the vehicle has entered the normal speed to turn off the gradient inclination control mode (S100). This is because if the vehicle starts to drive above the reference value, it is out of the sensitive stage of the initial departure, and it is reasonable to leave it to the driver's autonomous driving from this time. If the result is denied in step S90, after a predetermined time elapses, the routine returns to step S80 to end the routine.

As described above, the present invention controls the engine speed of the vehicle based on factors such as the gradient angle and the load of the vehicle when the vehicle starts the ramp, and thus greatly improves the starting of the vehicle and makes rational distribution of fuel. Exert.

While one embodiment of the present invention has been described above, various modifications are possible within the technical spirit of the following claims.

1 is an overall configuration of the engine speed control mechanism of the present invention; And

FIG. 2 is a flowchart illustrating an engine speed adjusting method performed by the controller of the present invention of FIG. 1.

Claims (3)

An apparatus for improving the starting of a vehicle when the vehicle runs on an inclined gradient, the apparatus comprising: A position sensor measuring a position change of the clutch master cylinder on the basis of a state in which power of the engine and the transmission are cut off by the clutch pedal being depressed; A gradient sensor for measuring a draft angle of the inclined gradient; A vehicle load sensor for measuring a load of the vehicle; A control unit for receiving the measured values from the position sensor, the gradient detection sensor and the vehicle load detection sensor and determining an appropriate engine speed based on these values; An engine throttle valve configured to adjust the amount of fuel to the engine based on the output signal according to the engine speed determined by the controller; Device characterized in that consisting of. The method of claim 1, The apparatus further comprises a vehicle speed sensor installed at the output side of the transmission and measuring the traveling speed of the vehicle to transmit to the controller. As a control method for improving the starting of the vehicle when the vehicle is running a slope gradient, the method (1) Position sensor for measuring position change of clutch master cylinder, gradient sensor for measuring slope angle of inclined slope, and vehicle load based on the state in which power of engine and transmission are cut off by clutch pedal. Receiving each measurement value from a vehicle load sensor to measure; (2) determining an appropriate engine speed based on each of the measurements; (3) adjusting the opening degree of the engine throttle valve according to the determined output signal according to the engine speed; And (4) terminating the steps of (1) to (3) above the predetermined speed by receiving the output value of the speed measuring sensor installed at the output side of the transmission and measuring the traveling speed of the vehicle; Method comprising the.