Vehicular control apparatus

Abstract

To be ready for early generation in a case where a motor-generator being required to generate becomes inoperable.SOLUTION: A control apparatus is for use in a vehicle 1 that includes: an engine 2; a motor-generator 5 for use in starting the engine 2 and assisting power of the engine 2; an auxiliary-machine battery 8 for storing power generated by the motor-generator 5; and a control part for controlling the motor-generator 5. In a case where the motor-generator 5 being required to generate becomes inoperable, the control part is restarted if there is no history of restarting the control part, with no detection of information indicating that the motor-generator 5 is failed.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a vehicle control device. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses a vehicle equipped with a mild hybrid system. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] JP 2015-231769 A Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] In the configuration described in Patent Document 1, the motor generator used to start the engine functions as a generator, and the electric power generated by the motor generator is stored in the auxiliary battery. However, in a situation where the auxiliary battery is charged by the power generated by the motor generator, if the motor generator stops working for some reason, the auxiliary battery cannot be charged, and the battery may run out, which may lead to an engine stall.

[0005] The present invention has been made in consideration of the above-mentioned circumstances, and aims to provide a vehicle control device that can quickly restore a state in which a motor generator can generate electricity when it becomes inoperative while there is a demand for power generation. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The present invention is a control device for a vehicle that includes an engine, a motor generator that is used to start the engine and is driven to assist the power of the engine, an auxiliary battery that stores electricity generated by the motor generator, and a control unit that controls the motor generator, and is characterized in that when the motor generator becomes inoperative when there is a demand for generating electricity, there is no restart history of the control unit and no information indicating a fault in the motor generator has been detected, the control unit is restarted. Effect of the Invention

[0007] In the present invention, the motor generator can be restarted by restarting the control unit that controls the motor generator, so that if the motor generator becomes inoperative when there is a demand for power generation, it can be quickly put into a state where it can generate power. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a vehicle according to an embodiment. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 is a flow chart showing the control flow. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0009] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A vehicle control device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be specifically described below. Note that the present invention is not limited to the embodiment described below.

[0010] 1 is a diagram showing a schematic diagram of a vehicle according to an embodiment. The vehicle 1 includes an engine (ENG) 2, a power transmission (T / M) 3, a starter 4, a motor generator (MG) 5, a DC-DC converter 6, an auxiliary device 7, an auxiliary battery 8, a high-voltage battery 9, and an electronic control unit (ECU) 10. The control device of the vehicle 1 includes the electronic control unit 10.

[0011] The vehicle 1 is equipped with an engine 2 and a motor generator 5 as power sources, and is a vehicle equipped with a mild hybrid system.

[0012] The engine 2 is a power source of the vehicle 1. Power output from the engine 2 is transmitted to wheels via a power transmission device 3. The power transmission device 3 includes a gear mechanism such as a transmission, and forms a power transmission path between the engine 2 and the wheels.

[0013] The starter 4 is a starter motor for starting the engine 2. The shaft of the starter 4 is connected to the crankshaft of the engine 2 so as to be capable of transmitting power. The starter 4 is driven by electric power supplied from the auxiliary battery 20. When the starter 4 is driven, the shaft of the starter 4 rotates, thereby rotating the crankshaft of the engine 2, and the engine 2 starts.

[0014] The motor generator 5 functions as an electric motor and a generator. The motor generator 5 is connected to the engine 2 via a transmission 11 so as to be capable of transmitting power. The transmission 11 is a belt-type transmission, and includes a pulley that rotates integrally with the crankshaft of the engine 2, a pulley that rotates integrally with the shaft of the motor generator 5, and a belt wound around these pulleys. The motor generator 5 starts the engine 2 via the transmission 11. There are three methods for starting the engine 2: a method for starting the engine 2 using the starter 4 alone, a method for starting the engine 2 using the motor generator 5 alone, and a method for starting the engine 2 using the starter 4 and the motor generator 5 together. When the power of the engine 2 is insufficient, the motor generator 5 is driven as an electric motor to assist the power of the engine 2. The motor generator 5 is driven by power supplied from a high-voltage battery 9. When the power of the engine 2 is sufficient, the motor generator 5 is driven as a generator to store power in the auxiliary battery 8. The motor generator 5 is electrically connected to the DCDC converter 6 via a power line PL.

[0015] The DCDC converter 6 is a power conversion device provided between the motor generator 5 and the auxiliary equipment 7. The DCDC converter 6 is electrically connected between the power line PL and the low-voltage line EL. The DCDC converter 6 steps down the voltage of the power line PL and supplies it to the low-voltage line EL. The DCDC converter 6 is electrically connected to the auxiliary equipment 7 and the auxiliary battery 8 via the low-voltage line EL.

[0016] The auxiliary battery 8 supplies power to the starter 4. The rated voltage of the auxiliary battery 8 is 12 V. The auxiliary battery 8 is electrically connected to the starter 4, the DCDC converter 6, and the auxiliary 7 via a low-voltage line EL. The auxiliary battery 8 is electrically connected to the motor generator 5 via the DCDC converter 6.

[0017] The high-voltage battery 9 supplies power to the motor generator 5. The rated voltage of the high-voltage battery 9 is 48V. The high-voltage battery 9 is electrically connected to the motor generator 5 via an inverter (not shown). Power generated by the motor generator 5 can be stored in the high-voltage battery 9. The high-voltage battery 9 is also electrically connected to the motor generator 5 via a first relay 21. The first relay 21 is a high-voltage battery relay, and is provided between the high-voltage battery 9 and the motor generator 5. When the first relay 21 is in an ON state, the high-voltage battery 9 and the motor generator 5 are electrically connected to each other. When the first relay 21 is in an OFF state, the high-voltage battery 9 and the motor generator 5 are electrically disconnected from each other. The first relay 21 is switched between an ON state and an OFF state in response to a command signal from the electronic control device 10. The first relay 21 is provided between the inverter connected to the motor generator 5 and the high-voltage battery 9.

[0018] The electronic control device 10 is a control device including a control unit (MG-ECU) that controls the motor generator 5. The electronic control device 10 executes various motor controls based on signals from various sensors mounted on the vehicle 1. The control unit of the electronic control device 10 outputs a command signal to an inverter connected to the motor generator 5 to control the driving of the motor generator 5. The electronic control device 10 is also electrically connected to the motor generator 5 via a second relay 22. The second relay 22 is an MG relay, and is provided between the motor generator 5 and the electronic control device 10. When the second relay 22 is in an ON state, the electronic control device 10 and the motor generator 5 are electrically connected to each other. When the second relay 22 is in an OFF state, the electronic control device 10 and the motor generator 5 are electrically disconnected from each other. The second relay 22 is provided between the inverter connected to the motor generator 5 and the electronic control device 10.

[0019] The electronic control device 10 also controls the DCDC converter 6 and the high-voltage battery 9. The electronic control device 10 outputs a command signal to the DCDC converter 6 to control the driving of the DCDC converter 6. Furthermore, the electronic control device 10 controls a first relay 21 and a second relay 22. The electronic control device 10 outputs a command signal to the first relay 21 to switch the first relay 21 between an ON state and an OFF state. The electronic control device 10 outputs a command signal to the second relay 22 to switch the second relay 22 between an ON state and an OFF state.

[0020] In the vehicle 1 configured in this manner, the power generated by the motor generator 5 is stored in the auxiliary battery 8, so if the power generation function of the motor generator 5 stops for some reason, the auxiliary battery 8 may run out of power, which may lead to an engine stall. If the MG system does not start up and cannot generate power due to a startup error in the microcomputer or monitoring IC or an external factor, the error state may be resolved by resetting the motor generator 5. Therefore, the control device of the vehicle 1 is configured to reset the MG software to make it possible to generate power again.

[0021] Specifically, the control device of the vehicle 1 starts up the MG system by a hardware relay and a software IG signal. In a normal start-up sequence, the second relay 22 is turned on to power up the motor generator 5, and then an IG signal is sent to start up the MG system. These instructions are issued by the electronic control device 10. The electronic control device 10 controls the driving of the motor generator 5, the driving of the DCDC converter 6, and the driving of the high-voltage battery 9.

[0022] If the MG unit fails, a hardware shutoff is implemented as a fail-safe.

[0023] When power generation is stopped even though the MG unit is not faulty, the motor generator 5 is restarted by an external signal. In this case, since the MG unit is not faulty, it is possible to return it to a state where it can generate power again by restarting the MG unit. At this time, it is desirable to restart the MG unit as soon as possible to shorten the period during which power generation is stopped. In addition, in order to minimize the impact on other units, it is necessary to prevent the other units from performing unnecessary operations. To achieve this, when the relevant scene occurs, the MG unit is restarted not by a hardware power cut-off, but by a software IG signal that switches from OFF to ON.

[0024] 2 is a flow chart showing a control flow. The control shown in FIG.

[0025] The control device of the vehicle 1 determines whether the motor generator 5 is inoperative or not (step S1). In step S1, it is determined whether the motor generator 5 is inoperative or not in a state where there is a request for power generation. In other words, it is determined whether the power generation function of the motor generator 5 is stopped or not.

[0026] If it is determined that the motor generator 5 is operating in a state where there is a demand for power generation (step S1: No), this control routine ends.

[0027] If it is determined that the motor generator 5 is not operating when there is a power generation request (step S1: Yes), the control device of the vehicle 1 determines whether there is a history of resetting the MG software (step S2). In step S2, it is determined whether there is a history of resetting the electronic control device 10, which is the MG-ECU. Resetting the MG software is synonymous with restarting the MG software. In step S2, it is determined whether there is a history of restarting the electronic control device 10.

[0028] If it is determined that there is a history of resetting the MG software (step S2: No), this control routine ends.

[0029] If it is determined that there is no MG software reset history (step S2: Yes), the control device of the vehicle 1 determines whether or not a diagnostic of the vehicle 1 has been detected (step S3). In step S3, it is determined whether or not information indicating a malfunction of the motor generator 5 has been detected.

[0030] If it is determined that the diagnosis of the vehicle 1 has not been detected (step S3: Yes), the control device of the vehicle 1 resets the MG software (step S4). In step S4, the electronic control device 10, which is the MG-ECU, is reset. In other words, in step S4, the electronic control device 10 is restarted. The control device of the vehicle 1 restarts the electronic control device 10 by turning the IG signal from OFF to ON again. By resetting (restarting) the electronic control device 10, the electronic control device 10 starts the motor generator 5 again. After performing the processing of step S4, the process returns to step S1.

[0031] If it is determined that the diagnosis of the vehicle 1 has been detected (step S3: No), the control device of the vehicle 1 resets the MG hardware (step S5). In step S5, a hardware cutoff is performed. For example, the first relay 21 is controlled to the OFF state, and the second relay 22 is controlled to the OFF state. After the process of step S5 is performed, the process returns to step S1.

[0032] As described above, according to the embodiment, when the MG system does not start up and cannot generate power due to an unexpected startup error or an external factor, the motor generator 5 can be restarted early by resetting the electronic control device 10.

[0033] The vehicle 1 includes an electronic control device other than the electronic control device 10. For example, the vehicle 1 includes an electronic control device (ENG-ECU) that controls the engine 2, an electronic control device (HV-ECU) that controls the entire system of the vehicle 1, and the like. The control shown in FIG. 2 can be performed by the HV-ECU mounted on the vehicle 1. That is, a command signal from the HV-ECU is input to the electronic control device 10, which is the MG-ECU. When the IG signal is ON, the HV-ECU outputs a command signal to the electronic control device 10 to start the electronic control device 10. In addition, the HV-ECU restarts (resets) the electronic control device 10 by performing the control shown in FIG. 2. In this case, the HV-ECU outputs a command signal to the first relay 21 and the second relay 22 to switch the first relay 21 between the ON state and the OFF state, and the second relay 22 between the ON state and the OFF state. [Explanation of symbols]

[0034] 1 vehicle 2 Engine (ENG) 3 Power transmission device (T / M) 4 Starter 5. Motor generator 6 DC-DC Converter 7 Auxiliary Equipment 8 Auxiliary Battery 9. High-voltage battery 10 Electronic Control Unit (ECU) 21 1st Relay 22 2nd Relay

Claims

[Claim 1] The engine, a motor generator used to start the engine and driven to assist the engine in generating power; an auxiliary battery that stores the electric power generated by the motor generator; A control unit that controls the motor generator; A vehicle control device comprising: When the motor generator becomes inoperative while there is a request for power generation, if there is no restart history of the control unit and if information indicating a failure of the motor generator is not detected, the control unit is restarted. A vehicle control device comprising:

Images